The fastest and usually cheapest way to get to Thessaloniki is by plane, which can take you from the local airport to most European destinations.
Thessaloniki is easily accessible by train and bus, especially from Greek destinations. International connections are relatively limited and mainly go to Sofia, Bulgaria.
By air
Thessaloniki is served by a fairly busy international airport Thessaloniki-Makedonia SKGwhich receives a large number of flights from all over Europe.
Some only fly during the summer season, but unlike other Mediterranean destinations, many routes remain year-round.
Ryanair has a large base at the local airport with direct flights to over 40 destinations across Europe.
Tickets to Thessaloniki can also be bought with airlines such as:
- aegenair.com - The Greek national airline flies from Thessaloniki to destinations such as Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Chania, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Heraklion, Larnaca, Milan, Munich, Rhodes, Rome, Zurich
- airserbia.com - often very cheap flights to all of Europe with a connection in Belgrade
- austrian.com - via Vienna to all over the world
- lufthansa.com - via Frankfurt and Munich to the whole world
- jet2.com - seasonal flights to many UK cities
- eurowings.com - Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Cologne
Airlines such as TAROM, easyJet, El Al, Norwegian, SAS, Wizz Air and Turkish Airlines also fly to Thessaloniki.
Compare airfares to Thessaloniki
Car parking to Thessaloniki
You can park for free in Thessaloniki at several public car parks, such as the following locations:
- at the Sports Hall near the White Tower (see map)
- in the housing estate near the train/bus station (see map)
If you prefer secure indoor parking, we recommend the Parking Center garage right in the city centre by the promenade (see map), where you can pay 20 eur per day.
From neighbouring countries - by bus or train
Thessaloniki is close to the borders of 4 neighbouring countries and can fit into the jigsaw of a trip across the Balkans.
But what's the best way to get here from Albania, Northern Macedonia, Bulgaria or Turkey?
Bulgaria
Although there is a railway between Thessaloniki and Sofia, it currently only serves freight traffic.
However, there are several bus carriers on the route. A link to buy tickets can be found by clicking on the name of the carrier:
In total, buses from Sofia run up to 8 times a day.
Ticket prices to Sofia are around 40 bgn.
Union-Ivkoni also runs a direct bus once a day from Thessaloniki via Plovdiv and Stara Zagora to Burgas.
Northern Macedonia
There are no passenger trains to Skopje either, despite a functioning railway, so you have to use buses to get to Macedonia too.
At the moment, only once a day the carrier Simeonidis Tours runs on the route, with prices around 20 eur and a journey time of about 4 hours. Tickets can be booked online via flixbus.com, with whom Simeonidis Tours cooperates.
Albania
Buses run to Tirana about 1-3 times a day with journey times of over 11 hours. However, timetables cannot be reliably found online and must be checked locally.
Turkey
Travel to Istanbul is possible on the 9-hour bus route operated by Alpar Turizm and one-way ticket prices are around 45 eur.
Transportation Thessaloniki - Athens
If you are heading to Greece purely for city tourism, the combination of the two largest cities is right up your alley. The vast distances and rugged topography of Greece mean that the most popular means of transport is by plane.
By air
By plane, you can get from Thessaloniki to Athens up to 7 times a day with Aegean Airlines, with flights taking just 50 minutes.
The cheapest airline tickets when bought more than 3 months in advance cost roughly from 40 eur, however, even shortly before departure you can get flights for 55 eur to 70 eur one way. Ideally, book your tickets via the web aegeanair.com.
Bus
Buses are the cheapest, although only marginally so compared to a plane. One-way tickets cost from 38 eur and the journey usually takes over 5.5 hours. KTEL Thessaloniki will offer the most frequent connections.
Train
Trains are the most expensive way to get between cities.
InterCity services run 7 times a day and the journey takes just over 4 hours. A one-way journey costs around 65 eur. For timetables and to buy tickets, visit tickets.trainose.gr.
