Travelling To Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is located in the north of Greece, 314 miles from Athens. There are good car, rail, air and bus transport links here.

By car

The city is well connected by road. Athens is a 5 to 6-hour drive (314 miles) along the National Highway, a four-lane motorway which is the best road in Greece, and the journey is quite scenic. If youre coming from Italy, it is possible to take a ferry to Igoumenitsou and then continue by car across the Pindus Mountains to Thessaloniki; the scenery on the journey is stunning and this journey takes around 7 hours. Internationally, Istanbul is a 392-mile drive from Thessaloniki, and the Macedonian capital, Skopje, can be reached in around 3 hours (140 miles).

By rail

Thessaloniki has excellent train connections both within Greece and to other European cities. The Intercity train is fast and comfortable, with Intercity Express trains taking 4 hours 15 minutes and Intercity trains taking 5 hours 15 minutes from Athens. There are 10 trains that depart throughout the day, starting at 08:00 and finishing at 23:55. In the evening, there are no trains between the 18:40 and 23:17.

It is also possible to travel by train from Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Moscow, Sofia and Ljubliana. There is a daily sleeper train to Istanbul, which takes just under 12 hours. There are two trains a day from Skopje to Thessaloniki, leaving at 03:10 and 16:00; the journey takes around 4 hours.

By bus

The bus trip from Athens to Thessaloniki takes about 7 hours with a 20-minute meal stop. The buses are relatively comfortable with air conditioning, they are cheaper than trains and they usually run to schedule. Services from Athens Kifisou Bus Station start at 07:00 and run roughly every hour until midnight. There are seven buses a day from Athens Omonia Station and two daily services from Athens Piraeus Station.

The city has quite an extensive local bus network, but services tend to be unreliable and buses can get quite busy; however, fortunately, many of the major sites are easily explored on foot.

By air

Thessalonikis Macedonia Airport is a fairly small but modern airport, located just 10 miles east of the city centre. It is connected to a number of international and domestic locations by both scheduled and charter flights. From Athens, both Olympic and Aegean airlines have daily flights, with a flying time of 40 minutes. British Airways flies direct to Thessaloniki from London Gatwick five times a week. There are also regular connections with Milan, Rome, Zurich, Munich, Dusseldorf and Moscow. The popularity of Thessaloniki as a tourist destination has seen a number of budget airlines start to operate regular flights from here.

The city is easily reached from the airport and takes about 25 to 30 minutes by bus or taxi. Bus number 78 leaves the airport every hour, travelling to the railway station (50 minutes) and the city centre (40 minutes).

By ferry

There are no international ferry routes serving Thessaloniki at present, but it is possible to travel to Alonissos, Chios, Lesvos, Limnos, the Piraeus, Skiathos, Skopelos and Vathi from the citys port. There are some additional island connections in the summer months.

Taxis

There are dozens of taxis here and these can be hailed on the street or at taxi ranks, such as the ones at the airport or railway station. It is customary for taxis to pick up additional passengers along the way so that you can share the fare with other people. Your hotel will also be able to assist with taxi arrangements.