Arrival

Thessaloniki is very well connected with dozens of major European cities via all means of transportation. It is easily accessible by train, coach, ferry, and airplane. The Thessaloniki public transportation network (OASTH) is also well-developed which allows you to travel within the city fairly easily. Here you will find all necessary information on how to get to Thessaloniki and how to find your way around the city.

By air

Coming to Thessaloniki by plane is the quickest and easiest way to get here. The city is served by Macedonia International Airport which lies approximately 15 kilometres from the city centre and it is accessible by bus #78 (it operates day and night, fare: €0.80 adult, €0.40 reduced). It is the second-largest Greek airport and it offers a number of flight connections to and from major airports in the EU, Russia and Turkey. Scheduled flights to Thessaloniki (as of August 2013) are offered by:

-         Ryanair (Oslo-Rygge, Stockholm-Skavsta, London Stansted, Dusseldorf Weeze, Bremen, Frankfurt-Hahn, Karlshruhe Baden Baden, Brussels-Charleroi, Milan-Bergamo, Bologna, Rome, Girona, Chania and Paphos)

-         Wizz Air (Budapest). Bear in mind that Budapest is Wizz Air’s major hub and it offers scheduled flights to a lot of international destinations. Therefore, it may be a good idea to consider coming to Thessaloniki via Budapest (remember to book tickets for each and every section of your journey, i.e. from your local airport to Budapest and from Budapest to Thessaloniki as low-cost airlines do not offer combined tickets), especially that Wizz Air allows registered luggage up to 32 kilograms/piece, while Ryanair up to 15 or 20 kilograms/piece depending on the option you choose.

- Easyjet (Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, Berlin Schoenefeld, London Gatwick, Manchester)

- Aegean Airlines (Athens, Heraklion, Rhodes, Mytilene, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hannover, Nuremberg, Munich, Stuttgart, Larnaca, Milan Malpensa, Moscow-Domodedovo, Saint Petersburg, Tel-Aviv, Paris Charles de Gaulle)

- Turkish Airlines (Istanbul)

- Austrian Airlines (Vienna)

- Aeroflot (Moscow)

- Jat Airways (Belgrade)

- TAROM (Bucharest)

By coach

All domestic bus services are operated by KTEL Thessaloniki which is also the name of the city’s main coach station. KTEL offers convenient bus connections to anywhere in mainland Greece AND, surprisingly, to some islands as well (bus + ferry). Students who hold a valid student card issued by a Greek university (one you will have received from the Erasmus Office) are entitled to a 25% discount on all domestic services. The bus network in Greece is well developed and the service quality is of high standards. Also, the number of services is amazingly big, buses to Athens and cities in the neighbouring areas leave frequently, mostly every 30 or 60 minutes. Tickets can be bought directly from the driver or at the coach station. Fares vary from destination to destination but I think they are slightly higher than in case of train journeys. For example, a student ticket to/from Athens costs €30 single and €45 return.

International bus connections are also served by KTEL Thessaloniki. Union Ivkoni offers services to Bulgaria. A journey from Sofia to Thessaloniki lasts 5 hours and costs €26 single and €44 return. Buses terminate from Sofia twice a day every day. The carrier offers a 10% discount on its Bulgaria destinations for women aged 60 and above, men aged 63 and above, and for the youth (between 12-26 years old).

Services to Albania are offered by AlbaTrans. Buses from Tirana leave every day at 5:00am and 8:30am. The trip lasts approximately 10 hours and thirty minutes and it costs €30 single and €52 return. No discounts apply.

It is also possible to get to Thessaloniki by bus from Turkey. Several Turkish bus companies offer direct services between Istanbul and Athens via Thessaloniki. An average bus journey from Istanbul to Thessaloniki lasts around 10 hours. Prices vary depending on the company. The tour operators that offer bus routes from Istanbul to Thessaloniki are: Derya Tour and Metro Turizm.

On KTEL website you will find all information you need (in English) about fares, schedules, destinations, discounts and more.

The main coach station (KTEL) is located 5 kilometres from the city centre and getting there by public transportation is easy. Bus service #12 operates between KTEL and Kato Toumpa via city centre every 10 minutes (more frequently on peak hours). Keep in mind the traffic in Thessaloniki gets ridiculously big at times and I suggest you leave for KTEL to catch your bus rather earlier than later in case you get stuck in traffic (which happened to me twice). From KTEL to the city centre you can also get by services #45 and #78 (to the airport). Alternatively, you can take a taxi as there are plenty of them in front of the terminal.

By rail

Hellenic Railways Organisation (Organismos Sidirodromon Ellados – OSE) is Greece’s national rail company which offers domestic services between major towns in the country. Greek trains are generally well-maintained but the rail network is far worse developed than the bus network. Thessaloniki is served by Neos Sidirodromikos Stathmos (New Railway Station) which is located between KTEL and the city centre. The station is easily accessible via public transportation, buses number 02, 03, 10, 11, 11B, 14, 17, 23, 54, 56, 64, 70, 71 stop in front of the main entrance. Make sure to arrive early as the ticket offices can be literally besieged by queueing people. The most popular rail service from Thessaloniki is the one to Athens via Larisa. Fares to/from Athens start from as little as €9 single (early bird special, usually the easiest to find on night trains), but most probably you'll have to pay €19 or €29. Tickets can be purchased using the online booking system available here. The journey is quite long but the views outside of the window will definitely make up for it, especially south of Thessaly (Larisa).

There used to be passenger rail services to Turkey, Bulgaria and Macedonia but they have been suspended and now there are only cargo trains operating between these countries. Instead, new bus routes have been established. 

By ferry

The port of Thessaloniki is one of the biggest cargo seaports in the Aegean Sea basin. It also serves ferry routes to and from the city. The seaport (limani) is located right at the end of the promenade, just outside of the city centre. If you haven't bought your ticket online, you can do it here (don't forget to bring your student ID!). Most ferry companies offer a 25% student discount on all domestic routes. The city is accessible by ferry from: Chios, Lesvos (Mytilene), Limnos and Samos. 

Here you will find the most convenient connection and buy your ferry ticket online. Buy your ticket well in advance for best fares.