Despite Greece’s well publicised book-balancing problems, it remains an amazing country – and one that attracts many thousands of UK holiday makers each year. While most choose to take a plane to a Greek resort and sit on a beach for two weeks, there are some who prefer to enjoy the freedom of the open road by driving their car to Greece.

It’s a long way down, of course, and this journey is a holiday in itself, but once you get to Greece there are a few things you should know about the roads. Firstly, Greeks drive on the right, but having made it from Calais to the border of Greece, you’ll be familiar with this driving approach by the time you arrive.

In theory, road regulations are comparable to any country in northern Europe, but in practice, the Greeks are rather less interested in them than most of their European neighbours. As a result, Greece has some pretty unimpressive road safety statistics, so make sure you have your wits about you as you drive around – because your fellow road users may well not!

The road networks In Greece offer a great way to get to the main sights, and afford a lot more freedom than you’d get in a Greek resort. Once you get out into the countryside, there will be far fewer petrol stations, so make sure you take advantage of them whenever you can. As a rule of thumb, don’t let the gauge go below half-full. And be aware that most petrol stations are closed on a Sunday, so ensure petrol is on your mind on Saturday afternoon.

Once you’ve mastered the ways of the Greek road and the humble Greek road user, you’ll be able to get a great deal out of this awe-inspiring, history-rich land. Oh yes, one final tip – make sure you take out car or motorbike breakdown cover for Europe before you go!