Greece by campervan
The south of Albania runs straight into Epirus, and the border is the least busy part of the drive. You collect the van in Albania and keep going south.
The van starts in Albania. We have no depot in Greece — you collect a campervan in Tirana or at Tirana Airport and drive across. Kilometres are unlimited, so the distance costs you fuel and nothing else.
How far it is
From Tirana, crossing at Kakavijë, beyond Gjirokastër, into Ktismata. These are map distances rounded to something honest — a mountain road in August, or a queue at the border, will add to them.
| Where | Distance | Driving |
|---|---|---|
| Ioannina | about 290 km | about 4½ hours |
| Zagori | about 330 km | about 5 hours |
| Meteora | about 400 km | about 6 hours |
| Thessaloniki | about 500 km | about 7 hours |
The paperwork, in one paragraph
Greece is covered by our insurance. Tell us you are going at least 3 days before you collect the van and we issue the green card that names that country — the document that makes the van legal to drive there. It costs nothing, it travels in the glovebox with the registration, and you take your own licence and passport to the border as you would in your own car.
Crossing without telling us costs €200, and leaves the van uninsured the moment it passes the border. The full border rules are worth two minutes before you set off.
What people drive there for
- The Zagori villages and the Vikos gorge, an hour past Ioannina
- Meteora, which is a long day from Tirana and worth the whole drive
- The Ionian coast south of the border, if you have come down the Riviera anyway
- Ioannina and its lake, the obvious first night in Greece
Find a van for the dates
Pick up in Albania, drive to Greece, bring it back.
Questions
Can I take a GoVan campervan to Greece?
Yes. Greece is one of the countries our insurance covers, as long as you tell us you are going at least 3 days before you collect the van, so the green card is issued for it. There is no charge for that.
Can the trip start or finish in Greece?
Not for Greece — that one is a return trip. You collect the van in Tirana or at Tirana Airport, drive across, and bring it back to Albania. Kilometres are unlimited, so the distance costs you fuel and nothing else.
How far is Greece from Tirana?
Ioannina is about 290 km from Tirana, roughly 4½ hours in a campervan, crossing at Kakavijë, beyond Gjirokastër, into Ktismata. Mountain roads and a queue at the border can make that longer, so treat it as a morning rather than a fixed time.
What happens if I drive to Greece without telling you?
There is a charge of €200, and the van is uninsured the moment it leaves the countries named on the green card. An accident on a card that does not name Greece is not covered by anybody, so it is worth the telephone call.
The same van, the other borders
Or the whole picture at once: the Balkans by campervan.