Car rentals in Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu and Crete?

[Charity0000]

Hello... I need some advice...I don't want to take the cruise ship excursions at these ports and want to rent a car and go at my own pace. I have read in some place that in Santorini it is just as easy to just take the bus around town. Is this true?

 

Does anyone have any advice for driving in Mykonos? Is it a good idea?

 

Any ideas for Coru and Crete would be much appreciated.

 

I also have the idea of renting a moped in one of the islands, not sure which one would be best for that.

 

Also which island is the best for just relaxing at a beach. I don't want to overload with too much running around and sightseeing.

 

Thanks a million for your advice!!

 

Charity

[Bruin Steve]

Hello... I need some advice...I don't want to take the cruise ship excursions at these ports and want to rent a car and go at my own pace. I have read in some place that in Santorini it is just as easy to just take the bus around town. Is this true?

 

Does anyone have any advice for driving in Mykonos? Is it a good idea?

 

Any ideas for Coru and Crete would be much appreciated.

 

I also have the idea of renting a moped in one of the islands, not sure which one would be best for that.

 

Also which island is the best for just relaxing at a beach. I don't want to overload with too much running around and sightseeing.

 

Thanks a million for your advice!!

 

Charity

 

 

Well, Charity, I've never been to Crete, but I've been to Mykonos...and to both Corfu and Santorini a couple of times...adn I've rented cars in both Corfu and Santorini...

 

Here's my advice...

 

Santorini: Make sure NOT to rent from Spiridakos/Alamo/National...too long a story to go into here...but, trust me...not good people...There are plenty of car rental agencies in Thira Town...But you Don't need a rental car just to get around town...it is small and walkable...You DO need to take the Cable Car up and down the cliff from the tender pier whether you rent a car or not...But, just to get around town,--eat, shop, visit the archaeological museum, etc. does not require a car...You can also go to Oia easily by public bus (We've done that)...or, you can do it by car...We rented the car because we wanted to go to Ancient Fira and to wander the back side of the island and to visit a winery...If you care to do this, beware! The road to Ancient Fira might be the worst road I have driven in my life...up the side of the mountain, one lane for both directions, hairpin turn after hairpin turn...(You have to pass on the hairpins--and occasionallly, one of you has to back up...and it's gravel with no guard rails!)...When you get to the end of the road, there's still a considerable amount of uphill walking to do...It's an incredible site on a mountaintop...with great views...but they should give you an award for making it there and back alive...

 

Mykonos: I couldn't see any real reason to rent a car here...unless maybe you want to go to a remote beach...we walked int town ( A LONG walk...should have taken a bus or taxi, but there were some atypical circumstances that made this difficult)...took the ship's shuttle back to the ship (as they evacuated us from the island several hours early due to strong winds) ...It was really not hard to walk all over town...

 

Corfu: You might want a car...or those mopeds here...We did a car on our first trip here...there are several remote and scenic beaches, some interesting view spots (like Pelekas) and the Achilleion Palace all outside of town...The town itself can be done on foot...But the mopeds will make it easier to go up to the old fortresses...My favorite recommendation in Corfu is Pizza Pete's Restaurant...just outside the old harbor area on the cliffs over the Adriatic...incredible location to eat lunch...get a table by the rail...

 

Mykonos would be my choice for the beach time...definitely not Santorini...Corfu, maybe, but a shame not to spend more time with the sites...

 

Good luck and have fun...

[tom_uk]

I'll second BruinSteve's comments about car hire on Mykonos - it really is very small, and (apart from the beaches) everything is concentrated in Mykonos town.

 

As regards the beaches, there are good buses to Platy Gialos (or Yialos), which is the main family beach, from the town, and there are also buses to Paradise beach (younger, noisier). The beaches themselves are good; good sand, cafes/hotels etc at the back of the beach, and loungers/sunshades on the beach which can be hired.

 

A couple on our cruise last June hired a couple of ATVs when they got into Mykonos town, and had a great time buzzing around the island. But they ended up at a beach.

[Susan-M]

Hi Charity,

Santorini is a wonderful island to explore by car - you can cover most of the island in a day (and see some incredibly scenic sites) - it's hard to get lost as there aren't a lot of roads and driving is fairly easy for the most part.

And, it's a chance to enjoy a day away from the crowds. This site has some great photos of Santorini - hopefully enough to convince you to take in as much of Santorini as possible - http://www.greekhotel.com/cyclades/santorin/panorama/akrotiri-faros.htm

 

We had a car from 9 a.m. till 8 p.m. and went to the following places:

- the Red Beach (at the end of the road in Akrotiri)

- Faros (where the lighthouse is, with spectacular views of the Caldera)

- Emporio

- Pyrgos (the highest and oldest village on the island)

- Kamari Beach (black volcanic pebbles) for a swim

- Imerovigli for short stroll through the strees & more great views

- Ammoudi (below Oia) an old fishing village, with buildings made out of red volcanic stones .... dinner at a Taverna

- drove up to Oia to watch the famous sunset there.

- back to Fira by 8 p.m.

 

We rented from Tony's Car Rental http://www.santorini.gr-santorini.com/rentals/tonys/

[KT32]

Mykonos does have a good bus system to get from the town to several beaches and tickets are only 1 or 2 euros/person - save your money! Beaches in Mykonos are great - particularly Paradise if you enjoy music & dancing while at the beach. There's also a good cafeteria at Paradise beach.

 

Santorini is a good spot to rent a car if you want to explore the island. The road to ancient Thira is the scariest road I've been on hands down and once you get started, you can't really turn around until you've gotten to the top. I'd toss in visiting a winery to susan_m's suggestions and the archaeolotical site at Akrotiri if its reopened.

 

Corfu town is nice to walk around in, but if you want to see a beach try Paleokastritsa. We also enjoyed a tour of the Achilleon palace while we were there. We rented a car from Budget which is right at the port. There's a great restaurant in Corfu town called the Venetian Well - its challenging to find, but worth the search.

 

Where do you dock in Crete? The Palace at Knossos is not far from Heraklion and is worth a visit. I haven't been there myself, but I've heard there's also a good archaeological museum in Heraklion. If you're docking in Chania, you're in for a treat - the old town is amazing to walk around in, no car needed!

[MTJtraveller]

Susan - M or anyone else with answer:

 

I have reserved a car for rent while in Santorini in May. My concern is finding parking in Oia or Fira. Did you ever have a problem or should this not be a worry?

 

Thanks!

[Susan-M]

MTJ - we didn't spend any time in Fira as we wanted to see the rest of the island (you could explore there before picking the car up or after dropping it off.) We did Oia towards the end of the afternoon - by that time many of the other tourists had left and it was easy to find parking.

 

Have you checked cruisecal to see what other ships are in port? http://www.cruisecal.info/portal/MainCalendar/tabid/36/Default.aspx It's a good way to get an indication of how busy the island will be with cruise passengers that day.

[MTJtraveller]

Thanks Susan-M,

Fortunately we are the only ship in port....will make it easier I'm sure!

[Susan-M]

Thanks Susan-M,

Fortunately we are the only ship in port....will make it easier I'm sure!

 

 

Yes ... it will be a great day for travelling the island by car ... you'll have the place to yourselves!

 

If you are looking for info on Santorini - I found this site to be very helpful: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/santorini/1647010001.html (scroll thru the index on the left for detailed info and maps). The car rental agency will provide you with a map of the island ....a basic map, but then there aren't a lot of roads. Enjoy your day there!

[iluvsangeorge]

Hello... I need some advice...I don't want to take the cruise ship excursions at these ports and want to rent a car and go at my own pace. I have read in some place that in Santorini it is just as easy to just take the bus around town. Is this true?

 

Any ideas for Corfu and Crete would be much appreciated.

 

I also have the idea of renting a moped in one of the islands, not sure which one would be best for that.

 

Charity

 

Hiring mopeds on Corfu is usually NOT recommended in Corfu due to the state and width (lack of it) of the roads and the car drivers !!! I imagine the same applies to the other islands.

 

Hiring a car is easy and much safer. Most firms will deliver to the port and collect afterwards...prices are competitive. For a small car around 30-40 euros (maybe less at off-peak times) for single days should be available. Pay a bit extra and get FULL insurance with NO excess. Not all firms offer this more expensive facility as they all like to quote the cheapest price.

 

There are some lovely places to visit on Corfu and some nice beaches but it depends on how much time you have available. Elsewhere on this Forum I described a lovely drive through pleasant Corfu countryside to pick up some great views and spend an hour or two on a beach but it has been immersed by now in the flood of topics.

I am only a regular visitor to Corfu, not a resident, but I can put you in touch with some useful Forums for detailed Corfu advice.

 

If you want more information contact me from my web-site:

http://www.agiosgeorgios.info

[LILynn]

Hi Charity -

 

We did a Med cruise this past September and we had an amazing time - you are going to love it!

 

We really wanted to relax the days we were in Mykonos and Corfu as we had been running non stop since we left NY.

 

In Mykonos we took the ship shuttle for a few Euros into town. From there we took the bus to Paradise beach. Taking th bus was much easier than I thought it would be - it was easy to find the bus terminal - we bought tickets at the little coffe shop across the street and then found the bus that went to Paradise beach. It took about 30 minutes to get there. We rented chairs and umbrellas when we got there - I think it was 7 euros a person for the whole day. There were all kinds of bars and restaurants on the beach and there were also waiters that came around and took orders and brought the drinks right to you.... my kind of beach!!!!! Most of the day we laid out and relaxed - I did go into the water at times and wishes I had brought my water shoes as the sand was more pebbly than sandy. We took the 3:20 bus back to town, had a snack and then walked around Mykonos town and checked out the shops. We then walked abck to the ship - we walked along the shore so even though it took a while it was a nice walk.

 

I did not know in advance what we were going to do in Corfu. We met another couple on the roll call for our ship that we shared private tours with and the 4 of us decided to rent a car when we got off the ship. There is a car rental agency in the terminal . We paid about 75 euros for the day to rent the car (we were lucky to get an automatic!). The guy at the rental agency gave us great directions to Paleokastrista - one of the beaches in Corfu. Driving there was really easy - the roads were great. We headed up to the top of the mountain first for an incredible view of the area and then came back down, parked the car and went to the beach. We rented chairs and hung out all day on the beach. There were plenty of places to get snacks and drinks in the area. We met so many really nice people on the beach - I guess a lot of people come here from England to vacation - everyone we met was British! We never did get to see the town, I guess I have a reason to go back but we really did need a day to relax - we had already been to 10 ports by the time we got to Corfu!

 

I hope this helps!