Ktel Halkidiki timetable. Bus service in greece

How to get from Thessaloniki airport to Halkidiki? By bus, taxi or car from Thessaloniki to the resorts of Halkidiki? Which option should you choose? I'll tell you about the most convenient ways, in my opinion.

From the airport of Thessaloniki to the resorts of Halkidiki about 100 km. depending on where you want to go. On Kassandra - the finger closest to Thessaloniki, which is so loved by organized tourists or on the neighboring picturesque Sithonia- a mecca for backpackers and independent travelers. I'll tell you how to get to Cassandra and on Sithonia - the two most popular locations on Halkidiki.

Thessaloniki airport. Which airlines fly

Closest to Halkidiki the airport is located in Thessaloniki, 16 km. east of the city, in the Thermi area. The full name of the airport in Thessaloniki is Macedonia, code is SKG. Historically, it was military and to this day is partially used by the military. The airport began operating in 1930, modernized in 2004. The airport operates around the clock.

During the summer season, the airport accepts international and charter flights, year-round in Thessaloniki local and low-cost airlines fly.

Below is a list of the main airlines that fly to Thessaloniki for the convenience of planning a vacation to Greece.

Local and low-cost airlines:

International airlines:

Lowcost airlines

How to buy cheap flights to Greece

I use a search engine aviasales.ru- in addition to a good price and a user-friendly interface, he also looks for a low-cost airline, there is also a calendar of low prices. Try it - it's convenient.

How to get from Thessaloniki airport to Halkidiki

There are several ways to get from Thessaloniki airport to almost all resorts of Halkidiki... The most popular are bus, taxi, car.

By bus

Near airport Macedonia (Thessaloniki) there is a bus stop where buses leave.

To get to Halkidiki you must first get to the Halkidikis Bus Station (KTEL) in Thessaloniki. We leave the airport and go to the bus stop, which is located immediately at the exit. We sit down on the bus number 79. On it you need to get to the IKEA stop, get off and change to the OASTH bus number 36, 36, 36B and 36Z which goes directly to the bus station Chalkidikis KTEL.

Attention! In July-August, there is a direct line from Macedonia Airport (Thessaloniki) bus # 79A along the route: airport - Halkidikis Bus Station (KTEL).

At the bus station Halkidiki Bus Station (KTEL) choose the required route, buy a ticket at the box office and go to the desired city for Halkidiki... You can choose a route and see the schedule on the KTEL Chalkidikis website .

On Sithonia, for example, to the popular Sarti and Kalamitsi, buses from the bus station KTEL Chalkidikis run three times a day, one-way tickets cost 20 and 18 euros, respectively.

On Cassandra from Thessaloniki to go closer and cheaper. For example, to a popular resort Kalithea there are as many as 9 flights per day at the price of 9.80 Euro.

If the goal is beach holidays in Greece with children without active trips to Halkidiki, then the bus is ideal. Large beach centers such as Sarti (Sithonia) or Kalithea (Kassandra) have all the necessary infrastructure - shops, bars, restaurants, rentals, excursions to beautiful places.

If the topic transport in Thessaloniki interests deeper, come in handy here this local site is about public transportation .

By taxi

The easiest, easiest and most expensive way to travel. Naturally, from the airport you can easily get to the main bus station Halkidiki Bus Station (KTEL), and from there transfer to the bus, for example, in case of large luggage and / or a large family. The fare airport - bus station is 30-35 Euro, at night - double tariff.

You can order a taxi on the Internet in the now popular service - you will be met by the driver with a sign with your last name written on it. He will also take you to the bus station or to any place you wish.

My personal opinion on the transfer from Thessaloniki airport to the bus station following. If you are traveling alone, there is definitely a bus, it is cheaper, a transfer is not a problem. If you are with a company of at least 2 people with things, then it is better to take taxi to the bus station and from there already go by bus to Halkidiki... Especially during the period when there is no direct bus Airport - bus station Chalkidikis KTEL... Because the loss of time for transplants, but for Sithonia, for example only three flights a day to most destinations. You can wait at the bus station and lose the whole day.

Check tariff you can take a taxi. For example, from the airport to Thessaloniki a taxi will cost from 30 Euros, from the airport to Sarti - 150 Euros.

You can take a taxi to the hotel door of any of the resorts of Halkidiki, it is clear that the price will not be the most humane - about 130-160 Euro for Sithonia, depending on the destination.

By rental car

The most convenient and fairly simple way is to rent a car directly from Thessaloniki airport - Macedonia... Given the popularity of Greece, I advise you to do this at least a couple of months in advance. I use with this service , which brings together many small rental companies and allows you to choose an inexpensive car, there are options without a security deposit.

At the end of summer 2017 and September 2018 the cost car rental in Thessaloniki started at 15 Euros per day. Considering this fact and the fact that on Halkidiki dozens of interesting beaches and locations, I think the choice of this method of exploring the peninsula is obvious. Of course, if there are plans for an active holiday in Greece. Except themselves Halkidikov, by car you can go and see a business card of Greece-. Choose the place of rental, the place of return and the class of the car. The money on the card is blocked in the form of a deposit, from 200 to 800 Euro. I recommend that you have a credit limit for this, then you don't have to worry. After the lease expires, the money will be unlocked without your participation. Only the bank's money is involved in this scheme, and this is very convenient, as a former bank employee I inform you.

Where to rent a car for traveling in Halkidiki

Without a car, it is boring for us to sit in one place. To search for and rent a car in Greece, we now use one proven site.

Myrentacar is an operator that brings together local rental offices, it works in countries such as Georgia, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Montenegro. They have proven themselves well during our travels in Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro. Prices are slightly lower than for rentalkars, cars are different, there are options without a security deposit and of course free cancellation. I recommend this site if you are traveling in Greece, Cyprus, Montenegro or Georgia.

For a painless car booking procedure, it is advisable to have a credit card with a bank limit that covers the size of the deposit - from 200 to 1000 Euros, which is blocked and returned after the end of the lease. Tested more than once - everything works fine.

Useful links when planning your travel

Aviasales- budget flights around the world

HotelsCombined (RoomGuru)- allows you to save up to 20% when searching for budget accommodation, hotels and apartments as it searches all popular booking sites, including Agoda, Booking.com and others

Booking.com- a familiar and convenient site for searching and booking accommodation around the world

Airbnb- the world leader in finding apartments and apartments for travel, register using the link and get cash bonus for the first booking

Myrentacar- a site for searching and renting cars in Greece, Georgia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Cyprus with the possibility of free cancellation

If you are flying to one of the resorts of the Greek trident - the Halkidiki region, then you will definitely need information on how to get from Thessaloniki airport to the center of Thessaloniki and the main Greek beach resorts: Nea Kallikratia, Nea Potidea, Sani, Neos Marmaras and others.

Before traveling to Thessaloniki, write down the exact address of your hotel or apartment in Thessaloniki, download a city map and a public transport map on your smartphone.

Brief information about the airport in Thessaloniki

Airport "Macedonia" in Thessaloniki is located 17 km south of. It is the main airport in northern Greece and is the hub for the following airlines: Aegean Airlines, Astra Airlines, Ellinair and the low-cost low-cost airline Ryanair.

Regular direct flights from Russia to Thessaloniki fly from Moscow. The cost of a regular flight Moscow - Thessaloniki is 150 Euros in two directions, and the travel time is just over 3 hours. In summer, charters from dozens of Russian cities are added to regular flights. From Ukraine, a regular flight to Thessaloniki flies from Kiev. Air ticket Kiev - Thessaloniki will cost you 100 Euro in two directions, travel time - 2 hours 15 minutes.

Thessaloniki airport terminal

Thessaloniki airport has only one terminal of three floors. The first floor is an arrivals hall, divided into two compartments: for international flights / flights from outside the Schengen area and for domestic flights / flights from the Schengen area. The second floor is the departure hall, where shopping areas and bars are also located. There are many ATM machines on this floor. The top floor houses 2 restaurants and several bars overlooking the runways. Below you can see a map of the airport in Thessaloniki.

At Thessaloniki airport you can buy traditional Greek products, cigarettes, jewelry, clothes. You can also pack your luggage here.

At a distance of several kilometers from the airport there are Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki hotels at a price of 122 Euros per day for a double room and Hotel Nikopolis at a price of 98 Euros per day for a double room.

How to get from Thessaloniki airport to the city center?

There are three ways to get from Thessaloniki airport to the city center or to the Greek resorts: by city buses with transfers, by taxi or by a rented car. Let's consider each of these methods in more detail.

Bus from Thessaloniki airport to city center

The buses from Thessaloniki airport are usually new and air-conditioned, but very often overcrowded. The buses are serviced by the transport company O.A.S.TH.

There are direct buses from Macedonia Airport to the center of Thessaloniki. You will not be able to get from Macedonia Airport to the Greek resorts in Halkidiki by direct bus: you will need to change at the bus station located on the outskirts of Thessaloniki. City buses # 78, # 78A and # 78N run between the airport and the KTEL bus station of Halkidiki in Thessaloniki and pass through the city center. Bus station address:ΚΤΕΛ ΧΑΛΚΙΔΙΚΗΣ A, Pilea 555 35.

• Bus route No. 78 runs twice an hour during the daytime - from 05:00 to 22:00 from the airport to KTEL station and from 05:50 to 23:00 from KTEL station to Thessaloniki airport.
• Bus route No. 78N runs in the evening and at night. The route runs every half hour from 23:30 to 05:30 from the airport to KTEL station and from 22:30 to 04:30 from KTEL station to Thessaloniki airport.
• Bus route No. 78A departs only once a day at 05:00 in the direction from the KTEL bus station to Thessaloniki airport.

The total travel time from the airport to the center of Thessaloniki is approximately 30-40 minutes. The ticket is purchased from a vending machine on the bus. Please note that the vending machine does not change. The cost of a ticket for one trip from Thessaloniki airport for an adult is 2 Euro, for students and pensioners - 1 Euro, for children under 6 years old travel is free. The ticket must be validated, otherwise it will be invalid, in a yellow punch.

In the course of buses from the airport, you can get off in the city center - on Aristotle's square(Platia Aristotelous) and on main railway station of Thessaloniko in (Neos Sidirodromikos Stathmos).

Bus from Thessaloniki airport to Greek resorts in Halkidiki

If your destination is not the center of Thessaloniki, but another Greek resort town, then you will need to take a bus to the KTEL bus station in Thessaloniki and change to a bus there to your resort in Halkidiki. Find out the number of your bus and its schedule at the box office at the KTEL bus station, where you can immediately buy a ticket. You can familiarize yourself with the schedule of buses to your resort in advance on the website of the KTEL Chakidikis bus station.

In this case, you do not need to drive through the city center on route no. 78 and turn the loops. In this case, you will need to take bus # 79 at the airport and take it to the A. S. IKEA (Anatolikos Stathmos IKEA) stop, then change to bus # 36 / 36A / 36B to the KTEL Chalkidikis stop. The buses on this route will cost you 1 Euro for an adult and 0.5 Euro for a child.

Greek resorts on the trident of Halkidiki are spread over three of its "fingers": the peninsulas of Kassandra, Sithonia and Athos. If your resort is on the closest "finger" to Thessaloniki - Kassandra, you want to save money, and you are not worried about bus delays for an hour, then it makes sense to travel to your resort by bus. If you are traveling with children and you need to go to the “fingers” far from Thessaloniki - Sithonia or Athos, I recommend ordering a taxi transfer.

The distance to the main Greek resorts and the cost of travel to them from the KTEL bus station in one direction I have given in the table below.

Please note that many buses, especially long distance buses, leave only a few times a day, so it is best to check the timetables on the website in advance. Prices are also subject to change, as happened in the summer of 2016 due to the increase in the VAT rate.

Bus from Thessaloniki airport to other cities in Greece

If your destination is not on the Halkidiki peninsula, then to travel to another Greek city from Thessaloniki (for example, Athens, Larissa, Lefkada) by bus, you will need to get from Thessaloniki airport to the central bus station of Thessaloniki (not to be confused with the bus stationKTEL Chalkidikis!).

Thessaloniki Central Bus Station - Macedonia Intercity Bus Station (KTEL Macedonia)- located at Giannitson 244, Thessaloniki 546 28. Buses to other countries also depart from this bus station: to Bulgaria (Sofia, Bansko), Turkey (Istanbul), Macedonia (Skopje), the Czech Republic and even to Germany. You can learn more about the available international bus routes and see their prices on the official website of the Macedonia bus station, available in English.

KTEL Macedonia Bus Station is 2.5 km from the main railway station in Thessaloniki (Neos Sidirodromikos Stathmos), where lines 78 and 78N stop.

How and where to buy a bus ticket at Thessaloniki airport?

The national currency of Greece is Euro. As I said, bus tickets are sold in special machines inside the buses. The machine on the bus does not give change, so prepare small coins.

In Thessaloniki itself, a bus ticket can also be bought at the ticket offices at bus stops.

Taxi from Thessaloniki airport

The taxi rank at Thessaloniki Airport is located at the exit from the arrivals area. Depending on traffic conditions, the trip from the airport to the center of Thessaloniki will take you 35-40 minutes.

Some features of a taxi in Greece:

• When traveling at night (from 00:00 to 05:00), the taxi fare increases by 30%.
• The driver must turn on the meter. Watch for this when boarding a taxi.
• Payment in a taxi is possible only in cash, which should be stocked up in advance.
• According to Greek law, one taxi car can carry a maximum of 4 people at a time, including children.
• Greek taxi drivers do not know English or know it very poorly, so write down the exact address of your destination in Greek on a piece of paper in advance.

How to get to Thessaloniki airport

When traveling from the center of Thessaloniki to the airport, you will need to take bus # 78 or # 78N depending on the time of day and get to the Airport Macedonia stop. You can catch this bus at the stop at Aristotle Square, the main railway station of Thessaloniki, or at the KTEL Chalkidikis bus station.

When traveling to Thessaloniki airport from a Greek beach resort, it will be most convenient to order a taxi transfer, otherwise you will first have to go from your hotel to the bus station in your city, then go to the KTEL Chalkidikis bus station, and then wait for the bus to the airport.

So, in the morning of the fourth day of our rest, we stood at exactly 7.50 at the KTEL stop. From the very beginning, we were accompanied by someone's master's dog (he was wearing a collar, which means master's), who shared our breakfast box with us. Well, to be more precise, completely devoured my breakfast :). In general, we became friends with the dog. He did not leave my feet, did not let me get bored and was the last one whose eyes accompanied us to Thessaloniki :)

According to the schedule, the bus left for Thessaloniki at exactly 8.00.

Naturally (for the Greeks, naturally, for us a state close to disappointment and panic) the bus was half an hour late. As the saying goes, we didn’t wait, but we still hoped. Moreover, the local population began to catch up after eight. Greeks, one word.

In the end, we are still going. Hooray!!!

We loaded quickly, bought tickets directly from the driver. Everything, as the Internet said, 13 € per person and you are in Thessaloniki.

We covered 100 km of the way in exactly two hours. On the way, the bus was loaded to capacity and did not take standing passengers. On the way, an idea matured, immediately upon arrival in Thessaloniki at the bus station to buy tickets for the return journey, so as not to twitch, we will not leave, but calmly explore the city.

And so they did. When buying tickets, we asked the cashier how to get to the center. It's simple, bus number 45, every 20 minutes. Wonderful!

In fact, it turned out that the 45th bus runs very rarely, almost once an hour. But we did not find its schedule either at the KTEL station or at the stops in the center. But everywhere there were light boards, which displayed information about which bus, which route should be expected and in how many minutes. Conveniently, if not for Greece :) Greek buses were either late or departed earlier, but somewhere near the specified time :) It takes more than one day to get used to such a lively schedule.

The bus fare depends heavily on the travel time and the number of transfers, as well as on where the ticket is bought - on the bus one price, in city kiosks - another, and ranges from one to two euros.

We bought tickets on the bus in a special machine, which does not give change. This caused some confusion.

Firstly, all explanations on the machine were in Greek. In English, explanations were found only on the way back, when we had already figured out everything. We solved this problem by simple observation, carefully observing the local population. First, we select the type of ticket - a button tyts - the required amount is displayed on a tiny screen, then we lower the coins - the machine indicates the missing amount as coins arrive, when the shortage is 0.00, the machine prints the ticket. Everything is very simple, but ... The changer does not give change. Crap!

We have exactly 2.20 - the price of two tickets. But it is impossible to buy two tickets at once, only one at a time, which means that a ticket for 1.10 will cost us 2.00. Here there was problem number two, where in a moving bus to change coins. That's right, people!

In this the Greeks did not fail and at the first "cry for help" they came to the rescue. Remembering a similar situation in Singapore, no one cared about our problems. No, no change - your problems.

The bus went to the center for about forty minutes. At the entrance to the central stops, the Greeks on the bus were unanimously concerned when they realized that we were gradually passing by all the sights. In short, we were literally pushed out of the bus in the very center of the Panagia Chalkeon Church.

This is how our acquaintance with Thessaloniki began.

Panagia Chalkeon Church

The Church of Panagia Chalkeon was closed, but the appearance of the temple and its position relative to the surface of the earth literally riveted the eye. The exposed red-brown brickwork was too variegated and unusual for my Kiev-Orthodox view, accustomed to plastered even the most ancient cathedrals. The second thing that attracted and amazed was the thorough dug-in of the temple into the ground. Perhaps there is some logical explanation for this. Well, there, an ancient, ancient temple ...

Roman Agora

On the way to the church of St. Demetrius, they found the ruins of an old Roman Agora. The Greeks discovered these remains in 1960, and we only today, and then by accident :) Probably, in Greece, where you don't dig, you will unearth some ancient ruins.

We did not enter the territory of the city. From above, everything is perfectly visible. Temples, theater, market square, craft workshops, baths :) There was life, it turns out, at the beginning of our era! :) We walked around the perimeter (fortunately, access to the Agora from above is absolutely free), looked, photographed and went on.

I used to think that the Roman Forum is only in Rome, but it turns out there is one in Thessaloniki too :)

Church of St. Demetrius

The Temple of Saint Demetrius is the main temple of Thessaloniki, the temple of the patron saint of the city of Demetrius of Thessaloniki, the temple built on the site of his death, the temple in which his relics are kept, and in the underground part there is a kritpa where Saint Demetrius received a great martyr's death.

You know, what is most surprising is that a temple with such an incredibly long history, still early Christian, is absolutely devoid of any grandeur. I don’t know, if we approached the temple from the side of the main entrance, everything would seem completely different. But we approached him from the back :)

Ancient masonry, red brickwork, stone-bricks of different colors, or rather shades and sizes, laid out in intricate arched forms, walls and temple props that have fallen a little over time - all this exposed, as it seemed to me, the defenselessness of the temple, its simplicity and openness.

The interior of the temple was also surprising. Neither the bombast of the Baroque, nor the icons in the ornate frames of the iconostasis, nor sculptures, nor flowers. Even the rows of wooden bench chairs looked modest and laconic. Everything is simple, if not for chandeliers, candelabra and one and a half meter candles.

To be completely frank, this temple lacked a knowledgeable and knowledgeable person in religion. Well, the cancer with the relics of St. Demetrius, everything is clear with her, it's hard not to find the ciborium () when people circle around him like bees. But with the rest of the "curiosities" of this temple, questions arose. What are the crayfish, why are they here, and why exactly are they here. Some questions. Therefore, I just photographed in the hope, then figure out who is who or what. But even Wikipedia did not answer all my questions. It's a pity.

In general, the temple surprises from the first to the last minute. I would like to tell you especially about the last minute. After examining every nook and cranny of the temple (the left part, I must say, is the most interesting), I finally got to the altar part. The altar gilding does not surprise anyone, but the marble chair of the episcopal see strikes on the spot with its amazing lace lightness. But even with this surprise, one could safely leave the temple, if not for the benches ... And all I just looked at the temple from a different point, from the altar ...

Guys, I have never met such a riot of monotonous carved beauty arranged in a strict geometric order in my life. Remember, at the very beginning, I wrote about modest and laconic chairs-benches ... How deceiving the first impression can be! Now these chairs are even ashamed to be called benches.

Leaving the holy monastery, past the old men sitting on the parapet, we headed to the very heart of Thessaloniki, to the central square - Aristotle Square.

By the way, about the oldies. If in provincial towns old people gather in open areas of local cafes at a table with a single bottle of water, in cities they gather just on benches and see off any passer-by with their X-ray gaze (just like our grandmothers at the entrances).

Aristotle square and embankment

My deja vu woke up in Aristotle Square. I saw this square somewhere and as if I was here. Shoot me, I feel that I was here, although I have never been here :) And then it dawned on me. Aristotle's Square reminds me of the main square of Tunisia Habib Bourguiba Square. The same vaulted galleries, the same colonnades, arches, decorative elements and palm trees. The only difference is street coffee shops and restaurants, here they are everywhere.

We looked into the city market with one eye. You didn't have to go far, if you stood facing the sea, you just need to turn to the right ... We decided to come back here if there was time. In the meantime, we notice a lively, almost undisguised (if we noticed, it means that they are not particularly hidden) trade in cigarettes.

Before reaching the embankment, we find ourselves on the teachings of the local population in providing first aid - to perform artificial respiration and closed heart massage. And this, I will tell you, is not an event for show. Several tents with detailed individual instruction, though in Greek, and real "sufferers" dummies. And also with dummies-simulators and open for viewing and laying of "sufferers" of reanimation vehicles. In short, interesting.

The embankment did not please with anything special, but it revealed the secret of how garbage is removed from the sea surface. Interestingly, I have not seen such a tool yet, just a tractor on the water.

And also, as always by the seashore, a whole bunch of fishermen, hoping to catch their goldfish, string their bait on hooks.

Of course, cyclists, of course tourists, and, of course, coffee shops, restaurants, shops.

White Tower

I did not understand the White Tower. Plain old observation tower. What is its most important attraction, I still do not understand. Well, yes, the Turks built three such towers to strengthen the many kilometers of the fortress wall. Well, it housed a guardhouse and a prison for almost the last two centuries. Well, they painted it white, as a sign of purification, after the Turks were driven away. AND? It costs itself one lonely. And if we omit the fact that it houses the exposition of the museum of history and art of the city, then the tower stands here exclusively for one photograph. Photographed and moved on. I am certainly wrong, after all, a historical building and tyr-pyr, but ... Don't touch me, call me!

There is an observation deck at the top of the tower. We did not climb it, the view from there, as it seemed to us, frankly, no. The houses standing right on the embankment are higher "in height" and block the entire view of the city. And the sea bay is perfectly visible from the embankment. Tower visit price - 3 €

Rotunda

This is a round structure, so unwilling to fall entirely into the frame of a photographic lens, one of the first Christian churches in the world! Just imagine, one of the first !!! Moreover, like most Christian churches in Thessaloniki, the Rotunda had a chance to visit a Muslim mosque. And this means that the frescoes are covered with plaster, the mosaic is destroyed and the temple, although the walls are intact, can be said to be destroyed, and there is a minaret nearby.

At the beginning of the 20th century, when the Turks were expelled, the Rotunda became a memorial museum. It is strange why the church was not returned to Christians, after all, St. Demetrius was returned? By that time, the marble wall cladding was lost and the marvelous marble mosaics barely survived. No one can accurately determine the age of the mosaics, it is believed that they appeared when the mausoleum (and I forgot to say, the Rotunda was built as the mausoleum of Emperor Galerius, who was never buried here) was turned into a Christian temple (III-IV century AD)

Today it is a monument-building-museum. You go inside, only walls. I walked around in a circle, looked at the details and left.

Literally a few steps from the Rotunda, we found the Arch of Galerius, which was erected by Emperor Galerius, or rather, erected by his order, in honor of the victory of Galerius over the Persians. In other words, Gelerius erected a typical Arc de Triomphe. As expected, the arch is decorated with scenes from the epochal battles with the Persians. Of course, very few such scenes have survived to this day, but if you have time, you can familiarize yourself with the details.

We didn't have time for details. I had seen enough of all sorts of baked goods in the windows of street cafes, besides, my coffee breaks began. In short, I urgently needed to feed my "I want!" :)

After a light snack, we decided to devote our time to light shopping. But to their surprise, they found that most of the stores were already shutting down. Guys, it wasn't even three o'clock in the yard! Who works like that ?!

Well, since there is no shop shopping, we just went for a walk around the city, to watch people, cathedrals (which, by the way, were also closed), monuments, houses, to go to the market, in the end, since there is time :)

Monastery of St. Theodora Myrrh-streaming Thessalonica

And then we got to a temple of amazing beauty. By the way, a policeman in full protective uniform, even with a shield, was standing at its entrance. But, God knows, I don't know what that temple was called. Everything is written in Greek, and not a word in English. I guess it was the monastery of Theodora, if I correctly deciphered the "formula" above the entrance.

You will laugh, but as a mathematician it was not very comfortable for me the first time in Thessaloniki. Their Greek language drove me crazy. Each inscription plunged me into a slight stupor - I involuntarily tried to understand what the formula was in front of me, why I did not know it, and why it was so difficult for me to make it out. Sigmas, deltas, epsilons, lambdas, sums, errors, angular accelerations ... Lord, and I'm not an advanced physicist yet, but I passed by. Then of course I got used to it, there was no equal sign in the "formulas" :)

So that's about the temple with security. As it turned out already at home in Kiev, that was, indeed, a monastery, and a man's. And he really was called by the name of Theodora. Its full name sounded like the monastery of the Monk Theodora the Myrrh-streaming Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki). In the courtyard of the monastery there is a church in which the relics of the Monk Theodora the Myrrh-streaming and the Monk David of Thessalon are kept.

The Turks, having seized Thessaloniki, plundered the monastery and destroyed the relics of Saint Theodora. By the way, in those days the monastery was for women and the Turks conscientiously rewrote and numbered all the nuns. Surprisingly, the holy monastery escaped the fate of becoming a mosque and remained a functioning Christian church throughout the Turkish occupation.

When and why the monastery became masculine remains a mystery. The same mystery remains the question of when and why the monastery ceased to exist. The only thing is known that today the monastery is not functioning, and from time to time spiritual delegations stop in the restored premises.

A very beautiful place that we found quite by accident!

Likewise, by chance, we discovered the temple of St. Sophia. We did not get inside the cathedral, it was, unfortunately, closed. They say that this temple is an exact copy of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. But we were not there, so I am not saying anything.

Thessaloniki market

Our walk around Thessaloniki ended in the market, or rather in the market quarter. Unlike shops, the market did not stop its work for a minute. What is there just not! But there is nothing that we do not have :) Here even "Louis Vuitton" bags (in quotation marks, not because the name, but because the bags are like that) are sold openly. And this is an EU country ?! Kapets!

Road Thessaloniki - Neos Marmaras

The return trip to Neos Marmaras has hammered the final nail in our possible desire to live in unorganized Greece.

It all started with freshly squeezed orange juice with floating fruit flies, bought from a cafe at KTEL station.

Then the Greek woman tried to tell us that in Greece the places are not numbered from left to right, but on the contrary, like we took her place. And we generally do not care how everything is numbered here, we sat down in our seats, and the numbers in the tickets coincide with the numbers above the seats. She calmed down, but did not apologize. Nevermind:

Then there was more. Can a normal person who has covered a distance of 100 km on the same transport, along the same route in 2 hours, assume that the way back will take him, attention, three and a half hours ?! That's horrible!

Our route can be described in words - a kilometer ahead, five in a circle in the opposite direction. It feels like the evening route of our bus was designed to go around all the towns and villages of the coastal and coastal parts of Halkidiki, and then Sithonia. Sithonia, in general, it seems, we drove around in a circle. And if we were traveling during daylight hours, we would be able to see and examine in detail the entire peninsula. And so, we admired the pitch darkness outside the window and sometimes the lights of small villages and men in bars and restaurants.

In Neos Marmaras, the night was waiting for us and the training football team at the stadium. Naturally, we were almost late for dinner. We ran into the restaurant, literally, through the closing gate :)

P. S. According to the established tradition, the price of the issue for one person:
380 € - package flight-hotel-premium-allinclusive
Additional costs associated with the trip to Thessaloniki:
26 € - KTEL bus on the route Neos Marmaras - Thessaloniki - Neos Marmaras,
2.20 € - train in public transport in Thessaloniki,
4.50 & euron - cappuccino, tea and feta pie.
ALL! Just an attraction of unprecedented generosity;)

Intercity bus service in Greece organized rather unusual. Transportation between Greek cities is subordinated to the KTEL syndicate, which is an association of joint stock companies founded in each region of the country by private bus owners, but under state control in a single network. The activities of KTEL are regulated by Greek Laws Nos. 2119/1952, 102/1973 and 2163/2001. Thus, regional KTEL play according to the same rules under state supervision, but they are independent legal entities and independently regulate bus transportation to their regions. Those. KTEL of a certain region carries out bus routes: a) within its region; b) to Athens and / or Thessaloniki; c) occasionally to the centers of neighboring regions.

Therefore, at the bus stations of Athens and Thessaloniki, where buses come from all over the country, there is no single ticket office, but you need to look for the KTEL ticket office for that particular region. Greece where you need to go. Accordingly, to board the bus, you have to look again for the platform of the KTEL you need. It is not surprising that in large cities there can be several bus stations, where KTEL is based in different regions.

For example, there are 3 bus stations in Athens:

• basic KTEL on Kifisu Avenue 100 (serves all routes except the regions of Attica, Thessaly and Sterea Hellas)
• KTEL on Lyosion street (serves the island of Evia (Chalcis), Phocis (Delphi) region, Phthiotida region (Lamia, Kamena Vourla), Boeotia region (Thebes, Arachova), Magnesia (Volos) region, Karditsa region, Larissa region, Trikala region)
• KTEL Attica, which serves routes in the Attica region, and together with KTEL Thessaloniki, provides connections between the two Greek capitals

Please note that the X93 express bus from athens international airport passes through KTEL Lyosion and KTEL Kifisa (final stop), but does not pass through KTEL Attica.

There are 2 bus stations in Patras: KTEL Achaia and KTEL of the Etoloakarnania region, however, they are located next to each other and to the port.

Several years ago there were 6 or 7 different KTELs in Thessaloniki until a common bus station was opened. KTEL "Macedonia", which is located in the north of the city. The bus station has a website in English with a convenient interactive map. Today in Greece it is actually the only modern bus station with the appropriate infrastructure and a high-quality informative website.

Bus station "Macedonia" is connected with the airport of Thessaloniki by bus routes 78 (express) and 78N (night, goes to all stops). Please note that the new bus station has united all bus companies under its roof, except KTEL Halkidiki, which is located closer to the airport near the IKEA hypermarket. Travel from the airport by buses No. 79 with a change to No. 36 at the IKEA stop. KTEL "Macedonia" and KTEL Halkidiki are connected by the city bus route No. 45, which runs at a frequency of 20 minutes.

Due to the mountainous terrain Greece the railway communication in the country is underdeveloped, so the main burden of passenger traffic falls on the bus companies KTEL. The longest bus routes in Greece are the KTEL Evros region: Alexandroupoli - Athens (850 km by land) and the KTEL Heraklion in Crete: Heraklion - Thessaloniki and Ioannina (by ferry through Piraeus). Communication between major cities is quite frequent, the bus fleet of Greek KTELs has become noticeably younger in recent years, and the roads are also being updated. Therefore, traveling in a modern comfortable bus with air conditioning and tinted windows will not cause much trouble.

The old buses remained only on the intraregional routes. If you are planning a trip between sparsely populated areas, then be aware that there are no bus stations in the villages, there buses stop near caffeine (otherwise kafeniy), tickets can be purchased either from their owners right on the spot, or from conductors (in buses connecting large cities, there are no conductors). Buses travel on local routes very rarely, two or three times a day, so try to specify in advance the departure time of the bus from those places that you intend to include in your trip.

In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, a bus ticket must be bought in advance, at least 20 minutes, and be sure to keep in mind that Greek drivers often set off ahead of the time indicated in the schedule. It will also not be superfluous to check with the driver the final destination of the route, because the information on the travel signs of some flights may be indicated incorrectly. Upon departure, you can buy a return ticket with an open date. Unfortunately, the online ticketing system has only recently started to be implemented. Therefore, not all regional KTELs in Greece can please with electronic ticket systems. You can, of course, book a ticket for a Greek bus in advance at all bus stations, but for this you need to personally appear at the KTEL ticket office. For guidance in the prices of bus tickets: for example, at the beginning of 2016. bus ticket between Athens and Thessaloniki(distance 550 km) cost 43 euros, round trip 63 euros.

On large Greek islands you can buy comfortable Bus tours(both in KTEL itself and in local travel agencies), which will take you to a variety of historical and archaeological sites, beautiful beaches and other places for entertainment or active recreation. Typically, these tours include all possible amenities plus guide services, and save you a lot of hassle when traveling between cities on your own.

Once upon a time Greece there was a single KTEL website, but now you can find there only a list of websites and telephone numbers of regional bus stations. This situation happened after the events of 2006, when various telephone companies specializing in paid inquiries unauthorizedly used the data of the bus site to sell their services over the phone. Therefore, all information about schedules and prices was removed from the KTEL website.

Therefore, we tried to collect information about those regional KTEL that have their sites on the Internet. Unfortunately, not all bus companies in Greece have their own portals on the network and not all sites provide information in English. In the latter cases, use electronic translators such as the Google Language Toolbar. In general, the picture is that the more developed the region of Greece is in terms of tourism, the more likely it is that the local KTEL has a website in English.

So, we present you information about timetable for Greek buses KTEL

KTEL (Bus stations) of the EPIR region

KTEL Ioannina (Ioannina)

The site is in Greek and English, but not all of the site's content has been translated into English.

KTEL Arta (Arta city)

Website in Greek only

KTEL Preveza (Preveza)

Website

KTEL Thesprotia (Igoumenitsa)

The site is in Greek, but there is an online ticket page in English.

KTEL (Bus Stations) of the Ionian Islands

KTEL Corfu (Kerkyra)

Website in Greek and English. There is an electronic ticket system with payment by credit and debit cards.

KTEL Lefkada

Website in Greek and English. There is an electronic ticket system with payment by credit and debit cards.

KTEL Kefalonia

Website in Greek and English.

KTEL Zakynthos

Website in Greek and English. There is an electronic ticket system with payment by credit and debit cards.

KTEL (Bus Stations) Peloponnese

KTEL Corinthia (city of Corinth)

Website

KTEL Argolis (Argos, Nafplio)

Website in Greek and English. There is an electronic ticket system with payment by credit and debit cards.

KTEL Arcadia (Tripoli)

Website in Greek.

KTEL Laconia (Sparta)

Website in Greek and English.

KTEL Messinia (Kalamata)

Website in Greek and English. There is an electronic ticket system with payment by credit and debit cards.

KTEL Elis (Pyrgos)

The site is in Greek only.

KTEL Achaia (Patras)

The site is in Greek only. There is an electronic ticket system with payment by credit and debit cards.

KTEL (Bus Stations) Crete

Getting around Crete by bus is easy enough. Despite the fact that Crete is an island, the bus network on it is well developed and tied to many schedules of ferries from / to Crete.

KTEL Chania - Rethymno

The site is in Greek, English and German.

KTEL Heraklion - Lasithi

The site is in Greek and English, Russian is planned.

KTEL (Bus Stations) Central Greece

KTEL Attica (Athens)

The site is in Greek only.

KTEL Salamina Island (Salamina town)

The site is only in Greek and is temporarily out of order.

KTEL Etholoacarnania (Agrinio)

Website in Greek.

KTEL of Evia Island (Chalkida)

The site is in Greek only.

KTEL Evrytania (Karpenisi)

The site is in Greek only.

KTEL Phocis (Amfissa)

By bus to Delphi? That way!

Website in Greek and English. There is an electronic ticket system with payment by credit and debit cards.

KTEL Phthiotida (Lamia)

The site is in Greek only.

KTEL Boeotia (Livadia and Thebes)

The site of Thebes is in Greek only.

Site of Livadia only in Greek and no information.

KTEL (Bus Stations) Thessaly

KTEL Larisa (Larisa)

The site is in Greek only.

KTEL Karditsa (Karditsa)

The site is in Greek only.

KTEL Trikala (Trikala, Kalambaka)

By bus to Meteora? That way!

Website in Greek and English.

KTEL Magnesia (Volos)

Website in Greek and English. The electronic ticket system works.

KTEL (Bus Stations) West Macedonia

KTEL Kastoria (Kastoria city)

The site is in Greek only.

KTEL Florina (Florina)

The site is in Greek only.

KTEL Kozani (Kozani)

Website in Greek and English. The electronic ticket system is being tested.

KTEL Grevena (Grevena)

The site is in Greek only.

KTEL (Bus Stations) of Central Macedonia

KTEL Imatia (Veria)

The site is in Greek only.

KTEL Pieria (Katerini town)

The site is in Greek only.

KTEL Pella (Edessa)

The site is in Greek only.

Thessaloniki airport "Macedonia" is located south of the city center at a distance of 18 kilometers. This is a three-story building, on the first floor there is the arrival hall, on the second - the departure hall, and on the third - various bars, cafes and restaurants with a panoramic view of the runway.

If you did not manage to withdraw cash before departure, you can find ATMs on the second floor of the terminal building. You can use cash to pay for your bus tickets.

From public transport to the city center, only buses run from the airport. Alternatives are taxi or car rental. However, most tourists do not need the center of Thessaloniki, but the resorts of Halkidiki. But in any case, it will be possible to get there only through Thessaloniki. Let's talk about everything in order.

In order to make it easier for you to navigate the terrain, we recommend using this map:

All buses in Thessaloniki are new and comfortable. But their main disadvantage is that they are constantly overcrowded, since this is the only mode of transport from the airport to the city. Therefore, when entering the salon, hurry up to take a comfortable seat, otherwise you will have to ride the whole trip while standing. On the plus side, buses have and, as a rule, have air conditioners.

The bus goes to the KTEL transport hub. Buses 78, 78N and 78A run from the airport to it.

• No. 78. Runs twice an hour, during the day: from 05:00 to 22:00 to the KTEL station and back.
• Bus 78N runs from 23:30 to 05:30 (the letter N in the index means that this route operates) in the evening and at night. Departures every 30 minutes. In the direction of the airport, the first flight from the city departs at 22:30, the last - 04:30
• Bus 78A departs just once a day at 5 a.m. to KTEL station.

Travel time is 30-40 minutes. The bus has a ticket vending machine. Payment - only without change. One trip costs 2 euros. Children under six years old do not need to pay for travel, and for students or pensioners, the trip will cost half of its usual cost - 1 euro. The ticket must be punched in a yellow punch, which is also installed in the cabin.

These buses take you to the center. You can get off at the terminus (bus station KTEL) or at the stop at Aristotle Square.

Buses to resorts in Halkidiki

It will not be possible to get to the resorts in Halkidiki by one bus. You will have to get to the KTEL bus station in one of the above ways and change to another route at the bus station.

Transplants will also need to be done by those who want to get to other resorts in Greece through the airport of Thessaloniki.

Many long-distance buses leave 2-3 times a day. Therefore, you should check the schedule on the website when planning your vacation.

The further route of movement will depend on which of the resorts you are heading to:

• Cassandra;
• Sithonia;
• Athos.

It is more or less convenient to take the bus until the first one. The trip will take about two hours, but if you don't have a lot of luggage and want to save money, this may be the right option.

Note! Intercity buses in Greece often have a delay of 1 hour on average.

If you are going to get to Sithonia, Athos, or you have a large amount of luggage or you are traveling with children, we strongly recommend that you consider ordering a taxi. For the money, it will not be much more expensive, but you will noticeably gain in comfort and speed.

Taxi from Thessaloniki airport

You can find taxi cars on the street near the airport. There is their parking. It will take 30-45 minutes to get to the center, even taking into account the rare traffic jams for Thessaloniki.

If you place an order for a taxi in advance, via the Internet, then upon arriving at the airport, the driver with a sign will meet customers in the arrival hall.

When ordering a taxi on the website, you can make a reservation with a discount.

The cost of the trip is indicated in rubles - it is fixed and does not change under any circumstances (even if currency fluctuations have occurred from the moment of ordering the car until the day of the actual trip and the ruble exchange rate has dropped - all costs are borne by the company, not you).

Car rent

The advantage of a rented car is the opportunity to see many interesting places and provide yourself with maximum comfort. For convenience, the car must be booked in advance, prior to arrival. Immediately after passing through passport control, you can pick it up at Thessaloniki airport.

To find and take a suitable vehicle for rent, on our site you can compare prices from local car rental offices:

Conveniently, at the end of your trip, you can return the car on the day of departure in the same place where you took it - at Thessaloniki airport. Use our tips when traveling to Greece and make your vacation more convenient.