HOW TO GET TO THESSALONIKI
Airplane, train, bus, car or ship? Learn everything you need to know about how to get to Thessaloniki along with all the available transport means to reach the center of the city from any passenger terminal.
BY PLANE
Thessaloniki International Airport “Makedonia” (IATA code: SKG) connects directly Thessaloniki with 38 countries and 150 airports, mostly in Europe. It is located 16km south-east of the city, in the area of Thermi (see the location on Google Maps). The public transport from the airport to the city is served by the express bus line 01X during the day and 01N during the night, operated by OASTH. Alternatively, you can take a taxi or rent a car. You can easily find the bus-stop and the taxi rank just as you exit the Airport Terminal. At the Arrivals, you can also find car rental companies.
To get to Aristotelous Square, at the very center of Thessaloniki, it takes 40 to 50 minutes by bus depending on traffic. The cost for a bus ticket on the lines 01X and 01N is 2 euros for a single, one-way route (x2 the price of a regular ticket). You can purchase your ticket at the booth of OASTH outside the airport, or you can issue it directly on the bus by using the automatic, coin-operated vending machines. There is a bus leaving every 25 to 35 minutes on a 24-hour basis. You can also continue your journey for at least 10 or 20 more minutes (on the same bus and with the same ticket), until the New Railway Station or the Bus Terminal “KTEL Makedonia”, respectively. To read more about the city’s public transport click here.
The taxi fare from the airport until the historical center of Thessaloniki (and the opposite) is fixed at 20 euros. There is an 8 euros surcharge after midnight and until 5:00a.m. You might also be charged more if you are carrying many pieces of luggage. The duration of the taxi ride is approximately 20-30 minutes.
If, after your arrival at the airport, you are planning to continue your journey towards Chalkidiki by public transport, you first need to take urban bus 79 towards OASTH Transit Station “IKEA” and than change to bus 36 until the terminal “KTEL Chalkidiki” (see the location on Google Maps). From there, you can take the long-distance bus to your destination in Chalkidiki. If you want to avoid this time-consuming and complicated way too reach “KTEL Chalkidiki”, taking a taxi ride is recommended (estimated cost: 20 euros).
For more information about Airport “Makedonia” you can visit www.skg-airport.gr. Alternatively, if you are coming from a country that is relatively close (e.g. countries of the Balkan Peninsula or Central Europe), and depending on your budget, your available time and how much patience you have, you can consider traveling by train, bus, or car (see below).
BY TRAIN
The New Railway Station of Thessaloniki is the largest and busiest passenger terminal in Greece. It is located on 28 Monastiriou Street (see the location on Google Maps) and besides domestic destinations it currently connects Thessaloniki with Belgrade, Skopje, Sofia and Bucharest. Although it was built in the 60s’, it is still called “new” as opposed to the old, historical station of the city now operating as a cargo terminal only. Just outside the New Railway Station, there are several urban bus-stops, a taxi rank, and a Metro station that will be operating in 2023. For more information, you can visit www.trainose.gr.
BY BUS
“KTEL Makedonia” is the main bus terminal of Thessaloniki for international and domestic long-distance destinations. It is located on 244 Giannitson Street at the west entrance of the city (see the location on Google Maps). There are 8 international lines that connect Thessaloniki with Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Albania. Just outside the terminal, there are several urban bus-stops and a taxi rank. For more information, you can visit www.ktelmacedonia.gr.
Note that for destinations towards Chalkidiki there is a separate bus terminal (“KTEL Chalkidiki”), located East of the city, on Thessaloniki-Moudania Ring Road (www.ktel-chalkidikis.gr). To transfer from one terminal to the other you can take urban bus 45.
BY CAR
Egnatia Road (Motorway A2), is a modern, well-built highway that you can follow to reach Thessaloniki by car. It is part of the European Route E90 and is connected with the Balkan countries via several vertical axes. To the east, Egnatia ends at the Greek-Turkish borders and to the west, at Igoumenitsa port, where you can find ferry connections to Italy. It is the contemporary version of Via Egnatia, the continuation of Via Appia across the Adriatic Sea (the ancient route that once connected Rome with Byzantium).
Thessaloniki can also be reached from Athens, or other southern areas of the country, by the National Road of Greece (Motorway A1 – European Route E75). The driving distance from Athens to Thessaloniki is approximately 500km and the average travel time is 5 hours.
BY SHIP
Although Thessaloniki is a major port, there are not many options to reach the city by boat. You may find, however, some cruises in the Aegean that include Thessaloniki in their itinerary. The biggest advantage of Thessaloniki’s port is its location (see it on Google Maps): only a 5-minute walk to the popular and full of restaurants district of Ladadika and a 10-minute walk to Aristotelous Square and the shopping “heart” of the city along Tsimiski Street. During the summer months, you may also find ferries that connect Thessaloniki with some of the islands in the Aegean sea (the ferry routes – if any – are usually announced a few weeks before or during the Summer). For more information, you can visit the official site of Thessaloniki’s port: www.thpa.gr.
