Advantages Of Renting A Car On Vacation In Chania

Know Before You Fly

Every year, tourists are drawn to the Greek city of Chania on the island of Crete to explore its historic landmarks, learn about its rich past, enjoy great dining and drinking options, enjoy leisure time on the beaches and more. And one of the best ways for you to get around the island during your vacation is to rent a car for the duration of your visit.

You can find rental car options available at Chania Airport or around the island, with many of the major international companies having rental services here. The exact cost of renting a car will depend on the number of days that you would like to have the vehicle, as well as the make and model of the car, with larger or more luxury rentals costing more than smaller cars.

There are several advantages of renting your own car that can make your trip to Chania more enjoyable, compared to paying for taxis or having to take public transportation.

First, you will have total independence for your trip, meaning that you can drive to anywhere you want across the island at whatever time works best for you – compared to having to wait for buses or taxis to pick you up, which can add much more time to even simple journeys.

Second, having your own car means that you can drive to the front door of your hotel or wherever else you’re staying, and directly to any places on the island that you would like to visit. But if you take a bus to get around Chania and beyond, then depending on where you’re heading it might not drop you off close to that destination. If that happens then you may have to walk a long distance to get where you’re going, which can be tiring and stressful.

Third, renting a car is something that you can plan as part of your vacation budget because it will be a set charge based on the type of vehicle and how many days you rent it. If you decide instead to use public transportation or taxis, you will have to pay for the fare each time that you make a journey, and this can be hard to budget for and also become quite expensive.

Fourth, if you rent a vehicle then you will also have complete privacy throughout your vacation, because the only people riding in the car will be you and your fellow travelers. That can be a great benefit compared to sharing a bus with strangers and struggling to find seats.

Fifth, renting a car while on vacation should also be much more comfortable then having to share a bus with people you don’t know, or squeezing into the back of a taxi. Instead, a car should give you and your travel companions plenty of room to stretch out, and this can make the trip more enjoyable, particularly if you decide to drive some very long distances.

Having a car for your vacation on the Greek island of Crete is a great way to explore the island, whether you stay within the city of Chania or decide to explore what else this destination has to offer. But before setting out on the road, it can be useful to learn about what driving is like during a holiday in Chania, so that you’re prepared for changes to how you might typically drive.

Understanding Chania’s road rules

Perhaps the most important legal requirement you must make sure to comply with are the speed limits, which can vary depending on where you’re driving.

In small villages the speed limit is 30 kilometers per hour, but this increases in larger villages and cities like Chania to 50 kilometers per hour and then up to 90 kilometers on the highway.

Going over the speed limit puts you at risk of getting a ticket and a penalty if you’re spotted by the police, so to make your vacation stress-free you should always drive under the limit.

Cars, buses, trucks and all other vehicles drive on the right hand side of roads throughout Crete, and they are given the right of way if they enter a road from this direction. If you are approaching a traffic circle then cars in the circle have to yield to those that are entering it.

Another important law to abide by is making sure not to drive if you are drunk, because there is a strict limit on 50 milligrams for every 100 milliliters of your blood. This equates to no more than a 200 milliliter glass of wine or 490 milliliter glass of beer, so it won’t take much to qualify as a drunk driver. And if you try to drive above Crete’s stringent limit on blood alcohol levels and are found out by the police, you could have to pay hundreds of Euros or even face time in jail.