What is better than lounging poolside in the sun-soaked Greek islands and splashing in the endless turquoise seas? How about exploring Greece on an ATV!
Getting your own set of wheels to explore the secret coves and hidden wonders of this magical Mediterranean country is a must. Even after countless adventures around Greece, some of my best memories are of my self-guided ATV tour around Santorini.
More than just a fun outing, ATVs are actually a practical means of transport in Greece. While the dramatic seaside cliffs and narrow winding alleyways are all part of the local charm, they make it tricky to get around in a car.
As soon as you arrive, it’s easy to see why all-terrain vehicles are the preferred mode of transport for locals and tourists alike — and they’re a perfect way to add a kick of adventure to your trip!
The location we rented our ATV from in Santorini (Santo Moto)
When it comes to renting an ATV in the Greek Islands, there are a few variables to consider. Not only is each island different, but demand and availability are highly seasonal.
In my experience, renting an ATV in Santorini was relatively easy because Oia has a range of different options. In Milos, on the other hand, it was a real challenge. There were fewer options and exploring during August meant that demand was at its absolute peak.
While we were lucky enough to get the last ATV at our rental agency, we watched everybody else get turned away.
Start by checking with your hotel to see if they organize ATV rentals. Some properties, even small bed and breakfast type spots, will make arrangements for you so don’t be shy to ask.
If your accommodation doesn’t offer vehicle rentals or recommendations, plan early.
Renting an ATV in the Greek Islands is a bucket list experience for a whole lot of people and things do sell out.
While exploring the islands can get expensive, renting an ATV won’t break the bank. Most vehicle rental spots around the islands charge from 30 to 50 euros per day, depending on the season and the model.
When you are booking, shop around a bit. I saw rental companies on the same street charging completely different prices. Do your homework, and don’t necessarily jump on the very first option.
People often overestimate the cost of traveling in Greece. Sure, the sky’s the limit if you want a luxury Mediterranean getaway, but you can travel the Greek Islands on a budget with a little planning.
When you’re looking at quad bike rental options, you’ll see different sizes or cubic capacity (CC) options. The more powerful that your bike is, the more you are going to pay.
Although I’ve often found that smaller vehicles are better on narrow island paths (I’m looking at you, Mallorca!), the opposite is true here. Having more power can be a major asset on the steep pathways you face when driving in the Greek islands.
You’ll find ATV options running from 150cc to 450cc at most vehicle rental companies.
If you’re riding around with two people on the back, opt for at least a 300cc model. Islands are known for their dramatic cliffs and high peaks, like Crete, are more suited for the 425cc and 450cc options.
Trust me, bigger is better here! If you’re struggling to get up a hill and you’ve literally got a busload of people on your bumper, it’ll be stressful.
Be sure to check with your rental company before you go. Ideally, chat with them before your trip so you know what to expect. If you find yourself arranging things at the last minute, do try to contact the company at least one day before you collect your rental so you’re not surprised on arrival.
We went to get information on the ATV before renting and they were able to provide us with all the info we needed: an International License was required. The good news? It’s actually super easy to get.
First things first: cover your assets! The seats of ATVs can get smolderingly hot. Most of the time they are black and during the summer, it can feel like you’re touching the sun itself.
We kept a towel over the seat so it was less intense. Even wearing just our swimsuits all afternoon, we were a couple of sweaty messes by the end of the day! If you’re traveling during the summer, come prepared.
Fortunately, most of the ATVs you’ll find have a little box to store things.
Pack plenty of towels, water bottles, and sunscreen. The sun can get intense so you’ll want to stay hydrated and keep applying sunblock.
It’s all too easy to fall into ultra laidback vacation mode, but be cautious on the roads. Stay mindful of the roads, just as you’d be driving any other vehicle.
There are quite a few bending roads without guardrails, so always be vigilant. Keep it steady around the corners and save your daredevil skills for cannonballs at the hotel pool.
It’s truly imperative to your safety. Not only do you risk your life without a helmet, but you’ll get a hefty fine and risk having your travel insurance invalidated when you’re caught without one.
Sure, it seems nice to have your hair flowing in the wind but it’s not worth it. I’ve known far too many people who have been seriously injured while traveling without helmets.
Even if you are an incredibly safe driver, you’re sharing the road with careless drivers.
You never know what might happen, so play it safe.
Even the best-laid plans can go sour. Having travel insurance is always a good idea, and doubly so if you are going to be renting an ATV.
After learning the hard way, I always get travel insurance when I am globe-trekking these days (here’s why). Whenever I’m driving in a foreign country, I always make sure I am fully protected from anything that might happen.
I always had a great experience with World Nomads travel insurance and have saved myself some serious cash by being protected, so check it out before you go.
Ready for your ATV adventure in Greece? Keep on reading my complete guide to everything you should know about Greece before you go.
Debating when to go to Greece? Jump over to my guide on the best time to visit the Greek Islands.
Last Updated on August 6, 2022
A great way to see the Greek island of Santorini is to rent a quad bike! There are several things to keep in mind though and in this post I share my observations from my experience with renting an ATV in Santorini!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. For more information visit the Privacy & Disclosure Policy.
Updated: May 2021
🕚Full Day Rental (12hrs) – However we spent 6hrs on the ATVs
💰40 Euro for 2 person quad (plus 10 Euro for fuel)
🗺Distance covered: 40.8km
🚶🏻♀️Prefer a guided tour? Check out this 3.5hr Santorini ATV Experience
🏨Hotel Anessis has parking facilities (if you rent an ATV for longer)
First things first, the most important thing to consider is your confidence of driving on unknown roads.
In Santorini they drive on the right hand side of the road and the speed limits are posted in kilometres per hour.
We didn’t jump into our quad bike rental straight away. We spent our first day scoping out other drivers to get an idea of what we’d be facing. I’ve passed my driving tests in both England and America and coming from those countries, the biggest thing I noticed was that there didn’t always seem to be a system to giving way to other vehicles at junctions, it was very much a free for all.
The towns of Fira and Oia were BUSY. These are the 2 main tourist towns on the island so this is of course where the majority of the traffic is. There are also one way streets and pedestrian only streets that you’ll need to be aware of. For us, we decided to take a local bus between Fira and Oia, just to avoid the town traffic.
Since coming home, I read online that the journey from Fira to the airport takes on average 10 to 15 minutes. However this person has said that in the summer that same journey can take 2 hours.
Maybe that’s true in August but we travelled in July and didn’t find this at all. Compared to the gridlock on a daily basis in the UK, the traffic was always moving and once you were out of the towns, the roads of actually pretty empty.
The roads are also a lot clearer in the morning, so if you want to get used to driving around Santorini, I’d suggest hitting the road as early as possible. 9am was a good time to start.
We paid for a day rental but in the 6 hours we were driving, I found that there were only really 2 junctions that were a little confusing. The speed limits for roads aren’t always obvious either. Apparently on ‘wide open roads’, the speed limit is 65kph but we never saw a sign stating where this zone would start, there were no ‘national speed limit’ type signs that you’d find in the UK.
I did see some 50 kph and 30 kph signs when entering towns, but these were a bit hit and miss too. The size of the quad may also restrict the speed you can reach anyway.
If you’re going to be riding 2 up, I’d suggest a minimum of 300CC. There are some hills on the island and with the weight of an extra passenger, you may struggle to get up the hills with a smaller engine.
When doing my research into ATV rental in Santorini, I found that people would often say that you’ll get locals and buses over taking you, which can be scary considering how ‘out in the open’ you are on a quad. HOWEVER, maybe it was because we had a 300CC but I found that the buses were actually slower than me on the windy roads so I was just happy to stay behind them and let them set the speed. But there were locals in cars and scooters that would overtake both me and the buses in one go on blind corners.
Just stick to the outside of the roads to give plenty of space for other cars and scooters to overtake you. Don’t be a road hog if you are going a little slower.
I’m also a huge GPS/Sat Nav user so I was a little worried about how to navigate while on an ATV.
If you have a passenger, it would be possible for them to use a mobile device to navigate, as it’s quite easy to communicate with them. We were able to get where we wanted by just using the road signs. The place names were written in both Greek and English and because the island is fairly small it’s fairly easy to find where you want to go.
All the places we drove to on the quads were only ever around 20 minutes from each other, so driving distances aren’t huge. Before we set off on each drive, we’d consult a very basic free island map that we picked up and double check Google Maps, just so we had an idea of where the route would take us.
ATV Santorini GoPro FootageI was based in Fira, so of course it was easier for me to get an ATV rental based in Fira. If you book in advance though, a lot of the companies offer free drop offs to your accommodation.
Agiou Athanasiou street in Fira had a whole bunch of ATV rental companies. We used Moto Thira simply because it was the closest to our accommodation and offered what we were looking for.
A 300CC quad for 2 people was 40 Euros for a whole day rental.
Moto Thira opened at 8.30am in the morning and we were asked if we could drop it off no later than around 8.30pm. If you had wanted to drive and see the Oia sunset (especially in July), this wouldn’t give you enough time to get back so keep things like this in mind. They also had smaller quads or buggies available for hire.
We paid in cash but we had to give a credit card number in case of damages etc. We also had to show our driving licenses. As a Brit, the UK driving licenses are recognised and accepted in Santorini. BUT from what I’ve read, if you are travelling with a license from outside of the EU, you’ll need an international driving permit (IDP). This INCLUDES USA licenses. Please check that your country’s license is accepted in advance and if Brexit has changed the UK requirement.
Moto Thira only had third party insurance on their ATV rentals.
This wasn’t the end of the world, my car insurance in America is only third party. But it does mean that if you do have an accident, only the other vehicle is covered. You are liable for the damages to the ATV.
It’s also important to check your OWN TRAVEL INSURANCE. Quad biking isn’t always covered on standard travel insurance policies as it’s considered a motor sport. For example, in the USA I don’t think it’s included on Allianz insurance policies, however it IS included on World Nomad policies. In the UK on Insure and Go policies quad biking coverage is a little extra. (This is if YOU get injured on the ATV, not damage insurance to the vehicle).
Which leads me on to WEAR A HELMET!!! In Santorini you don’t HAVE to wear a helmet on a quad bike, we saw lots of people that weren’t. You know, it’s ‘cool’ not wearing a helmet. Yeah I’m sure you’ll look real cool if you fall off and smack your head on the road. Helmets are offered for free as part of the rental so I’d advise wearing them just to be on the safe side.
Plus they keep the sun off your head and stop your hair from blowing in your face and eyes, win win!
Also wear some sort of eyewear, such as sunglasses. Santorini is a dusty island and it can be windy too, so wearing sunglasses just makes it so you can see a little easier.
Just like knowing your confidence level on foreign roads, how confident are you with riding ATVs? I’ve been on multiple guided quad bike tours around the world (both on and off roads), I even have my own ATV that I use for off-roading and trail riding, so I’m fairly confident on one. If you’ve never been on an ATV before it’s another element of driving on strange roads that you’re going to have to get used to.
Obviously handle bars are different from a steering wheel, the brakes are similar to those on a bicycle and the speed is controlled with a thumb throttle. Long distance ATV riding can be hard going on your thumb!
Moto Thira did ask if we had been on an ATV before and were asked to demonstrate basic control skills in their tiny little office…reverse and stop, forward and stop, reverse and stop again and then a controlled zig zag forward and stop.
They didn’t point out the indictors but most road ATVS will have one on the left handle bar that simply just slides left or right to switch them on or off. I’d advise using indictors so other road users know your intentions!
A nice addition to an ATV rental is a top box that you can keep your bags in while driving around or when you park up you can then put your helmets inside so you don’t need to carry them around. Moto Thira did advise ONLY keeping helmets in the top box while parked up, as they aren’t completely secure, even though they are lockable with a key.
There are lots of fuel stations in Santorini. When we picked up our ATVs, they were empty and we were told to then return it ’empty’. We stopped at a petrol station just outside of Fira and an attendant filled the quads up for us and we paid in cash.
The tanks on our rentals could hold around 25 Euro of fuel but for only a 1 day rental we were told 10 Euro would be more than enough.
I think we ended up using around 5 Euro each during the 6 hour rental.
Our first stop was the Prehistoric Town of Akrotiri! This is the ruins of an ancient village that was buried by a volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. Similar to Pompeii but older! They are still excavating the area and most of the artefacts that have been discovered are now on display in various museums around the world so it’s only really the remains of the buildings. It is said to have been quite a wealthy town in its time and as far as they are aware, everyone fled before the eruption as no human or animal remains have been found at the site.
Entrance is 12 Euros and there is a large car park opposite the entrance which had a parking fee of 3 Euros for an ATV. This was a little surprising as so many other car parks around the island are free. There were a few parking spots down by the beach but I’m not sure if these were meant for the nearby restaurants etc.
We weren’t sure what would be at the lighthouse, we just saw it on the map and thought it would be interesting to see. The drive up to the lighthouse was nice, along winding coast roads that were as good as empty. Parking at the lighthouse is very limited. There was a food truck next to the lighthouse but it was literally just a photo stop before carrying on.
This was our longest drive in one go. Perissa is home to a large black beach with various bars, restaurants and sun loungers. We parked in a large car park and then took a short walk to the beach.
Depending on what time you visit, you may be able to park on the road that runs along the beach (there were barriers that said access is restricted to only pedestrians during certain times). We found a shady tree to sit under, went for a swim in the sea and then followed it up with ice cream and crepes and waffles in one of the cafes!
7km (21 minutes)We decided to go back to Fira but another option would be to drive up to ‘Ancient Thera’ and the Monastery on top of the mountain. Apparently the views from the top are amazing, but the road does consist of A LOT of switchbacks. As it’s a popular route for coaches and buses that hog the road, we opted on skipping this.
Just like a hire car, my ATV was checked for damages on return.
⭐️*TIP* Try and park in the shade!!! ATV seats are black and shiny. When parked in the sun they get HOT. If you are wearing shorts you are likely to burn the skin off your butt.
As mentioned, there is a large (cheap) local bus network but most connect through Fira so you maybe need to get on a couple of buses to get between other towns and villages. I liked the freedom the ATV gave us and it was a great way to experience Santorini!
If you’d like to experience Santorini by ATV but are nervous about doing it alone, check out this 3.
5hr guided ATV tour. It covers some different places to those that I visited, such as: a chapel in a cave, a winery and traditional Greek villages. The tour price includes: hotel pick up and drop off, a guide, ATV rental and fuel with helmet and gloves, a tour and tasting experience at the winery, use of a camera and bottle water. Riders must be over 21yrs.
Guided tour: Santorini atv experience
Some of the hotels especially in Fira or Oia do not have parking facilities. If you plan on hiring a quad bike for longer during your stay on the island and require parking, a good place to stay is Hotel Anessis. It’s a short walk from Fira town and has a large free parking area. The hotel also has a lovely swimming pool.
Check rates & AVAILABILITY on booking.com
I have been on ATV tours in: Canada | Jamaica | Turks & Caicos | USA | UK and they are a great way to explore a destination!
Santorini Budget Breakdown: Is Santorini Expensive?
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Riding a bike in Greece is no more difficult than in any other country. Most of the roads here are in good condition, the signs are duplicated in Latin, and the traffic rules are similar to European ones. Locals drive briskly and often violate traffic rules. Of course, you should not be like them: the fines for breaking the rules are quite high.
Motor vehicle classification
ATVs also include four-wheeled vehicles with a mass of 350-400 kg. The maximum power of the ATV is 15kW. License categories
Drivers and passengers of mopeds and motorcycles must ride in a helmet fastened . For violation, a fine of € 350 and deprivation of rights for 10 days is provided.
The driver must hold the steering wheel with both hands – €80.
Driving parallel to in one lane is prohibited – €80.
Maximum speed in residential areas - 50 km/h. Bikes under 125 hp on motorways and freeways can travel at speeds up to 80 km/h, on other country roads up to 70 km/h. Motos with power over 125 hp on motorways can move at speeds up to 130 km/h, on highways - up to 110 km/h, on other country roads - up to 90 km/h
mopeds are limited to 40 km/h.
Penalties:
Listening to music in headphones while driving is prohibited - €100 and withdrawal of VU for 30 days.
Not allowed to transport children under 12 – €80.
It is obligatory to give way to pedestrians at pedestrian crossings – €100.
The maximum allowed alcohol level in the blood of a motorcyclist is 0.2 ‰.
Fines:
The Greek traffic police are very friendly towards tourists.
For petty offenses, they can be released just like that.
Where a regular scooter can't pass, and an SUV with a car seat installed is not affordable when you want to ride a child, an ATV will easily fit. Every year there are more and more owners of this transport in Ukraine. And not surprisingly, the small size, stability, power allow him to get into such off-road conditions, where you can’t go in ordinary life.
Extreme riding is what this vehicle is for. For this, sand, snow, mountains, swamps and simply rugged terrain are often visited by hunters, fishermen and just lovers of extreme recreation. But not everyone knows whether a license is needed for an ATV, and whether it is possible to ride it without a license.
But in vain. Transport is popular and attention to it from the police is becoming more and more closely. So, what kind of license do you need, at what age can you get an ATV license and what ATVs can you drive without a license?
According to the country's Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers 340 "Regulations on the procedure for issuing driver's licenses and allowing citizens to drive TK" and the Law "On road users", obtaining rights is necessary to drive any motorcycle and motor vehicles, including ATVs.
The driver's license is obtained in a standard way after training and passing a theoretical and practical driving test. Since the ATV is included in the list of vehicles that require a driver's license, courses and exams are indispensable.
The answer to the question of whether a license is needed to drive will not be complete without indicating what category of license future drivers need.
An ATV is a four-wheel off-road vehicle. Some models have power over 40 hp. To drive an ATV with an engine capacity of 200 cubic meters, you need a category B1 driver's license. There are also restrictions defined by law, the weight of the vehicle is not more than 400 kg, but the engine capacity is not more than 50 cubic meters, a reason to ride without a certificate.
If you plan to take an ATV license test, check that you meet the legal requirements.
The first question usually concerns the age at which age you can get a license to drive an ATV? You must be at least 18 years of age to enroll in courses and qualify.
There are other requirements:
To avoid fines and misunderstandings, it is important to study at a training center with the appropriate license and permission. Then your driver's license will be absolutely legitimate. ATV license: list of documents0004
If you have passed the exam, you will be issued a B1 license for a period of 30 years.
What kind of license is needed to ride a quad bike in public places? And where exactly are you going to ride the ATV?
If you want to drive on public roads, you need to know where to get your license.
If your route will run from the suburban area to the river and away from the crowds of people and cars, you can do without a certificate. Especially if you buy inexpensive vehicles with a small engine.
