THESSALONIKI PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The new Thessaloniki Metro and the buses of Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organization (OASTH) are the two public transport means that are currently available in the city. Here you can find everything you need to know to get around Thessaloniki stress-free.
1) Thessaloniki Metro
Thessaloniki Metro started operating on November 30, 2024 and it currently consists of a single line with 13 stations beginning at the New Railway Station at the west and ending at Nea Elvetia terminal station at the east. The total distance that is covered throughout the city is 9.6km and the total time that is needed to go from one end to the other is 17 minutes. There is a train running every 3-5 minutes.
At Venizelou Station you can see findings from the Roman era in one of the largest archaeological sites that are part of a Metro subway system (see photo above). Another archaeological site, that was also revealed during the construction of the metro, you can find just outside Agias Sofias Station. Both stations are at the heart of Thessaloniki’s historical center.
Thessaloniki Metro uses a driveless automatic system and it operates between 5:30am to 12:30am (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday) and 5:30am to 2:00am (Friday, Saturday). At the moment, the price for a basic ticket is just 0.60 euro. For more information regarding all the available types of tickets and travel cards see here.
2) Useful Bus Lines
The OASTH express bus lines 01X (operating during the day) and 01N (operating during the night), connect Airport “Makedonia” with the historic center of the city, the New Railway Station, and the Bus Terminal “KTEL Makedonia”. Along the way, the 01X and 01N buses stop at several other areas of the city. However, almost half of the bus stops are omitted so that the total duration of the route is minimized.
The new Thessaloniki Metro does not reach yet the airport. However, the new bus line 02X was created to connect the airport with the Metro’s terminal station “Nea Elvetia” at the east of the city.
If after your arrival to Airport “Makedonia” you are going to be traveling towards Chalkidiki by public transport, you first need to take bus 79 from the airport until the Transit Station “IKEA” and then bus 36 until “KTEL Chalkidiki”. From there you can take the long-distance bus to your destination in Chalkidiki. From the Transit Station “IKEA” you can also take several other buses to the city center (a time-consuming alternative choice to the 01X and 01N lines).
To get from the Port of Thessaloniki to Aristotelous Square or to the White Tower, you can take buses 03, 15 or 39. The closest bus stop is on Salaminos street, 150m from the port’s passenger terminal building.
More bus lines that can be useful for the visitors of the city are:
- Line 45, which connects “KTEL Makedonia” Bus Terminal with the New Railway Station, and the Bus Terminal “KTEL Chalkidiki”,
- Line 50, which follows the cultural route of the city (the starting and ending point of the route is the White Tower – click here for more information), and
- Lines 22 & 23, which are passing through the streets of the Upper Town (some of them are also covered by the line 50). All the vehicles of line 22 are small vans that can pass through the narrow, steep streets of this historic old neighborhood.
3) Bus Tickets
The cost for a regular OASTH bus ticket is 0.60 euros and it is valid for a single, one-way route. The ticket for the cultural route (line 50) and for the airport (lines 01X and 01N), costs 2.00 euros. There are also tickets that you can use for more than once within a limited time frame, reduced-price tickets, 24h ticket, and special cards for unlimited routes. For more information regarding all the available types of tickets and cards, their fares and discounts, and where you can purchase them click here. Unfortunately, at the moment there are no multi-day travel cards specifically designed for the visitors of the city.
Once you get on a bus, you must directly validate or issue your ticket and keep it throughout the journey. You have to present it only to the ticket inspectors (be sure they carry their special IDs) or to the bus driver if requested. Passengers that do not carry a valid ticket will have to pay a fine equal to 60 times its value.
