Motorways and National Roads in Greece constitute the main road network of the country. These two types of roads are distinct in terms of their construction and capacity specifications. Their main differences are that motorways (Greek: Αυτοκινητόδρομος, Aftokinitódromos) adhere to higher quality construction standards, allowing for higher sustained speeds and increased traffic compared to national roads (Greek: Εθνική Οδός, Ethnikí Odós). Expressways denote a specific highway standard intermediate between motorways and national roads, and can be designated as either.
The construction of the Greek motorway network has been, to a large extent, a very complex and demanding project due to the peculiarities of the geomorphology of the areas through which the new roads pass. The Greek mainland is extremely mountainous; the local topography as well as environmental concerns regarding the local flora and fauna played a decisive role in the final route design.
In order to overcome these difficulties, the construction of multiple large and expensive technical works, such as tunnels and bridges, was necessary in many cases. Indicatively, the total number of tunnels built along the six Greek major motorways (A1, A2, A3, A5, A7 and A8) is about 150 and their total length is about 200 km (measured as a single bore).
With a total length of about 2,528 km as of 2025, Greece's motorway network is the largest in Southeastern Europe and one of the most advanced in Europe.
Specifications and designations
Motorways and national roads follow distinct naming conventions. All motorways are named by using the capital letter "A", while National Roads are named by using the capital letters "EO", in both cases followed by a number. The main motorways of Greece have a single-digit number and auxiliary motorways branching off from the main ones have a double or triple-digit number (e.g. A25 or A621). Motorways are typically, but not always, assigned the same numbers as the national roads they superseded. For example, "A2" refers to the Egnatia Odos (Motorway 2), while "EO2" refers to National Road 2. Motorways have exclusively green signage, while National Roads typically have blue signage.
Motorways A typical motorway (highway) in Greece consists of 2 or 3 lanes plus an emergency lane in each direction (for a total of 4-6 lanes), separated by a central reservation, with gentle curves and grades. Entrances and exits to the motorways are only provided at grade-separated junctions (interchanges) and there are no traffic lights. The highest speed limit on motorways is 130 km/h, and they are the only toll roads in Greece (with the sole exception of the non-motorway Aktio–Preveza Undersea Tunnel). Greek motorways are generally organized so that the odd-numbered motorways are of north-south alignment and the even-numbered motorways are of east-west alignment. However, there are exceptions.
National roads
A typical national road in Greece is a single carriageway or limited-access road (following upgrades) with at-grade intersections and with one or two traffic lanes for each direction, often with a paved verge (but not an emergency lane) on each side as well. Traditional, unupgraded sections have little to no segregation from other non-highway roads. The highest speed limit on national roads is 90 km/h. National roads are the only main roads in Greece that allow slow-moving and non-motor traffic (e.g. tractors, bicycles).
Expressways Expressway (Greek: Οδός Ταχείας Κυκλοφορίας, Odós Tachías Kykloforías, lit: "rapid-traffic roads") is the third common term used for road categorization in Greece. It is not an official standalone category, but rather a descriptor for a specific standard of highway construction, equivalent to a limited-access road. A typical expressway has 2 lanes in each direction, plus a paved verge (but not an emergency lane) with a central barrier, providing less separation than a motorway. Modern expressways are typically dual carriageways with grade separation, but in older cases can also be widened single carriageways with at-grade intersections. Most highly-trafficked sections of national roads have been upgraded to expressways, retaining their original designation, while certain roads constructed directly to expressway standards have been designated as motorways. The highest speed limit on expressways is 110 km/h.
List of motorways
Greece's motorway network has been extensively modernized throughout the 1990s and 2000s and part of it is still under construction. Most of it was completed by early 2017. There are a total of 8 main routes throughout the Greek mainland and Crete, from which some feature numerous branches/auxiliary routes, as described in the listing below.
Greek motorways per governmental decree (2015) NameConnecting cities and townsProgressNotesAthens–Thessaloniki–EvzonoiPiraeus, Athens, Thebes, Lamia, Larissa, Katerini, Thessaloniki (via A2), Evzonoi505/550 km 313/342 miChalastra–Polykastro section is under construction.Egnatia Odos MotorwayIgoumenitsa, Ioannina, Grevena, Veria, Thessaloniki, Kavala, Xanthi, Komotini, Alexandroupoli670/670 km 416/416 miCompletedCentral Greece MotorwayLamia, Karditsa, Trikala, Kalabaka, Grevena181/181 km 112/112 miCompletedIonia Odos MotorwayTsakona, Pyrgos, Patras, Rio, Missolonghi, Amfilochia, Arta, Ioannina, Kakavia295/424 km 183/263 miIoannina–Kalpaki section is under constructionKalpaki–Kakavia and Pyrgos–Tsakona sections are under planningAttiki Odos MotorwayElefsina, Athens, Pallini, Markopoulo48/48 km 30/30 miCompletedMorea MotorwayCorinth, Tripoli, Megalopolis, Kalamata155/55 km 96/96 miCompletedOlympia Odos MotorwayAthens, Elefsina, Corinth, Aigio, Rio, Patras180/180 km 111/111 miCompletedSchimatari–ChalcisSchimatari, Chalcis, Psachna11/26 km 7/16 miChalcis Bypass is under constructionVelestino–VolosVelestino, Volos13/13 km 8/8 miCompleted Operates with expressway standardsElefsina–OinofytaElefsina, Oinofyta0/40 km 0/25 miUnder planningThessaloniki–ChalkidikiThessaloniki, Nea Moudania, Kassandreia93/93 km 58/58 miOperates with expressway standardsThessaloniki Eastern Ring Road upgrade under constructionRaidestos–Thessaloniki AirportNea Raidestos, Thessaloniki Airport3/3 km 2/2 miCompleted Operates with expressway standards and level interchangesThessaloniki–Serres–PromachonasThessaloniki, Serres, Sidirokastro, Promachonas105/105 km 62/62 miCompletedKozani–Ptolemaida–NikiKozani, Ptolemaida, Florina, Niki40/79 km 25/49 miPtolemaida–Florina section under planningSiatista–Kastoria–Ieropigi–KrystallopigiSiatista, Kastoria, Krystallopigi72/72 km 45/45 miCompletedAmvrakia Odos MotorwayVonitsa, Aktio, Preveza48/48 km 30/30 miCompletedMarkopoulo–LavrioMarkopoulo, Keratea, Lavrio0/28 km 0/17 miUnder planningHymettus Ring RoadIlioupoli, Agia Paraskevi, Pallini, Rafina13.5/30 km 8.4/19 miPikermi–Rafina section and Ilioupoli Tunnel under planningVrilissia–Agia ParaskeviVrilissia, Agia Paraskevi2/2 km 1/1 miCompletedKoropi–Athens AirportKoropi, Athens International Airport 6/6 km 4/4 miCompletedAigaleo Ring RoadSkaramagas, Ano Liosia9/11 km 6/7 miSkaramagas interchange under planningLefktro–SpartaMegalopolis, Sparta45.5/45.5 km 28/28 miCompletedNorthern Crete MotorwayChania, Rethymno, Heraklion, New Heraklion Airport, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia, Ierapetra41/310 km 25/193 miUpgrade of the Chania–Agios Nikolaos section to motorway standards and the New Heraklion Airport branch under constructionUpgrade of the Kissamos–Chania andAgios Nikolaos–Sitia sections to motorway standards, and the Ierapetra branch under planning
A1 (Athens–Thessaloniki–Evzonoi)
The A1 motorway, also known as the Athens–Thessaloniki Motorway, is the oldest and most important motorway of Greece, connecting the country's largest cities, Athens and Thessaloniki and passing through many important regions of Greece on a south-north direction. Its southern end is at the Faliro seafront in Piraeus, and its northern at the Evzonoi border crossing with North Macedonia. The final uncompleted section, from Chalastra to Polykastro (which remains only up to expressway standards), is under reconstruction to full motorway standards.
The full length of this motorway is around 550 km or 342 miles, including 14 km or 8.7 miles of shared route with the A2 (Egnatia Odos).
The A11 motorway is a branch of the A1, connecting it with the city of Chalcis, currently being extended as a bypass around it. The A12 motorway is a branch of the A1, connecting it with the city of Volos. It is built to expressway standards only. The A13 motorway is a planned branch of the A1, from Oinofyta to Elefsina; connecting it with the A6 (Attiki Odos) at Magoula and serving as a western bypass of Athens Metropolitan Area. Originally, it was planned to begin from Thebes.
A2 (Egnatia Odos)
The A2 motorway, also called Egnatia Odos (Egnatia Motorway), is a motorway situated in northern Greece, connecting several major cities on the way. It starts at the port of Igoumenitsa and ends at the Kipoi border crossing with Turkey. It is the longest motorway in Greece.
Part of its length, a section of about 360 km (220 mi) from Evros to Thessaloniki, parallels the ancient Roman Via Egnatia, which ran from modern Durrës in Albania to Thessaloniki and thence to Byzantium (now Istanbul, Turkey). The project has therefore officially adopted the Greek name of the Via Egnatia (Egnatia Odos / Εγνατία Οδός). However, the parallel is not exact; the original Via Egnatia was much longer (1,120 km / 696 miles) and its western section, from Thessaloniki to the Adriatic Sea, ran much further north than the modern road.
There are auxiliary routes to Albania and Bulgaria, with the main route leading to Turkey. North Macedonia is accessed through the A1 (AThE), as described above, or via the A27 (see below). Some of these auxiliary routes are not yet fully motorways, but typical 2-lane national roads, although they are of considerably higher quality than other similar roads in the rest of Greece. The project (including most of the auxiliary routes), was completed in 2009, with the length of the main route being 670 kilometers or 416 miles, making it the longest motorway in Greece.
The A24 motorway is a branch of the A2, referred to as the Thessaloniki–Nea Moudania Motorway or Chalkidiki Motorway, connecting Thessaloniki with Nea Moudania and further to Kassandreia, on the Chalkidiki peninsula. As it passes through the eastern periphery of Thessaloniki the A24 becomes part of the Thessaloniki Inner Ring Road (, Esoterikí Periferiakí Odós). It is built to expessway standards only (and as such is toll-free), though its ring road section is being upgraded to add a second level ("flyover"), built to motorway standards. The A242 motorway is a branch of the A24, referred to as the Raidestos–Macedonia Airport Motorway, which acts a short spur connecting the route of the A24 at Nea Raidestos, Thermi with Thessaloniki Airport. It is built to expressway standards (and as such is toll-free), additionally containing an at-grade intersection with traffic lights. The A25 motorway is a branch of the A2, referred to as the Thessaloniki–Serres–Promachonas Motorway, connecting Thessaloniki with Serres and the Promachonas border crossing with Bulgaria (taking over parts of the EO12). The A27 motorway is a partially complete motorway and branch of the A2, referred to as the Kozani–Ptolemaida–Niki Motorway, connecting Kozani, Ptolemaida and Florina with the Niki border crossing with North Macedonia. During 2012, tenders were announced for the construction of the 14 kilometers section from Florina to Niki. Construction of this section started in 2013, finished in 2015 and it was opened to traffic on 20 May 2016. The Ptolemaida - Florina part is currently an expressway (single carriageway), planned to be upgraded to motorway standards.