Renting a car on Paxos is relatively easy and is a great way to independently explore this wonderful Greek Island.
Paxos car rental – everything you need to know – that is what this post is about and nothing else. In this post I will tell how to rent a car, where from, how much it will cost, what kind of car you might get and what you need to bring with you when you are renting a car. Also, what it is like driving a car on Paxos. And lots of other helpful good stuff all based on my actual experiences driving in Paxos.
What is it like driving on Paxos?
I did this on my last trip to Paxos and had a great time driving round the island getting to those less than obvious places all by myself. Driving around Driving on Paxos is just fine – nothing to worry about. The roads are fine and driving is generally a pleasant experience.
Just make sure that you are fully aware of things around you – Paxos is such a relaxing place you do need to make sure you are aware enough to drive!
How big is the island of Paxos?
Not big. You can get from Lakka at the top of the island to Mongonissi at the foot of the island in less than half an hour. Time depends entirely on other traffic, stopping along the way and getting lost.
Yes, on an island so small it is still possible to get lost. I managed to more than once. Look at the road map and you might wonder how this is possible!
And I did not make a single trip without stopping somewhere along the way to look at something of interest.
A word on Sat Navs
If you have a Sat Nav it would not be a bad idea to take it with you. If you are relying on the Sat Nav on your mobile phone you will run into problems on the edges of the island, where the signal just disappears.
This is part of the reason I got lost, trying to find places. Well it can’t be my fault can it?
And yes I know the island is small but it really will help you.
Which side of the road will I drive on?
The right. Which is alien to me used to driving on the left. But you soon get used to it.
I had to give myself the odd reminder though!
What is the speed limit on Paxos?
I believe that the speed limit is 50kmh all over Paxos, although I really do not remember seeing a speed limit sign anywhere. This is the national speed limit in Greece for built up and urban areas.
And no there are no motorways!
What are the roads like?
Not bad at all. They could do with a little bit of work, but the condition in general terms is pretty good. They are no worse than minor roads in England. To be fair there are bits of the A27 that are in much worse condition!
One word of warning – be careful when going down the steep hills to the coast. I drove down to Erimitis Bay Beach and struggled to get back up the hill – when I say struggled I really struggled, nearly burning out the clutch. The problem was that my Peugeot 108 could not deliver enough power to the wheels to get up the steep hill!!
Where can I hire a car on Paxos?
Lots of places. Every town has car hire companies, and many of the hotels hire cars as well. I hired my car from Hotel Bastas for two days, which cost me around €50.
Here are the main hire car companies on Paxos
Lakka
Routsis Rent A Car – https://www.routsis-holidays.com/web/index.php/art/129/0/677/Car-Hire.html
Loggos
Loggos Car Rentals – https://www.facebook.com/Loggos-Car-Rentals-380727272410459/
Gaios
Ionian Rent a Car / Scooter / Quad bike Spiros Grammatikos –https://www.paxosrentacars.com
Green Motion Paxos Gaios Downtown – https://greenmotion.com/car-hire/greece/paxos-gaios-downtown
Alfa Car Hire Paxos – https://www.alfacarhirepaxos.com
Cars can be hired from many other places around the island, including from hotels and tour operators, and can be booked online in advance.
Make sure that there is a car available when you want it
A quick tip here – make sure that you book your car in advance – whilst demand is pretty low supply of hire cars is equally low so don’t get to the end of your holiday and decide you want to hire a car only to find you can’t get one. I suggest you book a car early on in your stay so you know it is sorted.
The same applies to boats!
What documents do I need to hire a car?
All I needed to produce was my full UK driving license and a credit card for just in case. As I hired the car from the hotel they had already seen my passport.
You need to have your driving license, passport and proof of insurance/ hire agreement with you when driving at all times though.
And this is what the RAC say about driving licenses
National driving licences conforming with the model in Annex 9 of the 1949 Convention or in Annex 6 of the 1968 Convention or with the European Communities’ model are accepted.
Obviously this applies at the time of writing this post in January 2019!
How old do I need to be to hire a car?
You need to be a minimum age of 18 to hire a car on Paxos. There may be restrictions for younger drivers which did not apply to me of course being quite old.
Is there anything else I need to have with me when driving on Paxos?
ou should have a warning triangle and fire extinguisher when driving a car anywhere in Greece – see then end of this post for a piece of invaluable information about the police presence on Paxos!
How much does car rental cost?
The cheapest car rental I found online was €12 per day. This was with Auto Europe https://www.autoeurope.co.uk/car-hire-paros/
What kind of cars are available?
Small hatchback cars are the norm on Paxos. I drove a Peugeot 108 which was fine (most of the time).
Here is a photo of it. With my shadow.
How much does fuel cost?
The cost of fuel in Greece has reduced quite a lot on general terms. The current price is circa €1.50 per litre, but you can expect to pay more than that on Paxos.
Where are the petrol stations?
Obviously being a small island there are not that many petrol stations.
Two actually!
is The Shell petrol station on the road to Lakka from Gaios – it is just south of the junction where the two roads out of Gaios meet on the way to Lakka.
The other petrol station, the BP one is located on the road going south from Gaios down to the bottom of the island – not the coast road but the other one.
Here is a map which will explain things more clearly.
At the Shell station you don’t fill up yourself – it is done for you, which is always nice. And I can’t vouch for the BP station as I only fuelled up once. Well I would for three days on such a small island!
Do I have to pay for parking?
The only car park I found where I had to pay for parking was at the car park at the supermarket in Gaios – Paxos Market – this it turns out is the “public” car park in Gaios. At most places the parking is rather informal, and I never once saw any form of parking enforcement.
What are other drivers like?
This is the interesting bit. Let me put this diplomatically. You can tell the local drivers from the tourist drivers. And I was clearly a tourist driver.
And it can get a bit interesting when there is a bus or large wagon coming the other way!
Any places to avoid?
Be careful with the steep roads down to the beach as I said before. And the other interesting thing is driving along the seafront in Loggos – if the bus is coming the other way best wait for it to go past as it is a bit tight! You really need to see this to believe it.
I seriously regret not taking a video of this spectacle!
A quick word about the police presence on Paxos.
There are two policemen on the island – I know I have seen them both together!
Check out the video that accompanies this post
I have recorded a video titled “Paxos Car Rental – Everything You Need To Know” which you can find on my Paxos Travel Guide You Tube channel which accompanies this post.
Want to know more about Paxos?
I hope that you have found this post helpful, informative and even a little bit entertaining! To find out more about my favourite, wonderful Greek island all you need to do is click here and I will take you straight back to the start of my Paxos blog. Nice and easy!
Oh yes, I hope that you enjoy the next post.
Rick McEvoy
