Driving in Greece: Greek Motorway Network
The Greek road network covers about 2,500 kilometres in the mainland and Crete. Most visitors who prefer to rent a car and spend their holiday in the sunny islands may be used to small asphalted or dirt roads. However, suppose you are serious about travelling to Greece by car. In that case, you should know that there is a constantly improving network of motorways, national roads and highways that connect the different areas of the mainland and the regions of Crete. So, hire a car and drive to the most unforgettable places, through mountains and coasts, and visit the inviting towns and villages to enjoy the Greek landscape.
The backbone of the Greek Road Network consists of the following motorways:
Attiki Odos – A6
Attiki Odos is the 65 km urban-periurban motorway around the greater area of Athens and the backbone of the road network of the entire Attica region. It also connects the Patra – Athens (A8) with the Athens – Thessaloniki motorway. The auxiliary routes, the Aigaleo Beltway (A65) and the Hymettus Beltway (A64), serve parts of western and eastern Athens, respectively. At the same time, the A62 section leads from the main route to the Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos. Attiki Odos will cover more areas in the future years. Taking Attiki Odos to drive to the suburbs of Athens will make your driving in the busy capital much more effortless.
Attiki Odos, the motorway around the broader area of Athens. Photo by Jimzoun, licensed.
Athens-Thessaloniki motorway – A1
The Athens-Thessaloniki motorway connects the Greek mainland on a North-South axis. A1 starts from Faliro, a few kilometres from the port of Piraeus. It exits Greece at Evzoni, at the border with the Republic of North Macedonia, where it continues as the M-1. From Athens and Attica, the motorway follows the Aegean coast passing close by the cities of Lamia, Volos and Larissa, through the valley of Tempi between mountains Olympus and Ossa. It continues to Thessaloniki through Polykastro and up to the borders of Evzoni. Its total length is approximately 550 km.
Part of the Greek road network, Egnatia Odos – A2 connects Northern Greece from East to West. Photo by Philos2000, licensed.
Egnatia Odos – A2
Egnatia Odos is a recent addition to the Greek road network. It connects Northern Greece on a West-East axis (Epirus). Starting at the port of Igoumenitsa and ending at the Turkish border in Evros, Α2 connects the cities of Igoumenitsa – Ioannina – Metsovo – Grevena – Kozani – Veria – Thessaloniki – Kavala – Xanthi – Komotini and Alexandroupoli. Its total length is 670 km. From A2, there are also auxiliary routes to Albania and Bulgaria.
Olympia Odos – A8
Olympia Odos is the motorway connecting Athens to southwestern Peloponnese. It begins in the area of Elefsina in the region of Attica. Then, it follows the Gulf of Corinth to the Rio–Antirio bridge (near Patras). From there, it continues along the Ionian Sea coastline to Pyrgos, which is close to ancient Olympia (of the Olympic games). In 2008 the motorway went under construction to widen the road and add new tunnels and bridges. The roadworks finished in 2017.
The Rio-Antirio Bridge crosses the Corinthian Gulf and connects central Greece with Peloponnese. Photo by Spiros Vathis, licensed.
Ionia Odos – A6
A6 has been fully operational since August 2017. The route passes through most of western continental Greece, along the Ionian Sea, hence its name “Ionia Odos”. It starts from Ioannina at the A2 (Egnatia Odos) interchange and ends at Rio, in Patras, through the Rio-Antirrio bridge. There, it meets the A8 (Olympia Odos) motorway. Ionia Odos connects some of the biggest cities and towns of western Greece, like Ioannina, Preveza, Arta, Agrinio and Messolonghi.
Moreas -A7
Moreas is the Eastern Peloponnese motorway. It starts from Corinth, passes through Tripoli and ends at Kalamata. Its total length is 205 km, and it has recently undergone extensive improvement to complete motorway standards. The construction of A7 reduced travelling time from Athens to Kalamata in half.
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