How to Get to Thessaloniki: train, coach, car, plane
Published · by ThessalonikiHub
From Athens and from the borders. What each costs you in time, and where in the city it drops you.
In this guide7
Thessaloniki is one of the easiest cities in Greece to reach: the second largest, on the country's main road and rail axis, with an international airport and a land border an hour north.
The question is rarely whether you can get here — it is which way is worth it. Below are the five, with what each actually costs in time and where in the city it leaves you.
By plane
Makedonia Airport (SKG) is about 13 km south-east of the city, near Thermi. It handles domestic flights and a dense European network, with noticeably more routes in summer.
From Athens the flight is around 55 minutes — but with security, the journeys to and from two airports and the waiting, the door-to-door trip rarely comes in under three and a half hours. Which is why the comparison with the train is less lopsided than it sounds.
For getting into the city from there, see the separate airport guide.
By train
The cleanest way to arrive, for one specific reason: the main railway station has the metro's western terminus, New Railway Station, directly underneath it. You step off the carriage, into the metro without going out to the street, and three or four stops later you are in the historic centre.
With luggage, that beats a taxi crawling along Egnatia by a distance.
The Athens-Thessaloniki line is the country's main axis, and the fast services cover it in roughly four and a half to five and a half hours. There are also connections to Larissa, Edessa and Serres.
Timetables and journey times have changed several times in recent years — check them before you book, and do not plan a tight connection on top of them.
By intercity coach
Coaches arrive at the Macedonia terminal, west of the city. From Athens the journey is roughly six to seven hours with stops.
It is usually the cheapest option, and the one with the most departures to smaller towns the railway does not reach. For Chalkidiki it is the normal way to travel without a car.
The terminal is not in the centre. Allow for one more journey once you arrive.
By car
From Athens, the A1 (PATHE) motorway is about 500 km and around five hours of driving, tolled along its length.
From east and west, the Egnatia Odos (A2) crosses northern Greece: towards Kavala, Xanthi and Alexandroupoli one way, Veria, Kozani and Ioannina the other.
For anyone coming from the Balkans, the Evzonoi border crossing is about an hour north — Thessaloniki is the first large Greek city past the border, and the city shows it.
One warning: a car is excellent for getting here and a liability once you have. The centre has no easy parking — read the parking guide before you drive in, not after.
By ferry
Thessaloniki's port is primarily a commercial one. Passenger connections to the islands have existed from time to time, mostly seasonal and not consistently from one year to the next.
We do not publish routes that may not run this year: if it matters to you, confirm it for your dates. Do not build a trip on a connection that existed last summer.
Which to choose
| Coming from | Worth taking |
|---|---|
| Athens, with luggage | The train — it lands you on the metro |
| Athens, in a hurry | A flight, if the times work |
| Athens, cheaply | The coach |
| Northern Greece | Car or coach, along the Egnatia |
| Abroad | A flight into SKG |
| Planning day trips | A car — but rent it for the days you need it |
Once you are here
You will not need a car in the city: the historic centre is walkable and the metro covers its spine. The basics are in the getting-around guide, and if you have not settled on a neighbourhood yet, there is a guide to that too.
