Why You Should Plan a Car-less Greek Holiday This Winter

Travelling around the Greek Islands is great fun and imagine adding some green-thinking into the mix where you leave any motor vehicles behind. Good for you and good for this planet an engine free holiday might be just what you need. You can make small changes to your travel style to make it greener and more sustainable, and leaving the car behind is one of those changes.

If you drive a lot at home then you don’t really want to be driving on holiday too, great news there are some amazing car free destinations in Greece so you can enjoy the fresh air and not have to get behind the wheel your whole trip. It is a great concept for family holidays in Greece, and a way to teach your kids that you don’t always need cars to get around. Here are some great car free islands in Greece you should visit for an environmentally friendly holiday.

Hydra

Within easy reach of Athens, Hydra is the perfect getaway for a few days or a starting point for your car less trip. The island has long been famed for being a peaceful oasis by day and lively but classy by night. Cars, motorbikes and high-rise buildings are all prohibited on the island, this makes the architecture is exceptional for the area. You’ll amble through pretty narrow streets, explore museum and galleries and visit churches and monasteries.

You can explore the island by foot and bicycle and is an easy place to get around. The Hydra port is particularly beautiful and is the beating heart of the town. If you are interested in the history of the island you’ll be happy to spend time here with the loopholes and the canons, the naval academy, the gunpowder store and other historic attractions.

Most beaches in Hydra are pebbled and have picturesque, lush green settings. Most popular Hydra beaches include Vlichos, a small pebbled beach with clean water which can be reached by taxi boat or by walking from Hydra town. Kaminia, which is close to Hydra town and has some lovely bars and restaurants on the coast. Bisti is a tiny cove which is a popular spot for diving and other water sports and Agios Nikolaos is a remote, pebbly beach within walking distance from Hydra Town.

Spetses

A lovely mostly car free island which has 18 miles of coast line. To get around there are only a few ways to choose from. You can flag down a horse-drawn carriage on the harbour, rent a bike or motorcycle, or walk to where you want to get to here. If you are really in a hurry, you can call a taxi but as there are only four taxi cabs on the island you might have to wait.

The town of Spetses covers the slopes of a large hill. There are lots of beautiful spots, such as the pretty port of Dapia and the long beach promenade to the old port. Near to the port is is the interesting museum of the local heroine, Lascarina Bouboulina, it is worth a visit and is housed in the old mansion of Bouboulina herself.

Agia Paraskevi is probably the best beach on Spetses with crystal clear waters and beautiful green surroundings. To get here you need to either get the by bus from the town or by boat. Many of the other beaches here are similar with their softs sands and green scenery.

There is a frequent ferry connection with Athens and other Greek islands, such as Hydra and Poros. You can also connect from Spetses island to the coast of Ermionida in the Peloponnese.

Rhodes

Ok so perhaps the whole island is not car free, however there are a couple of places here that have kept the cars out and retained their original characters. Here are two original places in Rhodes that you may want to visit.

Lindos

The village of Lindos, is thought to be the most beautiful and historically interesting place on the island. It is found on the East coast of the island to the south of the town of Rhodes.

Lindos is as picturesque a Greek village as they come, with its narrow little alleys between small whitewashed buildings, you will love this car free old town. If you really need some transport to get around then maybe you might want to try the donkeys?  The village has not been changed by the passage of time and modernisation with tourism. The authentic town has remained due to the preservation order and status as a national landmark.

The village is found in a large horseshoe shaped bay and the small houses surround the grand citadel that lies on top of the hill. The beach below the village is a pretty crescent of soft golden sand and crystal clear blue waters. You will also find many different cultures here due to the array of historical influences over the years.

Rhodes Old Town

Although it is not an entire town the Old town in Rhodes is a designated traffic free area. This part of Rhodes old town is a gallery of the medieval times, there are a few sights that you can’t miss during your visit. The amazing fortress surrounded by the old town walls dominates the scene in old town Rhodes. The fortress was built in the 14th century by the Knights of St. John and today it is thought to be one of the most extended and well-preserved medieval settlements in Europe. This is why it is now designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You can explore the rest of Rhodes town without setting foot in a vehicle too. You don’t need to take a car to explore the rest of the sites here. Try venturing out on foot or taking a boat trip to nearby destinations.

Chrysi

Crete has 81 uninhabited islands and Chrysi is one of them. The locals call it “Gaidouronisi” which means donkey island but for visitors it is a paradise island. And you can see why, there are white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, tall cedar trees and thousands of tiny shells! In order to get here you need to take a trip from Crete on one of the local tour boats or organise a private tour if you wish. Of course as the island is uninhabited the  only way to tour the island is by foot, take a hike and explore the area and enjoy the natural beauty.

Do you want to take a car free holiday in the Greek Islands?

As you can see, it can be an amazing experience to explore the car free islands and small destinations of Greece, you can have a holiday which is environmentally friendly and return feeling fresh and rejuvenated after some time away from the roads of home.

Which island would you want to visit? Would you like to stay at one island for your whole trip or would you want to do some ferry island hopping and visit a few of these beauties? Whichever you choose you will be sure to have a great time in these remarkable Greek Islands.