If you want a combination of gorgeous mountains, beautiful seaside and ancient history, Greece has it all. Although it might be a long drive to get there, van life in Greece is surprisingly easy.

When to go

Greece is a popular travel destination so living van life in Greece means sharing it with other travelers – many others. In fact, prior to the Covid pandemic the country had more than 30 million visitors, making it one of the most visited countries in Europe and the world.

And it is especially busy early July to end of August. During this time you can count on most places being packed with tourists.

But if you hold off a bit and visit in late spring or early fall, you’ll escape the crowds. While still having warm and sunny weather.

Most restaurants, campsites and tourist areas also stay open until end of October so you can still enjoy all the vacation luxuries and count on having access to all necessary facilities.

And if you visit during off-peak season the prices at campsites will also be a few euros cheaper. You’re also pretty much guaranteed a spot without booking ahead. 

Where to park for the night

In most areas you won’t have a problem free camping in Greece and you can free camp at parking lots, pull outs on the side of a mountain or down by the beach.

That said, in some of the more popular tourist areas such as Meteora, the police and the locals might patrol the area. Even if you’re parked far away from the actual tourist spot, they could tell you that it is not okay to park up for the night. Even when there are no signs.

If you plan on visiting a major tourist attraction it could be worth checking into a campsite. You can also use parking areas that allows campers and vans to park overnight, such as parking lots belonging to a restaurant. It might cost you a meal but at least you’ll get food and a peaceful night in return. 

Depending on the area, prices for a spot at a campsite during off-peak season is usually around 16–17 euros.

As always, no matter where you are parked:

• Leave no trace
• Be respectful to your surroundings
• Respect the “No camping”-signs

Driving on mountain roads

One of the things you might find stressful about van life in Greece can be driving on small, windy and hilly roads. Greece has a lot of mountains and it is likely you’ll have to cross a few of them to get to where you are going. And if you got a heavy van, going up them will take time. Even if the distance is not far. 

In some cases you also have to go through small and busy village roads (during a festival if you’re unfortunate), which makes the driving challenging.

That said, the country also has big and well-maintained motorways. These however, costs in terms of tolls.

Make sure to check what route Google Maps or your navigation tool stake out for you before you drive. Even though it’s tempting to choose the route without tolls, it’ll most likely take longer. And before you know it you might find yourself on a bumpy gravel road in the middle of nowhere.  

Cost of road tolls

In Greece all tolls are paid in toll booths and you can pay either with cash or card.

The cost of road tolls varies depending on whether you travel on the west coast or east coast. If you start on the west coast, the tolls costs around one or two euros and they are reasonably far apart.

But once you approach the east coast, they’ll increase in cost. For a van you’ll pay between six and eight euros. It’ll also seem like you just paid one toll when the next one appears.

If your plan is to go north towards Bulgaria, the tolls will decrease again and in some toll booths you’ll pay as little as 30 cents.

You should expect to pay least 40 euros when traveling from the west coast, across the country to the east coast and then up north to Bulgaria. 

Staffed or automatic toll booths

Most toll booths are staffed but you might also encounter automatic ones if you turn off onto a smaller road.

Even with the automatic ones it is possible to pay with either cash or card, and you will be given change if you pay cash and don’t have the exact amount.  

Unreliable internet service

If you previously were van lifing it up in Albania, the internet connection in terms of mobile data might be a bit better in Greece. But it is still unreliable.

Be prepared for the service to drop in and out. Even if you’re not moving.   

If you know you need to have solid internet service for a few days you might be better off checking into a campsite with WiFi. 

English is widely spoken

Unless you plan to visit very remote and rural areas, you won’t have any issues getting by using the English language as more than half of the population in Greece speaks English.

Many road signs are also in English, making the drive easy.

Plan on driving in some other European countries?