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|map= <map lat='39.7916548352534258' lng='21.4672851562547' zoom='6' view='0' float='right' />

|BW = GR|hitch = from {{average}} to {{good}}<rating country='gr' />

'''Greece''' is a country in [[Southern Europe]], bordering [[TurkeyAlbania]], [[BulgariaNorth Macedonia]], [[MacedoniaBulgaria]] , and [[AlbaniaTurkey]]. It is a member state of the [[European Union]] as well as the [[Schengen Agreement]].

Contrary to belief, Greek drivers will rarely if ever ask for money[[File:IMG_2349. Because there are few jpg|thumb|250px|Hitchhiker [[motorwayUser:Whisperingofthestars|Jass]]s thumbing in Greece, the national roads become great havens of locals and long distance drivers pouring in from the south east to west and vice versa, up into the northJune 2008. Greece can be a little slow because many Greeks tend to His hips have seemingly be afraid of Albanians. It's best not to ask too much about it as something close to racism and prejudice comes turned inside out. You can cross the border by foot!]]

[[File:IMG_2349.jpg|thumb|250px|Hitchhiker [[User:Whisperingofthestars|Jason]] thumbing Hitchhiking in Greece, June 2008. His hips have seemingly turned inside out.]]It is can vary between very hard to hitchhike using mainly [[petrol station]]s – it can cause long waiting hours since they are a little off the motorway slow and quite small for Western criteria. Besides, you can barely find any in the northern parts of Greece. The best way to get lifts is to hitch right on the road (if it is not a motorway). It is not recommended to thumb on the motorways, although some hitchhikers do that anyway since the cars are going to stop most definitely, and the police can be liberal about that; however, it is your own riskvery fast.

It would be smart not A few useful Greece-particular tips to mention Macedonia either – the [[Skopje]] issue might be emotional for many (older) Greeks.make it faster:

1. '''Signs''' are usually very helpful. Write the closest reasonably big town - not road numbers and not a faraway destination. The Greeks generally will take your sign very literally and won't stop if they're not going that far, even if it's the same direction.Write the signs in both Greek and English. 2. '''Local roads''' during daytime can be very fast and hitched without a sign. After dark people won't be going far and many of them won't stop. 3. '''Motorways''' - Sliproads, ramps etc generally don't work well (unless you're in a big city and many cars are taking the road you need). If there's a motorway, the best (though not safest) option will be to stand on it. Officially it's illegal, and some hitchhikers have been asked to move by the police, while others have had no problems at all. It's better to stay away from tollbooths, bridges and tunnels, since you might be seen by people or by cameras.Safety-wise, there is usually room to stop, and sometimes you can walk on the external side of the fence until you get to a good point. * Petrol stations are very small and rare on motorways, so hitchhiking from one to another is not a good option. Better stay on the motorway itself. 4. '''Locals''' can give very good hitchhiking advice (locations, routes, and sometimes they'll even find the next ride for you). Make sure they understand that you're hitchhiking all the way (not just to a bus station) and tell them where you want to be today. They might be able to help! Many Greeks seem to be afraid of immigrants. It's best not to ask too much about it as something close to racism and prejudice comes out. Greeks who have lived abroad or have travelled around seem to be much more open to picking up hitch-hikers, as are foreign tourists. Because there are few [[highway|motorways]] in Greece, the national roads become great havens of locals and long distance drivers pouring in from the south east to west and vice versa, up into the north. Also, tolls have increased as of recently, making motorways less attractive for long distance drivers. Greek drivers will never directly ask for money. In very few cases, some might say they don't have enough to pay the tolls, or that they have not enough petrol to arrive to their destination and no money to buy more.  You can cross the border by foot!EDIT- If you´re crossing border to Turkey between Alexandroupoli and Tekirdag it´s not possible to go by foot. Between greek and turkish border there is a bridge and soldiers will tell you that you have to go by car on this bridge of course because of national security. (Checked in Semptember 2016) It would be smart not to mention "Macedonia" as a country. Greeks call "Macedonia" the northern part of Greece. If you're going to [[North Macedonia]], and want to avoid the political conversation, just say that you're going to [[North Macedonia]] or [[Skopje]] [[File:Greece-map-license-plates.jpg|thumb|300px|Map of licence plates.]]In summer it can get very hot in Greece, so be careful that you wondon't get burned sunburned and carry enough plenty of water with you. It is also wise to have a large cardboard sign which you can use as makeshift umbrella while you're waiting for cars.

The number plates of Greece consist usually of 3 letters (from which the and 4 digits. The first two 1 or 2 letters represent a city) and a numberstate. The plates are valid for the whole life of the vehicle even if its owner moves to an other town, so you can not be absolutely sure about where the vehicle is from. 

== [[Free Camping|Wild camping]] ==In Wild camping in Greece, as well as in the rest of the EU countries (except for [[Northern Europe]]) applies the same law for the free camping, so legally is forbiddenby law. But fortunately (compare with the rest If you camp next to hotels, organized campgrounds or other kind of mediterranean EU countries)tourist accommodation, there are still loads of beaches that you their owner can camp for free and without call the police. [[policePolice]] problems. Police may "attacks" for fines fine you (150 euroseuro) during the summer months (July and August most propableespecially). So , so it's best to ask other free wild campers when you arrive in at a beach.

Camp Compared with the other Mediterranean EU countries, there are still a lot of of beaches where you can camp for free and without police problems. You can camp freely anywhere in the mountains, valleys, hills, river beds etc. Nobody is going to chase you. Anyway the law that forbids free camping was created due to economical reasons so that hotels, organised campings and all kind of touristic accommodation can flourish. Meaning that if you camp where is no tourism nobody will come after youoff.

* [[FlorinaGreek islands]]* [[Kavala]]* [[PatraXanthi]]* [[Volos]] == Getting away ==* To [[Greek islandsFerries between Italy and Greece| Greek islandsItaly]]You can get a ferries from Igoumenitsa or Patra. A lot of trucks going through Igoumenitsa. Ferries are expensive and time consuming, but there is a shower and you can sleep on the deck. Crossing in the truck cab - dangerous and illegal. There are discounts for students. If you are under 25 - ask for a discount! == Personal Experiences ==" I was just crossing Greece from Bulgaria to Turkey and I expected easy way but it was totally different. I spent there about 4 days hitch-hiking full of depressions. Greeks just didn't stop and waiting time about 3 hours wasn't anything special. For me it was the worst hitch-hiking country ever. For me Greece was even worse than Italy or Spain!" (August 2016) => Local's answer : There's a big wave of refugees since the war in Syria and people are scared. A driver could be detained for trafficking, if he's carrying passengers who entered Greece illegally. If you try NOT to look like a refugee and speak to people in gas stations, East Macedonia + Thraki could be crossed in less than 48h.

* [[Italy-Greece/Greece-Italy]]Not looking like a refugee is easily the worst advice I've heard, I look like what most people would consider a hipster and still a very nice and helpful worker at a petrol station thought that I'm an Algerian for an hour even though I've said that I'm Hungarian in Greek, just because of my Mediterranean complexion.* [[However, I didn't have absurd waiting times but the existence of highways without good possibilities for hitchhikers to use them makes Greece-Istanbul]]easily the worst Balkans country to hitchhike.

== Links ==* [httpEarly September 2018://ideHitchhiking to Athens seems to be extremely easy. In fact we only needed one car all the way from Thessaloniki and even on the way back people were offering us rides to Athens on gas stations and certain points. Hitchhiking north however is an absolute nightmare! Barely anyone outside the bigger cities speaks even elementary English and it seems some pretend not to as to avoid conflict.li/modulesThe national road not only has an exit to every village (which means people go 5km ahead like on local roads) but it's also illegal to be on it.php?name=News&file=article&sid=218 14 hours of autostop] – We got displaced by the yellow inquisition multiple times for walking or hitchhiking adventures on it so if you're not the entrance you've got high chances you'll get to meet them too. The police doesn't seem to care but these guys are ruthless. Local roads are sometimes way easier to hitchhike (From Kastro to Tragana you have a good chance to ride in the back of a pick up truck) often with nicer people but their layout is a bit nonsensical, and drinkable water isn't a standard in a big part of Georgi Kalendarov Greece. Overall it's not an easy journey (at least in the southern and central parts) but definitely a fun challenge! SO if you're looking to test your willpower and Diljan Vulevstrength, this is the way to go! If you're looking for speed on the other hand and are going north of Bulgaria, Athens I recommend not settling for cars that will take you to villages/smaller towns. It might seem like it's taking longer but a single truck driver is way better than spending 2 days on some national road entrances in Greece the middle of nowhere.