Guide · Rules

Rent a buggy in Zakynthos: the rules before you drive

To rent a buggy in Zakynthos, or drive one on a guided day, you need the right license, the right age and the right clothes. Here are the rules from the listing, the operator, Greek road law and the travel advice, side by side.

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Editorial team, buggyrentzakynthos.comUpdated October 19, 2026read in 6 minutes32 sources

The matching tour Off-road buggy day from Laganas with lunch 5.0 (306 reviews) 6 hoursYou drive your own Polaris RZRSwim stop and farmhouse lunch from$403per person Check availabilityFree to cancel until one day before

Quick answer

01Drivers: At least 18, with a full license; the operator asks for category B.¹ ²
02Children: Listing: not under 6. Operator's terms: not under 8.³
03Not allowed: Pregnant women, and alcohol before or during the tour.⁴ ⁵
04Helmets: Greek law requires them on quads; the buggy listing names eyewear and bandanas.⁶
05Wear: Sports shoes, swimwear, water shoes and clothes that can get dirty.

Who may drive

The guided buggy day sets a clear line: the listing is not suitable for drivers under 18, and it asks you to bring your driver's license. The operator says the same in its own words: to drive you must be 18 and hold a full license.¹

The operator also names the category. Every driver must carry a license, category B, which is the ordinary car license in the European Union.² The EU sets 18 as the minimum age for that category, though some countries add their own requirements on top.⁷ ⁸

Read the word full carefully. The operator's booking terms allow only holders of a valid permanent license to drive, and the UK government's travel advice says provisional licenses are not valid in Greece for driving or hiring any vehicle.⁹ ¹⁰ If you have just passed your test and hold only a temporary document, sort that out before the holiday. A friend who holds a full license can drive while you ride beside them, and you will still see every viewpoint, swim at the same cove and eat at the same table.

Before you go

From booking to the briefing

When booking

Check every age

Listing: not under 6; operator: not under 8; drivers 18.³
Before the trip

Check your license

A full license, category B; no provisional licenses.² ¹⁰
The night before

Pack the bag

Swimwear, water shoes, sunscreen, clothes that can get dirty.
8:00

At the start

License in your pocket for the briefing.²
8:30

Off you go

Behind the guide's buggy, toward Keri.¹¹

Licenses from inside and outside the EU

If your license was issued in an EU country, you are on the easiest path. If it comes from elsewhere, check the details before you travel. The European Union notes that provisional or temporary licenses and international driving permits are not regulated at EU level and may not be recognized in other EU countries.¹²

For British visitors, the UK advice is that a photocard license can be used to drive in Greece; with an old paper license you may need a photocard or the 1968 international driving permit as well.¹³ Hire companies often go further and ask for a year of driving experience, a higher minimum age and an international permit.¹⁴

The guided day asks only for the license itself and the category B the operator names.² If you are unsure whether your license counts, write to the operator through the booking before the day, not at the starting point at 8:00, when there is no time left to fix anything.

Weather

Daylight, darkness and rain on Zakynthos, month by month

Hours without sunDays with precipitationSeason

Bars: hours of darkness on a mid-month day. Line: days when the rain gauge passed 2.5 mm. NOAA, 1991 to 2020, Zakynthos airport and, for five cooler months, Argostoli.²⁷

The rules

Who says what about driving

Rule	Buggy listing	Operator	Greek or EU rules
Driver age	Not under 18	18 and a full license	Category B from 18
License	Bring it	Category B, permanent	Provisional not valid
Children	Not under 6	Not under 8	Not stated
Pregnancy	Not suitable	Not permitted	Not stated
Alcohol	Not stated	None before or during	0.5 mg/ml, 0.2 for some
Helmet	Eyewear and bandana	Not stated	Required on quads

From the listing, the operator's page and booking terms, Your Europe and UK travel advice.¹ ⁹ ³ ⁵ ⁷ ¹⁰ ¹⁵ ⁶

Your license

Which license gets you behind the wheel

Accepted

EU license

Category B

Category: B
Minimum age: 18
Bring: The card itself

Check the tour

Check the category

UK photocard

Usable in Greece

Valid in Greece: Yes
Old paper license: May need an IDP
Bring: The photocard

Check the tour

Not enough

Provisional

Learner or temporary

Valid in Greece: No
Operator's terms: Permanent only
Instead: Ride as a passenger

Check the tour

Decision helper

Can you drive, or should you ride along?

Find your situation

I am 18 or over with a full license I hold only a provisional license I travel with a young child I am pregnant I want a beer with lunch

You can drive

The operator's own rule for drivers.¹

Ride along instead

Provisional licenses are not valid in Greece.¹⁰

Ask the operator first

Its terms say not under 8; the listing says 6.³

Pick a gentler day

Pregnant women are not permitted on the buggy.³

Not on this day

No alcohol before or during the tour.⁵

Provisional licenses are not valid in Greece for driving or hiring any type of vehicle.

UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development OfficeSource 10

Children, passengers and who stays at home

Children can come along: the operator says they are welcome as long as an adult accompanies them.¹⁶ The age limit, though, depends on where you read it. The GetYourGuide listing says the day is not suitable for children under 6, while the operator's own booking terms do not permit children under 8.³

When two sources disagree, plan for the stricter one. A family whose child falls between the two limits should ask the operator before booking rather than hope for the best at the starting point.³ It is a short message that can save a ruined morning.

Pregnant women cannot take part, on both the listing and the operator's terms; the operator explains simply that the ride can get rather bumpy.⁴ If your group splits over this, the jeep or the van to the Myzithres viewpoint are gentler ways to share some of the same scenery.

Checklist

Pack and check

Documents

Your full driver's license, category B
Your booking confirmation
Travel insurance details

Clothes and kit

Sports shoes and water shoes
Swimwear and a towel
Sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat
Clothes that can get dirty

Video

Zakynthos, don't hire a quad bike

Nothing is fetched from YouTube until you press play.

Helmets, belts and Greek road rules

Part of the route runs on ordinary roads, so Greek road rules apply there. As the European Union summarizes them, Greece requires a safety helmet on mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles and light and heavy quadricycles.⁶ The UK advice adds that drivers and passengers on quad bikes must both wear one, and that riding without may invalidate your insurance and cost you a fine and your license if police stop you.¹⁷ ¹⁸

The buggy listing names protective eyewear and bandanas as included for the tour; it does not mention helmets. If wearing one matters to you, ask the operator before the day. The guide's safety briefing before the start is the place to hear how the vehicles are used on the route.¹⁹

A couple of everyday road rules are worth knowing as well. Seat belts are mandatory in Greece, and drivers may not use a mobile phone without a hands-free set.²⁰ ²¹ Leave the photos to the stops; the guide will give you time at each one. A phone in a zipped pocket or a small bag strapped inside the buggy is safer than one held in a hand on a bumpy track, and it stays out of the dust until you need it.

Alcohol, insurance and damage

The operator's terms forbid alcohol before or during the tour, and the lunch comes with soft drinks only.⁵ ²² Greek law is strict too: the limit is 0.5 mg/ml for most drivers and 0.2 mg/ml for motorcycle and moped riders and for novice and professional drivers.¹⁵ Save the ouzo for the evening.

Insurance is one of the clearest differences between a guided day and a hire desk. The buggy listing includes full liability insurance, while UK travel advice warns that insurance sold by a hire company usually covers only third parties.²³ For quads in particular, many travel policies exclude the activity as an extreme sport.²⁴

Even with insurance, your own driving counts. The operator's terms make the participant responsible for any damage caused by ignoring the guide's instructions.²⁵ Drive within your comfort, keep the gap to the buggy in front, and ask the guide whenever a stretch looks harder than you expected. Nobody minds a slower driver; everybody minds a scratched buggy and a delayed group, and the guide would always rather wait a minute at the top of a slope than help with a recovery at the bottom.

What to wear and pack

The listing's packing list is practical and complete: your driver's license, sunglasses, swimwear, a camera, sunscreen, sports shoes, water shoes and clothes that can get dirty. The operator adds a towel to that list and provides bandanas and protective eyewear for everyone.²⁶

Take the word dirty seriously. Off-road tracks in a dry summer throw up fine dust that gets into every seam, so leave white clothes at home and wear something you will not mind washing twice. Closed shoes protect your feet on the pedals and on the rocks around the swim stop better than sandals do.

Think about the sun as well as the dust. The airport station puts the average high at about 33 °C for both July and August, with hardly any rain.²⁷ UK advice for outdoor days in Greece is to avoid the peak hours of sun and carry a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water, and on this tour the operator hands out ice-cold water all day.²⁸ ¹⁹

Weather, fire risk and the protected beaches

Rain does not cancel the day: asked what happens if it rains, the operator answers that everyone gets wet.²⁹ The rain comes mostly in the cooler months: for those months the nearest full record is Argostoli on Kefalonia, which averages 138 mm in November, 189 mm in December and 103 mm in January.²⁷

In hot, dry weather a different rule can apply. When wildfire risk is high, Greek Civil Protection may close some forest and mountain trails, and the operator then drives alternative routes chosen in advance.³⁰ It is a reason to stay flexible about the exact stops, not a reason to cancel.

Wherever you drive, the nesting beaches of the National Marine Park are off limits to vehicles: cars, motorbikes, bicycles, horses and dogs are not allowed on them.³¹ If you meet a protected animal, the park asks you to keep at least 15 metres away.³² The buggy route looks at Turtle Island from the hills, which is exactly where vehicles belong.

Your day off road