Rides in Greece

Rides in Greece are a way of reaching places an ordinary car will not go, rather than a thrill for its own sake. On Crete jeeps leave the coast for the mountain villages of Apokoronas and the plateaux, for cheese farms and olive mills, on roads where the asphalt ends past the first pass. On Rhodes the safari leads into the island's deep south — mountains, monasteries, villages the coach excursions never reach. On Zakynthos a 4x4 rounds the island on the upper roads with views over the coves.

The second format is gentler — bicycles and e-bikes. In Athens they carry you around the historic core and the Riviera: the city is hilly, and the electric motor turns the climbs into pleasure. On Corfu the pedalling goes through the green south of the island. The third format is the air: a tandem paratrike over Crete, the pilot behind you and the coastline unrolling under your feet.

Practical notes. Jeep safaris shake in earnest: not advised for pregnant travellers or bad backs, and dust flies into the open body — dark clothes and glasses. In the mountain villages lunch is often included, and it is usually the best meal of the trip. Bike tours ask for basic confidence in the saddle, and children get their own sizes. Flights depend on the wind, with money returned on cancellation.