Crete is a beautiful Greek island, where you can have an exceptional vacation, full of interesting activities. Most of the tourists arrive there by plane, and they need to rent a vehicle if they want to explore the beauties of the island. Also, if you want to use your own car, you need to be informed about the option to use a boat to bring your car with you. Most of the time, these boats start their trip from Athens, so the trip is really long, and many people find it exhausting.
The locals are aware of this, and they try to accommodate the tourists in the best way possible. You can find exceptional villas and hotels, and of course, you can enjoy the sandy beaches, and authentic cuisine every day.
All these things won’t even be possible if you try to use a taxi or public transport. They are pretty good, but with a car, you are not limited with schedules and free hours. That’s why we suggest using renting car service in Crete, which offers good cars for competitive prices. This island is full of hidden gems and maybe the best way to see them all is to travel by car. You can be pretty flexible exploring the Elafonisi pink beach, Spinalonga, or Xerokampos and Triopetra.
Car rental services can be expensive, and many people avoid using them just because of the price. But, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find a service with better prices. Actually, you can check on smart-carrental.com and see what they offer, as you compare the prices and conditions.
Here are some useful tips on renting a car in Crete:
– Use only cars with powerful engines, because of the terrain. The roads there are not the best, even though they are regularly maintained.
– Try to book the car as early as you can, so you can have more choice at models and prices.
– Ask for a document that proves the actual condition of the car.
– Buy insurance, since there are many rocks on the side of the road, and the car can easily be scratched.
These tips will initially help you save money on car rental services. But, there are many things to pay attention to. We will share some useful tips on how to save money on a car rental in Crete.
1. Always bring your driving license and passport with you
Greece is an EU member, which means an EU driving license is required. The EU driver’s license is valid in Greece, on an equal footing with the Greek national driver’s license. Non-EU countries need to have an international driver’s license, which is issued in their home country. All foreign tourists should have their passports with them so that they can be issued a car. Domestic tourists do not need a passport, but an ID card and a Greek driver’s license.
2. Early booking is the best
Sometimes, tourists book their vacation even six months upon, which gives them enough time to explore the transport options and book a car rental company on time. Early booking can help you find better prices since they can rise during the peak season. This will help you save a lot of money on car rental in Crete. You also have enough time to compare the prices and find out which service is the best on the island. Even if you think it’s too early, we can say that it’s never too early for saving money, knowing that the price can be double during the season.
3. Don’t rent a car at the airport
These car rentals are even 25% more expensive than the others. Maybe you think it’s a great deal to immediately rent a car, as you arrive at Crete, but we can assure you that the best deals are far away from the airport. So, take a taxi, or use the public transport service to arrive at your hotel or villa, and then explore your options. Ask the hosts to recommend something. Most of the time, they have exceptional suggestions for their guests, or maybe you can get a better price by showing your hotel reservation to the car rental service.
4. Investigate the vehicle properly
As you arrive at the car rental service, ask to investigate the vehicle, and insist on signing up a document that contains a complete description of the car, including the tiniest scratches on the surface. Even though it rarely happens now, there were many examples in the past when the car rental services blamed the renters who damaged the vehicle. That costs a lot of money because they claim the tourist damaged it while using the car. But, you can take a step further. If you need, you can take picture of the surface, and the interior too, so you can prove there is no damage at all. Also, it can show the actual situation after you bring back the vehicle. So, even the renters can’t avoid paying for the damage, if they are guilty.
5. Try to relax by buying an insurance
Renting a car can be really stressful, knowing that Crete roads are not at their best most of the time. There can be a lot of rocks and dirt on the road, which damages the car. But, the insurance policy can cover all these things. Even though it means you will pay for the insurance, the price is much lower than the potential damage due to the road conditions (which is not your fault for sure).
Conclusion
Crete is one of the best Greek islands you can visit. It’s huge, and there are a lot of things to see there, including the big national parks like Samaria and Kyriamadi. Most of them are approachable by walk, but you need a vehicle to arrive as closely as you can. So, renting a car is a great option, as long as you know how to save money on it. And we hope that after this article, you will exactly know how to do that.
