How will you come to us?

HOW TO COME TO THESSALONIKI

Learn about all the ways you can get to Thessaloniki (plane, train, bus, car and ship), as well as how to get to the city center from any passenger terminal.

1) By plane

Thessaloniki International Airport "Macedonia" (IATA code: SKG) connects the city directly with many foreign countries (mainly in Europe), as well as with several domestic destinations. The airport facilities are located 16 km southeast of Thessaloniki, in the area of Thermi (see location on Google Maps). The public transport from the airport to the city is served by the express bus lines of OASTH, 01X (during the day) and 01N (during the night). Alternatively, you can take a taxi to the center or rent a car. Bus and taxi stops are right at the exit of the airport. In the area of arrivals you can also find car rental companies.

If you choose to travel by bus, the required time to the city center (Aristotelous square), is about 40 to 50 minutes, depending on the traffic you will encounter on the streets. The cost for a ticket on lines 01X and 01N is 2 euros for a single trip in one direction (x2 the price of a regular ticket). You can buy your tickets from the OASTH ticket offices (at the airport or in various other places in the city), from grocery stores and kiosks, or you can issue them directly on the bus using the automatic ticket machines.

Frequencies of the 01X and 01N bus lines are approximately every 25 to 35 minutes and are available on a 24-hour basis. You can also continue your journey after the city center for at least 10 or 20 minutes (on the same bus and with the same ticket), to the New Railway Station or to the Intercity Bus Station KTEL Macedonia, respectively. For more information on the city's public transport, click here.

The cost of the taxi from the airport to the historic center of Thessaloniki (and vice versa) is fixed and is set at 20 euros. There is, however, an additional charge from midnight until 5:00 am, which amounts to 8 euros (total 28 euros). You may also be charged extra if you carry a lot of luggage. The duration of the taxi ride is about 20-30 minutes.

If after your arrival at the airport you intend to continue your journey to Halkidiki by public transport, you must first take the city bus 79 to the OASTH terminal at IKEA and then board bus 36 to the terminal KTEL Halkidiki (see the location in Google Maps). From there, you can take the intercity bus to your destination in Halkidiki. If you want to avoid this time-consuming and complicated way to get to KTEL Halkidiki, we suggest you travel by taxi (estimated cost: 20 euros). For more information about Macedonia Airport you can visit www.skg-airport.gr.

2) By train

The New Railway Station of Thessaloniki is the largest and busiest passenger station in Greece. It is located at 28 Monastiriou Street (see location on Google Maps) and in addition to domestic destinations it connects Thessaloniki with Belgrade, Skopje, Sofia and Bucharest. Although built in the 1960s, it is still called "new" in contrast to the old, historic city station, which now serves only as a freight station.

Just outside the New Railway Station, you can find the stops of many bus lines, taxi stand and a METRO station under construction which will operate in 2023. For more information, you can visit www.trainose.gr.

3) By bus

KTEL Macedonia is the main Intercity Bus Station of Thessaloniki for domestic and international destinations. It is located at 244 Giannitson Street, at the western entrance of the city (see the location on Google Maps). In addition to most domestic destinations, the station also serves 8 international routes connecting Thessaloniki with Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria and Albania. Just outside the station, you can find the starting points of several city bus lines heading to the city center, as well as a taxi stand (behind the station building, to the right of the entrance to the ticket office). For more information, you can visit www.ktelmacedonia.gr.

Note that for Halkidiki there is a separate Intercity Bus Station of Halkidiki, which is located east of the city, on the Thessaloniki-Moudania ring road (www.ktel-chalkidikis.gr). The connection of the two stations through public transport is served by the bus line 45.

4) By car

The National Road and the Egnatia Odos are the two main, most modern and well-constructed highways that you can follow to reach Thessaloniki by car. The National Road (A1 Motorway) is part of the European route E75 and is the road axis to go to Thessaloniki from
Athens or other southern regions of the country. The distance from Athens to Thessaloniki is about 500 km and the average journey time is 5 hours.

The Egnatia Odos (A2 Motorway) connects Thessaloniki with Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace. It is part of the European route E90 and is connected to the Balkan countries through vertical axes. To the east, Egnatia ends at the Greek-Turkish border and to the west at the port of Igoumenitsa. It is the modern version of the Egnatia Odos, the ancient trade route that once connected Rome with Byzantium, being the continuation of the Via Appia across the Adriatic.

5) By ship

Although Thessaloniki is a large and important port, there are not many options to reach the city by boat. However, during the summer months you can find some ferry routes that connect Thessaloniki with some of the Aegean islands, as well as cruises, which include Thessaloniki in their route. Ferry itineraries - if any, for each year - are usually announced a few weeks before summer or during it. For more information, you can visit the official website of the Thessaloniki Port Authority: www.thpa.gr.

The biggest advantage of the port of Thessaloniki is its location: just 5 minutes walk from the popular area of Ladadika and 10 minutes from Aristotelous Square and the heart of the city's shopping center along Tsimiski Street.