Taxi Greece – a price and booking guide
Updated: 5 days ago
Greece is one of the easier countries in Europe to budget a taxi journey in, because the fares are set by law rather than by the driver. What varies is not the rate but the structure — the mainland runs on meters, the islands lean on fixed prices, and the airport routes have their own rules again.
The mainland: meters, set by law
Athens is the benchmark. The city tariff runs roughly €1.80 base plus €0.90 per kilometre in daytime and €1.25 at night. Phone bookings commonly add €2 to €3. Those numbers are regulated, not negotiated.
The airport route is fixed: €50 into central Athens between 05:00 and midnight, and €65 between midnight and 05:00 (decision 147620/2026, ΦΕΚ Β' 5674, 18 September 2026). It does not surge. That makes the official rank a genuinely reliable fallback — if an app quote comes in above €50 during the day, the queue outside arrivals is cheaper.
Anything outside the published schedule is not authorised. Invented "premium" supplements, night rates applied outside the night window, or a vague "airport tax" are not part of the regulated fare. Your receipt should show the plate, the date and time, and each legitimate supplement itemised.
The apps dispatch the same taxis
There is no UberX in Greece. Private-driver ride-hailing was suspended in 2018 after disputes with the taxi unions, and professional licensing is strictly enforced. Uber operates as Uber Taxi, dispatching the same licensed yellow cab you could hail on the street.
FREENOW leads the market and has local roots — it began as Beat, founded in Athens in 2011, and was rebranded in 2024. Bolt entered Greece in January 2025 with a smaller network. All three run on the regulated meter, so what an app buys you is card payment, a tracked route, a fare estimate and a receipt. Not a cheaper fare.
On payment: Greek law requires licensed taxis to carry a working card terminal, so refusing card outright is a regulatory breach. Some drivers still prefer cash and will say the machine is broken. Carrying euros avoids the conversation.
The islands work on fixed prices
Away from the mainland the pattern changes. Journeys are shorter, and published fixed rates are common — which is generally good news, because it removes the meter question entirely.
Rhodes: about €8 to €15 within Rhodes Town, with the Old Town a five to fifteen minute walk from the cruise berth in any case. Lindos is 50 km down the east coast and a different proposition.
Corfu: roughly €8 to €10 to the Old Town. Be aware that the first queue of taxis outside the port terminal is usually for island tour operators — for an ordinary short ride you need to walk further along the line.
Crete: about €5 into Heraklion city centre, and €15 to €20 one way to Knossos. Note that walking out of Heraklion port is prohibited, so a free shuttle to the passenger terminal comes first.
Zakynthos: published fixed prices of roughly €13 to Zakynthos Town, €20 to Laganas, €25 to Tsilivi and €33 to Alykes. The meter, where used, runs from a €3.50 to €4.50 flag drop plus €0.90 to €1.20 per kilometre.
Common island extras: €8 for an hour of waiting time, a public holiday surcharge, a charge for large luggage that will not fit in the boot, and night rates from around 22:00 to 06:00 adding 20 to 30% or a flat €5 to €12.
One island does carry child seats
Zakynthos is the exception worth knowing about. Most airport taxis there are reported to carry one or two baby seats, charged at €8 per seat. The limits matter though: those seats are for infants of roughly two and under, so a three-year-old or a child needing a booster is not covered, and one or two seats per car does not solve a family with two under-fives.
Everywhere else in Greece — Athens, Thessaloniki, Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos — assume the answer is no. There is no app category to request one through, and no premium tier that includes one.
Book the seat rather than the fare
Because the fares are regulated, price is rarely the reason to pre-book in Greece. The reason is the seat, and on the longer journeys — Athens airport into the city, Heraklion to the north-coast resorts, Rhodes to Lindos — that is a motorway or a long coastal run.
If you would rather not solve this at a rank: book a family transfer with fitted child seats — you specify infant carrier, toddler seat or booster at booking, and it is installed before the driver reaches you.
Travelling as a larger family? See our vehicle fleet.
What Greek law requires
The Κώδικας Οδικής Κυκλοφορίας — the KOK, or Traffic Code — requires an approved restraint for children under 12 years old or shorter than 135 cm. Taxis are widely described as exempt, with the citation-bearing sources tying that exemption to the child travelling in a rear seat rather than treating it as unrestricted. A child under 3 may not travel unrestrained at all.
Hire cars are a different question. The exemption does not apply to a rental, where the full requirement stands — and the Greek Highway Code was revised in 2025 to raise fines for failing to use a seat or using one incorrectly. Read our full guide to Greek car seat law for the detail.
Why the fitting matters
A seat approved to ECE R44/04 or i-Size (R129) and fitted on rigid ISOFIX anchor points holds its line where a belt-only installation works loose. The Attiki Odos from Athens airport is a fast motorway, Crete's National Road 90 runs at speed along the north coast, and the island roads up to Lindos, Bochali or the Lasithi plateau climb and switchback.
Which seats are available
A rear-facing infant carrier suits newborns and babies up to around 13 kg. A forward-facing seat with an integral harness covers roughly 9 to 18 kg — the category the €8 Zakynthos airport seats generally do not cover. A high-backed booster raises older children so the adult belt sits correctly across the shoulder and hips, up to the 135 cm threshold in Greek law. Specify the number of seats and the age of each child at booking.
What our own booking data shows
Across 617 bookings made through TaxiBambino across nine destinations in Greece in the twelve months to August 2026, the middle half of families paid roughly €57–€110, with a median near €79.
Party size is the part most families underestimate: 39% of those bookings were for four or more passengers and 17% for five or more — the point at which a standard yellow taxi stops working once car seats, a pushchair and luggage are counted, however good the regulated fare is. September was the busiest travel month. Prices move with demand, season and the specific route, so treat these as historical ranges rather than a quote; vehicles are supplied by TaxiBambino and our partner network.
Frequently asked questions
Are Greek taxi fares regulated?
Yes. Fares are set by law rather than by the driver or the app. The Athens city tariff runs roughly €1.80 base plus €0.90 per kilometre by day and €1.25 at night, and the airport route has a fixed rate. Apps dispatch licensed taxis on the same regulated meter, so there is no surge on the fare itself.
What is the Athens Airport flat fare?
€50 between 05:00 and midnight, and €65 between midnight and 05:00, into central Athens. It does not surge, which makes the official rank a reliable fallback if an app quote comes in higher.
Is there UberX in Greece?
No. Private-driver ride-hailing was suspended in 2018 after disputes with the taxi unions. Uber operates as Uber Taxi, dispatching licensed yellow cabs. FREENOW — formerly Beat, founded in Athens — is the market leader, and Bolt entered Greece in January 2025.
What do island taxis cost?
Shorter journeys and often fixed rates. Rhodes town runs about €8–€15; Corfu Old Town €8–€10; Heraklion city centre around €5, with Knossos €15–€20. Zakynthos publishes fixed prices: roughly €13 to the town, €20 to Laganas, €25 to Tsilivi and €33 to Alykes.
Can a driver refuse to take a card?
Not lawfully. Greek law requires licensed taxis to carry a working POS terminal. In practice some drivers prefer cash and will say the machine is broken, so carrying euros avoids the argument.
Do Greek taxis carry child seats?
Almost never, with one partial exception. Zakynthos is unusual — many airport taxis there carry a baby seat at €8, though only for infants of roughly two and under. Everywhere else, assume no seat unless you booked one.
Last updated: 8 August 2026. Reviewed by Lija Scheiman, CEO, TaxiBambino Content Audit Team.