Planning on having fun on a scooter rental in Crete but are unsure how to rent a scooter in Crete, who the best quality rental companies are, and how to find the best prices? There are dozens of rental companies in Crete but they are very variable in the quality of their scooters and service.
But you can be assured you’ll find the perfect scooter to rent with this most comprehensive comparison on the Internet of the costs and companies, places to go with your scooter, and all the FAQs about scooter rental in Crete.
Map of Crete
Crete is the largest Greek island, a big 3219 miles or 8336 square kilometers. It dwarfs the small Cycladic islands like Santorini which, at only 29.4 square miles, is almost 110 times smaller than Crete!
So it makes sense that unless you’re planning on taking a road trip around Crete, most people prefer to stay in one town and then take public transport or get a car, scooter, or other rental vehicle to travel around the island.
Best 12 Scooter Rental Companies on Crete Island
These 12 best places for scooter rentals are scattered through Crete, but mainly in the larger towns.
Only companies with an average verified Google rating of 4.5/5 are included here. Below the table, you’ll find a map showing the 12 scooter hire locations.
| Rental Company | Address | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eurodriver | Agiou Ioanni 21, Stalida | +30 6937459267 | https://www.eurodriver.gr/site/bikes.asp |
| POP Motors | Limenas Chersonisou, Hersonissos | +30 289025873 | https://www.popmotors.com/ |
| Greenways Motor Tours | Rethymno | +30 2831072440 | https://motortours-crete.com/ |
| Rent 4 Wheels | Sfakion 2, Chania | +30 6977265385 | https://rent4wheels.gr/ |
| Motorfun Malia Rentals | Dimokratias 56, Malia | +302897032547 | https://motorfun.gr/ |
| Belukas | 13, Eleftherias Str. Hersonissos, Crete | +3069343670195 | https://belukas.gr/ |
| Mortoglou Rent A Bike | Skalidi 87, Chania | +302821090621 | https://www.chaniarentabike.com/ |
| Kolymbari rentals | Kolymvari 730 06, | +306986416420 | https://kolymbarirentals.gr/ |
| Stmoto Shop Rental | Leoforos, Leof. Kokkinou Pirgou 42, Timpaki | +358415437176 | https://www.stmotoshop.com/ |
| Blue Sea Car & Bike Rentals | Zotou 5-7, Iraklio | +30281 0221215 | https://www.bluesearentals.com/ |
| Manolis Bikes, Quads & Mountain Bikes | Akti Koundourou 38, Ag. Nikolaos | +306945736690 | https://manolisbikes.com/ |
| Moto Roads | Heraklion Airport, Chania Airport, Heraklion, Chania | +359885370298 | https://www.motoroads.com/ |
Scooter Rental Crete: Map of office locations
What kind of license do you need to Rent a Scooter in Crete?
Like renting a scooter on other Greek islands, you need to have the right kind of license to drive a scooter. Here’s a diagram that Greek scooter companies produce to put it clearly:
General tips for Scooter Rentals in Crete
If you’re reading this it means you’re a bit of a planner and that’s good because you probably know that several months before your trip you can use online booking systems to compare prices and hire a scooter earlier to save money rather than paying whatever is being asked when you arrive in peak season in Crete.
- See above for the kind of international driving license you have and on the day of your scooter hire, take your physical documents, including your license and passport with you.
- I prefer to use companies where I can see their prices online rather than the “email for a quote” companies. For this reason, I like companies like Moto Roads where I can compare their models and prices online. They’re an international company and they have a big reach so it doesn’t matter where you are in Crete, they can get a scooter to your arrival location or accommodation.
- When you rent a scooter in Crete from the highly rated companies above, there’s less risk of having a terrible (or expensive) experience! You want to avoid nasty hidden fees by booking with a reputable company. These rental companies have been road-tested by thousands of scooter hirers, and have transparent pricing.
- Similarly, these 12 rental companies will rent you well-maintained vehicles in very good condition.
- I always include the rental of a GPS device before I set off to explore Crete, whenever I hire scooters, ATVs, Quads, or any other vehicle rental on Greek islands!
- And it goes without saying that you need to be sure your travel/medical insurance covers you for riding experiences as quite a lot of them don’t.
- Helmets are compulsory.
- The blood alcohol limit for legal driving in Greece is 0.05 and 0.02 for novice drivers.
- If you are on a roundabout, give way to traffic entering a roundabout.
- You are expected to pull over onto the hard shoulder to allow cars to pass. I don’t do this, I just stick to the right, as far over as I can safely go and if cars want to pass me, that’s up to them. Most of the Greek National Highway (Greek National Road 90), the main north-south road, is single carriageway with occasional dual carriageway.
How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Scooter in Crete?
The cost of scooter rentals on the Greek Islands depends upon:
- if you hire the scooter in high season or not
- the power of the vehicle (a 50cc scooter is cheaper to hire than a 300cc scooter)
- the type of scooter. Electric scooters are the cheapest to rent, followed by low-power scooters, followed by Vespas, and higher-powered scooters.
An important difference between Crete and other islands like Corfu where you may have rented a scooter before is that most companies on Crete will not rent for less than 2 or 3 days.
The result is that the price per day is lower than on many other Greek islands. For example, a 3-day hire in July will cost as little as €15 per day in Crete for a Piaggio Zip 50cc, rising to a minimum of €35 per day for a 150cc – 200cc scooter.
The low season price is only a few Euros a day less than in summer.
Tips for Finding Good Prices for Scooter Rentals
On most Greek islands, the price per day drops the longer you rent the scooter. That doesn’t seem to be the case in Crete so you should definitely request a discount for a rental of more than a week.
Book online a few months before you go and you’ll get a great rate.
There are online discounts, discounts for special holidays like Easter, and early-bird savings for booking well ahead of your trip.
Make sure to fill your scooter up with fuel just before you give it back to avoid extra charges – you are expected to give the scooter back with the same amount of fuel as was in the tank when you left the rental company office.
Most rental vehicles come with a free pick up and drop off service and some include 24/7 road assistance – booking a scooter from a company with these free additions could end up making your holiday much cheaper if something goes wrong!
It always pays to buy their highest level of (no fault) insurance so that in the event of an accident, you have no out-of-pocket charges. It’s not possible in Greece for scooter rental companies to give you full insurance which is why they take a deposit of around 200 Euros from you (preferably in cash!)
Top 8 Places to Visit in Crete With a Scooter Rental
1. Chania (Hania)
Now that you’ve chosen your rental, it’s time to discover Crete! Consider touring these most beautiful Crete destinations and discovering these top attractions.
2. Palace of Knossos
One of the world’s greatest ancient ruins. The homed of the mythical Minotaur’s prison, the labyrinth built by Daedalus under the Minoan’s greatest palace.
If you are coming from Chania, this is a very long drive on a scooter and you need one where you are not constrained by the number of km you are allowed to travel. I wouldn’t do this on less than a 300cc scooter.
3. Elafonissi Beach
Crete has some of the most beautiful beaches on earth, and Elafonissi Beach is widely considered the most beautiful.
This is doable in a day trip from Chania, and possibly even Rethymno, but I wouldn’t do it from Heraklion.
4. Samaria Gorge
If you only ever take one hike in Crete, hike the Samaria Gorge, a descent of 1250 meters from Xylóskalo to the Libyan Sea and the village of Agia Roumeli, but which is only open during the dry season (May to mid-October) when it isn’t flooded.
5. Balos Beach
You can’t scooter to Balos Beach, but you can scooter to Kissamos and take a boat from there.
The Terms and Conditions of many scooter companies will specifically rule out the Balos Peninsula because it’s a dirt road.
6. Agios Nikolaos
In addition to the charming town, don’t miss the nearby attractions of Lake Voulismeni, Diktean Cave, and Spinalonga Island.
Doable from Heraklion, not from Chania.
7. Heraklion
The Venetian Harbor and the Heraklion Archaeological Museums are just two of the main attractions of this charming Venetian port city.
If you staying in central or southern Crete, Heraklion and the Minoan archaeological sites around it, make for lots of scooter happiness.
8. Preveli Monastery
Don’t miss Preveli Beach and lunch in nearby Plakias after you’ve visited this 17th-century monastery.
Preveli is one of the loveliest ‘out of the way’ places you can get with your own wheels in Crete.
Top 10 FAQs about How to Rent a Scooter in Crete
1. Can you rent a scooter in Crete?
Scooters in Crete are very popular for getting around the resort areas because these areas become congested in the high season. It’s easy to find a park in Crete for a scooter or motorcycle, and tourists can easily rent a scooter from dozens of rental agencies.
2. Do you need a special license to rent a scooter in Greece?
To rent a scooter in Greece, your driving license must include one of the following categories: AM, A1, or A. These qualify you to drive mopeds/scooters and light motorcycles and quads, most commonly between 50 to 125 cc.
3. Do I need an international driver’s license to rent a scooter in Greece?
You need a valid driver’s license to rent a scooter in Greece and whether you need one or not, it’s advisable to get an International Drivers Permit (IDP) and make sure you bring it along on the day of your rental. You will certainly need to provide an IDP if you have a non-European license that is not recognized by Greece. You can check the Greek government website to see if you need one but again, I recommend getting one as some rental companies insist on it. I recently hired a scooter (2024) in Chania and they scrutinized the stamps on my IDP. I wouldn’t have been able to rent a scooter without an IDP.
4. Do you need a license to drive a moped in Crete?
You need a moped license to drive a small moped if you’re 15 – 18 years of age. If you’re over 18 years of age, you can drive a big moped if you have a full car or motorcycle license.
You need to present a current national (or international for non-EU residents) driving license. Driving a scooter (even a 50cc moped) with a car license is not allowed in Greece.
5. Is Crete left-hand drive?
As with the rest of Greece, cars are left-hand drive and driven on the right side of the road. So if you’re from Australia, the UK, and Cyprus, for example, be careful at intersections and when parking (especially reverse parking), as this is where it’s difficult to remember to be on the right-hand side of the road. Also, remember that you enter a roundabout by turning right onto it and giving way to the left.
6. What is the national speed limit in Crete?
The speed limits in Crete are quite tame and drivers should adhere to them to avoid any safety or legal issues. Speed limits in Crete are 50 km per hour (30mph) for built-up areas like cities and villages and 90 km per hour (56 mph) on the highway.
7. What is the alcohol limit in Crete?
Like many European countries, a blood alcohol content of 0.05 percent is the maximum allowable to drive in any part of Greece. This is lower than the UK and the U.S. (where it is 0.08 percent).
If you are a novice driver, that drops to 0.02 percent.
8. Is it difficult to drive in Crete?
It’s not difficult to drive in Crete. There are windy roads but the speed limits are low in Greece. You need to know, however, that there is often no center line.
The main highway around the island is often only one lane in each direction and so overtaking is rife. Don’t do it, and you can’t go wrong. (This is especially true for motorcycle rentals and motorcycle tours if you’re not an experienced motorcycle rider).
Thousands of people explore Crete each year by rental car, motorcycle, quad, and scooter. In high season there’s traffic around the cities and scooters are most popular to drive to out-of-the-way places and around the resort areas where it’s difficult to find parking with a car.
Finally, watch out for goats on the road!
9. How long would it take to drive around Crete?
If you plan your trip to have good driving conditions, you can drive a circuit of Crete in a minimum of 12 and a half hours. Of course, this means, not stopping at all!
It takes 4hrs 45 minutes to drive the entire length of the northern coast road from Kissamos to Itamos, and a further 7 hrs 30 minutes to return to Kissamos using the coast road from Itamos as far as Hora Sfakion before following the road north to Chania and then west to Kissamos.
Many people choose to do a road trip around Crete and spread for one or two weeks because it is such a large island and spend several days in each major city or town. If this sounds good to you, here’s the perfect Crete road trip itinerary.
10. Do you need to wear a helmet in Crete?
It’s a legal requirement in Greece to wear a helmet (kranos) if you’re riding a scooter, motorbike, ATV, or quad. Mopeds are divided into light and regular mopeds, and you need a helmet for both of these as well.
In other words, it’s only when traveling by car or public transport that you don’t need to wear a helmet in Crete!
