Various countries in Europe have reputations for driving excellence. Others are not so fortunate and suffer under the stigma of being branded a country of dangerous drivers. Greece belongs to the latter category in this respect. Being half-Greek myself, and having driven extensively in Greece's cityscapes, islands, and mountains, I feel that I can shine a light onto the murky depths of how exactly one should drive when in Greece.
First I would like to explore the differences in road signs and markings, since these obviously form the framework of the whole driving experience...
Roads. The skeleton of the transport system is, arguably, the most important part. Without good roads, you may as well give up from the start. In Greece, however, you may as well give up from the start. Road conditions can be extremely hazardous, and the only thing that stops people from driving on the pavements, I feel, is that there are far too many trees standing in the middle of them. The further you get from a concentration of civilisation, the worse the roads become. I have known bends on mountain roads require a full turn of the steering wheel, and others which you have to use first gear on because second is just too dangerous. From now, my advice is to leave it to the locals.
Lane markings. Optional and variable. They act merely as a guide. Where they exist. Often you will find a "phantom lane" appearing; for example, three cars driving abreast down a dual carriageway. Fun.
Traffic lights have three states: green, amber, and red. Green means you can drive straight through. Amber means you can drive straight through. Red means you can drive straight through so long as you won't get hit by another vehicle (personal safety is paramount). Also in Greece, before some sets of traffic lights there exist warning lights that flash amber when the traffic lights ahead are going to turn red; so if you see them switch on, speed up. If you are waiting at a set of traffic lights, you will notice that the moment they turn green, someone from behind you will be tooting their horn. This is a traditional pastime that has evolved and is considered by many to be a fun game.
No entry signs are traditionally found at one end of a one-way street, of which there are an inordinately high amount in Greece. They don't, however, seem to apply to motorbikes. Cars can ignore them as well, so long as no one comes the other way.
Stop signs. If you see a sign saying "STOP" it actually means "give way". If you want to.
Right of way signs are yellow squares, with a white outline, standing on a point (in a sort of diamond like position). This means you don't need to slow down for anyone. So speed up.
Speed limit. A confusing term. Occassionally you will see white circular signs, outlined in red, with a black number in the middle. These are the speed limits. I have yet to discover what units they are measured in. If it's meant to be kph, then I have known cars to go at three times the posted limits.
Place markers You know, those signs that point out in what direction certain places are. Unfortunately those places are ones that you'll never wish to go to. If you are looking for somewhere, even if it's a major site, and you don't know where it is, don't count on the road signs to help you out at all. That's not to say that maps can be accurate though...
Bus lanes. The only thing that stops everyone using the bus lanes to drive in is the threat that you'll get stuck behind a bus. Think of it as the only slow lane.
So now you've got your road system, such as it is, with lots of interesting signs posted at intervals for the amusement of the drivers. But what of the drivers? Who else can you meet on the roads of Greece? Lets go through your possible opponents in order of size:
Pedestrians should generally be avoided since murder is frowned upon. Thankfully, though, the pedestrians usually avoid the cars. Anyone stepping outside of a building does so at their own risk and, if you're playing for points, is fair game.
Scooters, Mopeds, Vespas, Papakia - whatever you call them, they're effectively baby motorbikes. They're kinda like ants in that they get everywhere. And I do mean everywhere.
Motorbikes. See "scooters" above, but think bigger, faster, and especially louder.
Three wheelers usually consist of a scooter-like contraption with a little car body on top. They suffer the worst traits of each, and look mighty bad.
Cars are the basic method of transportation and this guide is taken from a car driver's point of view. The main things to remember as a car driver is that you are the most important individual on the whole road system at any point in time, and you are indestructible.
Taxis are nothing special. It's not that the taxi drivers drive like anyone else. It's that everyone else drives like a taxi driver.
Buses are bigger, slower, less manoeuvrable, and make more stops than cars. Overtake them. Mercilessly. But make sure they don't bite back.
Trams. Give way to these. They're far bigger than you and your puny car.
Trucks. Truck drivers are the most experienced drivers on the road. Don't try anything on them, because they'll have seen it a hundred times before, and will be able to do something much worse back to you.
Right. Now you've got your roads, and your other drivers. What do you do? The usual stuff, really, but we can also take a look at how a few manoeuvres are performed in Greece:
Overtaking is a common manoeuvre performed as an assertion of male dominance. You can overtake on either side of a vehicle, so long as no one else gets in the way. And if they do? So what.
Roundabouts are traversed in an anticlockwise direction (that's widdershins for the purists). You always have priority. Give way to no one. No, really.
Parking is a problem. Wherever you can fit your car, shove it in. Don't be afraid to move anything blocking your path. To show that you are parking, put your hazard warning lights on.
Indicating. n/a
That's about it, really. But as always, remember that you should always have a license before you go driving around somewhere as dangerous as Greece. It's even a legal requirement. To get one, you must either pass a driving test successfully, or simply pay a driving instructor offical bloke the standard price of --- drachmas. (That's around £--- at the time of writing.)