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Travel > Buses from Greece to international locations

Buses from Greece to international locations

June 2, 2011 at 08:30 ·


No international trains departing from Greece. — latimes.com

Traveling by train from Greece to locations abroad is no longer possible since TrainOSE, the long-distance railway network, discontinued international service on February 13, 2011. But there are buses that fill the gap.

Travelers in Greece who wish to avoid ferries and planes can still use long-distance buses run by domestic (KTEL) and foreign bus networks, as well as private tour companies. Below are a few known options.

*Article last updated on January 6, 2014

Schedules subject to change and you are encouraged to confirm with links provided, as I cannot update this article on a daily or weekly basis.

Author’s note

Dates, times and prices are subject to change seasonally — even weekly and monthly — and I only speak four languages and cannot verify all of these routes first hand. Readers can share their experience or leave info and links in any language, growing this page as a resource for other travelers.

Note that no information on international buses from Greece had been compiled in English before this article, and a number of travel forums, commercial websites and Wiki entries have reused information without permission or attribution, so you are not getting confirmation from different sources.

*This post was inspired by a question by Stephen on “KTEL buses in Greece,” which is where you should look if seeking long-distance buses traveling between cities in Greece.

Visas and permits

Be sure you have the proper visa or residence permit (or bebaiosi) before crossing the border to another country. Passports will be checked, and authorities will have no hesitation in kicking you off the bus if you do not have the proper identification and travel documents.

Plane or bus?

Depending on your destination and how far in advance you book tickets, Aegean Airlines may offer flights at prices comparable to bus fares. Take into consideration the time and cost needed to travel to the airport, check in, board, disembark and pick up your luggage, then transport yourself to town.

What’s best for you comes down to personal preference in comparing cost vs. convenience.


Tirana buses — http://www.tirana-airport-transfer.com

Buses

Buses range from modern and comfortable to bumpy and basic, and bus terminals/stations may be anything from a dirt field, local cafe to modern facility. It’s all part of the travel experience.

Translations to English are provided if the link does not offer a version — or failed to work with an online translator — and it was a language I could understand or partially transliterate.

Albania

• Athens (Athine) to Tirana
Departing daily at 8:00 and 9:00.
Cost: 30 euros, one way; 50 euros round trip
Bus Station: not listed
Albania Interlines: Plateia Ag. Dionysou 1, Piraeus, (210) 461-7001, albania.interlines@hotmail.com or Facebook page
or
Departing twice daily (no schedule listed)
Cost: 35 euros, one way
Bus station: Former OSE Peleponnisou train station in Piraeus
Alba Trans: Diligianni 30 in Piraeus, (210) 822-4144 or (210) 520-0070, info@albatrans.com.al, Facebook page, Twitter or albatrans.com.al
or
Departing daily at 18:00?
Cost: not given
Bus station: Former OSE Peleponnisou train station in Piraeus
Joy Travel: athensinfo@joytravel.al or info@joytravel.al, (210) 5157 664, Facebook page or joytravel.al

Departing daily at 20:00 (Athens not listed as a destination as of June 30, 2013)
Cost: 35 euros, one way
Drita Travel, infodrita@yahoo.com or eurodrita@yahoo.com, Facebook page, dritaonline.com (booking system with no destinations in Greece) dritatravel.com (listed on FB as its website, but blank)

• Irakleio, Crete to Tirana
Departing daily except Thursday from Irakleio, departing daily except Monday from Tirana.
Cost: 57 euros, one way (does not include cost of ferry from Piraeus/Irakleio, but Alba Trans customers get 35% discount)
Bus pickup: Irakleio port
Luggage: Two pieces without weight restriction
KTEL Heraklio-Lassithi (via Alba Trans): www.ktelherlas.gr and Cretan Transportation Services ctgr.gr

• Lamia to Tirana
Departing daily at 19:00
Cost: not listed
Bus Station: Tafgetou Street, Lamia, (22310) 22677
KTEL Fthiotidos: www.ktelfthiotidos.gr

• Thessaloniki (Selanik) to Tirana
Departing daily at 21:00
Cost: not listed
Bus Station: KTEL Macedonia, Platform 20
Alba Trans: info@albatrans.com.al, (2310) 595431, Facebook page, Twitter or albatrans.com.al
or
Departing daily (no schedule given)
Cost: 25 euros, one way
Bus Station: KTEL Macedonia
Euro Interlines – Komatas Tours: Diligianni 19 in Metaxourgio, (210) 523-4594, eurointerlines2@hotmail.com, Facebook page or eurointerlines.com

Departing daily at 19:00 (no longer listed as destination)
Cost: 25 euros, one way
Drita Travel, infodrita@yahoo.com or eurodrita@yahoo.com, Facebook page or dritaonline.com (booking system with no destinations in Greece)

virtualtourist.com

Bulgaria

• Irakleio, Crete to Sofia
Departing every Thursday from Irakleio, departing every Saturday from Sofia.
Cost: 56 euros, one way
KTEL Heraklio-Lassithi: www.ktelherlas.gr

• Komotini to Sofia
Departing daily at 7:00
Cost: not listed
Bus Station: G. Mameli 4, Komotini, (25310) 23176
KTEL Rodopis: www.ktelrodopis.gr schedule

• Thessaloniki (Solun) and Serres to Sofia
Departing daily from Thessaloniki at 8:00, from Serres at 9:15 and arriving in Sofia at 14:30
Cost: not listed
Station: TrainOSE Thessaloniki terminal
KARAT-S in cooperation with TrainOSE: +30 (2310) 599100 in Thessaloniki and (23210) 59112 in Serres, eurolines.bg and trainose.gr
*Information from a fellow traveler, Niclas, and Naftemporiki
or
Departing every Friday at 13:30
Cost: not listed
Station: KTEL Macedonia bus terminal. Use local bus #72. It’s a 10-15 min ride to/from town.
KTEL Macedonia: ktelmacedonia.gr, +30 (2310) 595491
*This information came direct from KTEL Macedonia via email/phone, not the website
or
Departs daily at 1:30 and 15:30. Trip is 5 hours (day) to 6.5 hours (overnight).
Cost: 25 euros, one way; 45 euros, return trip
Station: KTEL Macedonia bus terminal. Use local bus #72. It’s a 10-15 min ride to/from town.
Union-Ivkoni, www.union-ivkoni.com
or
Departing daily at 8:00
Cost: 25 euros, one way; 40 euros, return trip. Discounts for students, retired persons and children.
Station: TrainOSE Thessaloniki terminal
MTT: mttsofia.com in cooperation with Simeonidis *MTT also travels to other destinations in Greece, such as Agrinio, Amfissa, Arta, Ioannina, Kalamata, Kalambaka, Karditsa, Katerini, Lamia, Larisa, Nafpaktos, Patra, Serres, Trikala, Volos.
or
Departing daily at 21:30
Cost: 25 euros, one way, 40 euros, round trip. Discounts for students and children.
Station: TrainOSE Thessaloniki terminal
Crazy Holidays as of July 1 & LG Travel in cooperation with MTT Sofia: Thessaloniki inquiries (2310) 258 000

*Bulgarian state railways said on January 1, 2014 that it would resume the Sofia-Thessaloniki link in cooperation with Greece but gave no date.

•  Other destinations from Greece to Sofia
The Central Bus Station of Sofia says buses depart daily to Athens (Atina) on its website at www.centralnaavtogara.bg, which has an English version. Language options and International destinations can be accessed in right upper corner for:

Agrinio, Amfissa, Arta, Corinth/Korinthos, Drama, Igoumenitsa, Kalamata, Kalambaka, Karditsa, Katerini, Kavala, Kylini, Lamia, Larissa, Megalopoli, Messini, Metsovo, Nafpaktos, Neapoli, Patra, Piraeus, Pyrgos, Serres, Tripoli, Trikala, Veria and Volos.

No reverse schedules are available, but buses usually arrive at and depart from KTEL stations or somewhere nearby in the city of destination. Inquire at the bus terminal or have your hotel/hostel call and ask for timetables and ticket prices.

Croatia

According to official website for Dubrovnik buses, there are no long-distance/international buses to/from Greece; and I could not find any bus companies departing from Greece to Croatia.

It’s also cheaper to fly, in comparison to using and transferring between buses and trains in different countries.

Czech Republic

• Athens to Brno and Prague
Departing every Thursday at 7:00
Cost: 90 euros, one way; 160 euros, return trip
Bus stop: Lagoumitzi 65, Neos Kosmos
Korona Travel: koronatravel.gr (may also be arranged via simeonidistours.gr)

• Thessaloniki to Brno and Prague
Departing every Thursday at 14:30
Cost: 80 euros, one way; 150 euros, return trip
Bus stop: 26th Oktovriou 14, Thessaloniki
Korona Travel: koronatravel.gr (may also be arranged via simeonidistours.gr)

FYROM/Macedonia

• Thessaloniki to Skopje
Departing daily at 17:30
Cost: 20 euros, one way; 25 euros, round trip
Bus stop: 26th Oktovriou 14, Thessaloniki
Simeonidis Tours: simeonidistours.gr

• Thessaloniki to Skopje
Departing daily at 6:00
Cost:  1280 denar or approx 21 euros, one way; 1650 denar or 27 euros, round trip
Bus stop: not listed
Skopje Bus Station: sas.com.mk; Thessaloniki inquiries (2310) 540 970

Germany

• Thessaloniki to Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and other cities
Departing every Wednesday at 13:00
Cost: 100-120 euros, one way; 185-210 euros, round trip. Price depends on length of journey. Discounts for children.
Bus stop: Halkokondyli 39, Thessaloniki
Portokalidis Tours: “Touring” central office, (2310) 567 330 or (2310) 262 163, portok@otenet.gr and portokalidistours.gr

Hungary

• Athens to Budapest
Departing every Tuesday and Saturday at 8:00 and every Thursday at 13:00
Cost: 80 euros, one way; 150 euros, return trip
Bus Stop: Lenorman 8, Athens
FP Travel:  fptravel.gr *Route also stops and picks up or drops off passengers in Lamia, Larissa, Katerini and Thessaloniki on the same days
or
Departing every Saturday at 7:00
Cost: 80 euros, one way; 150 euros, return trip. Discount for children.
Bus stop: Kondriktonos 10, Athens
Siamos Tours: siamostours.gr
or
Departing every Thursday at 7:00
Cost: 90 euros, one way; 160 euros, round trip
Bus stop: Lagoumitzi 65, Neos Kosmos
Korona Travel: koronatravel.gr

• Thessaloniki to Budapest
Departing every Thursday at 14:30
Cost: 80 euros, one way; 150 euros, return trip
Bus stop: 26th Oktobriou 14
Korona Travel: koronatravel.gr
or
Departing every Saturday at 14:30
Cost: 80 euros, one way; 150 euros, return trip. Discount for children.
Bus stop: Courthouse (Dikastiria)
Siamos Tours: siamostours.gr

Italy

• Thessaloniki to Bologna or Ancona
Departing every Wednesday at 13:00
Cost: 65 euros, one way; 130 euros, round trip. Discounts for children.
Bus stop: Halkokondyli 39, Thessaloniki
Portokalidis Tours: “Touring” central office, (2310) 567 330 or (2310) 262 163, portok@otenet.gr and portokalidistours.gr

Poland

• Athens to Krakow
Departing every Thursday at 8:00
Cost: 105 euros, one way; 175 euros, return trip
Bus Stop: Kondriktonos 10, Athens
Siamos Tours: siamostours.gr *Route also travels through Serbia, Hungary and Slovakia

• Athens to Warsaw
Departing every Sunday at 23:00
Cost: 110 euros, one way; 190 euros, return trip
Bus Stop: Old OSE train station Peleponnisou, but can vary by company. Click ‘Timetable’ after selecting your schedule
Voyager Booking Agent (Uses multiple companies), www.voyager.pl
The Voyager website also has routes from Katerini, Lamia, Larissa and Thessaloniki to more than 70 cities in Poland.

• Thessaloniki to Krakow
Departing every Thursday at 14:30
Cost: 105 euros, one way; 175 euros, return trip
Bus stop: Courthouse (Dikastiria)
Siamos Tours: siamostours.gr *Route also travels through Serbia, Hungary and Slovakia
or
Departing every Saturday and Monday at 6:30
 Bus Stop: KTEL Macedonia bus station, but can vary by company. Click ‘Timetable’ after selecting your schedule
Cost: 100 euros, one way; 180 euros, return trip
Voyager Booking Agent (Uses multiple companies), www.voyager.pl
The Voyager websites also has routes from Katerini, Lamia, Larissa and Athens to more than 70 cities in Poland.

Romania

• Thessaloniki to Bucharest
Departing Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 14:00
Cost: 50 -60 euros, one way; 100-120 euros, return trip
Bus stop: 26th Oktovriou 14, Thessaloniki
Simeonidis Tours: simeonidistours.gr

Serbia

• Athens to Belgrade
Departing every Tuesday and Saturday at 8:00, every Thursday at 13:00
Cost: 55 euros, one way; 95 euros, round trip.
Bus Stop: Lenorman 8, Athens
FP Travel: www.fptravel.gr *Route also stops in Lamia, Velestino, Larissa, Katerini and Thessaloniki to pick up passengers and passes through FYROM and Serbia.

• Athens to Belgrade/Novi Sad
Departing every Wednesday at 13:00 and every Saturday at 7:00
Cost: 55 euros (Belgrade) and 60 euros (Novi Sad), one way; 95 euros (Belgrade) and 100 euros (Novi Sad), round trip
Bus Stop: Kondriktonos 10, Athens
Siamos Tours: siamostours.gr *Route also stops in Lamia, Larissa, Katerini and Thessaloniki to pick up passengers

• Athens/Larissa to Belgrade
Departing every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 14:00 (Athens) and 19:00 (Larissa)
Cost: 55 euros (Larissa) and 60 euros (Athens), one way; 90 euros (Larissa) and 100 euros (Athens), round trip. Discounts for children 2-12 and agents.
Bus Stop: not listed
Alamanis: alamanis.com

•  Thessaloniki to Belgrade (Beograd) and Novi Sad
Departing every Wednesday at 20:00 and Saturday at 14:00.
Cost: 45 euros to Belgrade, 50 euros to Novi Sad one way; 80 euros Belgrade, 85 euros Novi Sad, return trip
Bus stop: 26th Oktovriou 14, Thessaloniki
Simeonidis Tours: simeonidistours.gr
or
Departing every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 21:00
Cost: 45 euros, one way; 80 euros, return trip
Bus stop: not listed
Alamanis: alamanis.com

On the Belgrade bus station website, Greece or Грчка is listed, and I read Serbian well enough to understand Athens (АТИНА), Glyfada (ГЛИФАДА), Evzoni (ЕВЗОНИ), Larisa (ЛАРИСА) and Thessaloniki (СОЛУН) are possible destinations. However, I cannot read the schedule, online translators cannot be used, and I do not know how current the timetables are.

Slovakia

• Athens to Bratislava
Departing every Thursday at 14:30
Cost: 90 euros, one way; 160 euros, return trip
Bus stop: Lagoumitzi 65, Neos Kosmos
Korona Travel: koronatravel.gr

• Thessaloniki to Bratislava
Departing every Thursday at 14:30
Cost: 80 euros, one way; 150 euros, return trip
Bus stop: Bus stop: 26th Oktobriou 14, Thessaloniki
Korona Travel: koronatravel.gr

Turkey

KTEL Thessaloniki recommends this company on its website. They are not KTEL buses.

• Athens to Istanbul/Constantinople
Departing daily except Saturday at 16:30. Trip takes 14 hours.
Cost: 60 euros, one way; 110 euros, return trip. There are discounts for students, children aged 2-12 and adults over 65.
Bus stop: Leof. Athinon 222, Athens
Crazy Holidays/Metro Turizm, Aristotelous 10, 1st floor, Thessaloniki, (2310) 237696, crazy-holidays@ips.gr
crazy-holidays.gr

•  Thessaloniki to Istanbul/Constantinople
Departing daily at 10:00 and 22:00
Cost: 45 euros, one way; 80 euros, return trip. There are discounts for students, children aged 2-12 and adults over 65.
Bus stop:  Anagnostaki 8 & Konstantinoupoleos, Thessaloniki
Crazy Holidays/Metro Turizm, Aristotelous 10, 1st floor, Thessaloniki, (2310) 237696, crazy-holidays@ips.gr
crazy-holidays.gr

And a tour company:

• Thessaloniki to Istanbul/Constantinople
Departing daily at 21:00
Cost: 35 euros, one way; 60 euros, return trip. Discounts for students w/ID and children.
Bus stop: 26th Oktobriou 14, Thessaloniki
Simeonidis Tours, simeonidistours.gr

KTEL Rodopi has two buses departing for Turkey.

• Komotini to Bursa
Departing every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:15
Cost: not listed

• Komotini to Istanbul/Constantinople
Departing daily at 1:00 and 13:15
Cost: not listed

Bus Station: G. Mameli 4, Komotini, (25310) 23176
KTEL Rodopis: www.ktelrodopis.gr

Rumors

A Greek travel directory and commercial websites claim that OSE replaced train services with buses to Istanbul, Tirana, Filipoupoli, Varna, Vernico, Tarnovo, Koritsa and Sofia. TrainOSE told me this is not true as of July 2011.

No international trains departing Greece

These train routes are no longer running:

  • Athens and Thessaloniki to Constantinople/Istanbul
  • Thessaloniki to Belgrade
  • Thessaloniki to Bucharest
  • Thessaloniki to Ormenio and Svilengrad (ended January 31, 2011)
  • Thessaloniki to Skopje
  • Thessaloniki to Sofia

The official statement said that service to Bulgaria, FYROM/Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey “failed to attract the number of passengers required to keep them going.” What it didn’t mention were reasons for that failure — an 80 percent increase in ticket prices and frequent delays (sabotage, accidents, vandalism), which made long-distance buses a more attractive option, 70 of 185 cars rendered useless by poor maintenance and long-term losses sustained from gross overstaffing.

Sources

– All websites linked above
– Vlad, Dragana, Anonimos, generous readers
– Balkanology, which pointed me in the right direction with helpful links, when researching Serbia and Croatia
– Communication with KTEL Macedonia, KTEL Thessaloniki, TrainOSE Web Team
“In Your Pocket: Tirana”
“Φρένο στις υπηρεσίες κατάκλισης και εστίασης της ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ” — Eleftherotypia
“Το μνημόνιο κόβει και τα δρομολόγια” — Eleftherotypia
“Από σταθμάρχης… νοσοκόμος” — Elefhterotypia
“Το χάσαμε το τρένο…” — Eleftherotypia
“36 εκατ. ευρώ στην τουαλέτα” — Eleftherotypia
“Ψαλίδι σε δρομολόγια του ΟΣΕ” — Eleftherotypia
“Trains from Greece to Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey discontinued” — Twitter
“Ailing Greek rail to halt international trains” (Article removed) — AFP
“Greece’s soon-to-be-sold TrainOSE posts 187.3 million in losses” — Bloomberg

About

Kat is a well-traveled American journalist and author. To learn more, see “About Me.”

  • Livingingreece.gr was created in 2007 to present meticulously researched original articles that fill a gap left by traditional media, government portals and commercial websites/forums run by people without credentials.
  • @LivinginGreece is a Twitter feed curated from recognized Greek and international news agencies to provide breaking news about Greece, plus real-time updates and insider tips mined from 15 years experience.

Please note my copyright policy and be aware that violations will be pursued.

Shortlink: http://bit.ly/GRintlbuses

58 Comments »

  Vlad wrote @ June 2nd, 2011 at 08:30

To Stephen on a trip to Eastern Europe with friends:

Thessaloniki – Sofia (Union-Ivkoni)
departs 15.30 Central Station DAILY
arrives 20.30 Sofia Serdika St.
Timetable: http://www.union-ivkoni.com/razeu_v-1-323
Fare: EUR30 one way

Thessaloniki – Sofia (MTT)
departs 16:30 TUESDAY
Info: http://www.mttsofia.com/schedule-en.php?cat=23&lang=bg&fCountry=2&fTown=15&tCountry=1&lTown=1
Fare: EUR25 one way

for both links use Google Translate

Kat Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 12:04

Thank you for contributing that information and for the mention here. For the record, I have special insight as an American that is unavoidable, but all laws pertaining to Americans also apply to all non-EU citizens, and half of articles on this website apply to citizens worldwide.

  Anonimosław wrote @ June 2nd, 2011 at 14:22

Greece (5 cities) > Poland ~110 euro 1 way, ~200 euro 2 ways. If price is satisfactory it’s possible to buy whole ticket to Poland and exit bus in one of the transit countries.

http://www.voyager.pl/portal/a_bus_en.html

Kat Reply:
June 2nd, 2011 at 18:18

Thanks to you, I can now add Greece-Poland to the list!

  Dragana wrote @ June 2nd, 2011 at 14:54

Here are some other travel agencies that have lines to Serbia: Alamanis tours (alamanis.gr)
FP travel (www.fptravel.gr)- has lines to Hungary, also
Siamos tours (www.siamostours.gr)- Poland is the other line they have.
As far as I know, these are the only ones (together with Simeonidis, which you mentioned). I’ve used all of them for Thessaloniki-Belgrade route, and have good experience.

Kat, you listed a bus that goes from Kozani to Belgrade. Actually, this is a bus to Servia, a city (or a village) in Greece, not Serbia- the country :) .

Kat Reply:
June 3rd, 2011 at 00:01

Hi Dragana,

Thanks so much for the tips. I added your suggestions to the list and found Alamanis under alamanis.com

The timing of your second comment was just a few minutes after I’d caught the Servia and Serbia error myself.

I appreciate you giving back to the website and helping me to help others. All best! :)

  Dragana wrote @ June 9th, 2011 at 11:31

:) Kat, your blog has been such an enormous help to me from the moment I started planning on coming here until this day (I don’t know how would I handle my taxes without it!) that I feel very happy to be able to help others now.

  mckroes wrote @ June 22nd, 2011 at 21:31

Hi Kat,

How sad! No more Greek trains going abroad! It was truly great to travel by train from Thessaloniki to Sofia and Skopje! Especially the scenery. Sad sad sad!

Greetz Mckroes

  Andrej wrote @ July 6th, 2011 at 19:04

Comment 1: Running trains Skopje- Thessaloniki?

Comment 2: What? please info Schedule train Skopje- Thessaloniki and Thessaloniki

Comment 3: Im travel to Thessaloniki, problems my train Prague- Skopje,

Comment 4: The company not Saturday from Skopje to Thessalonik, there any running buses? Thank You

Kat Reply:
July 6th, 2011 at 19:10

Answer 1: Read the second paragraph.

Answer 2: No trains. Use bus. Read article.

Answer 4: Leave on another day, or find another bus company that leaves on Saturday.

  Diana wrote @ July 25th, 2011 at 03:16

Hello. I’m a bit lost. Trying to book our first trip to Europe and Greece/Turkey was the first booking, Now there are no trains! I am trying to figure out how to book a bus From Athens to Istanbul and then onto Bodrum. We need to be in Bodrum by the 3rd of September 2011 by 1:30 pm. How do I find the timetable and the price. I don’t speak Greek and I can’t read Greek ! Help! We fly there from Australia at the end of August 2011. If anyone can steer me in the right direction I will be Very Greatful. Thanx :D

Kat Reply:
July 25th, 2011 at 07:00

I don’t understand the problem.

Under ‘Turkey,’ the first entry is Athens to Istanbul. I give the timetable and price in English, and you can also click the link and switch the website to English by clicking the UK flag on the left-hand side. If no online translator was available, you could also use translate.google.com.

Many things in Greece are not booked in advance, and schedules and prices are subject to change. That’s how it works.

Bodrum, as you know, is in Turkey, not Greece. Do a Google search. Looks to me like you can go by ferry, bus, train or plane.

  Bruce wrote @ August 6th, 2011 at 09:29

I am looking for information on travelling from Pristina to Thessaloniki on January 2, 2012 and then on to Athens on January 4, 2012. Is there some way to get bus connections that will work reasonably well?

I suppose that I could get to Tirana, if necessary, but I don’t see anything going the other way.

I would appreciate any help you could give.

thanks

Kat Reply:
August 6th, 2011 at 22:13

Albanian and Serbian are not amongst the four languages I read, write and speak, and there’s also no way for me (or anyone) to cover every country’s bus schedules as many have that as a full-time job for a single city.

Even if I could find you a bus from Pristina to Thessaloniki, schedules change seasonally and timetables published now will almost certainly be different by January. What you’re used to in Canada does not necessarily apply to other countries.

You have a better chance of getting an answer from a Kosovo expert.

  Becky wrote @ September 6th, 2011 at 22:33

I read your note above about the coach from Athens to Istanbul :) I have also had a look on the Crazy-Holidays website but they’re lacking any solid information. Do you know if it is possible to turn up on the day and get a ticket? And do you know where the crazy-holidays office is in Athens and where the coach leaves from? I noticed there is an office, but it is in Thessaloniki…

Thanks for all the brilliant info above!!

Kat Reply:
September 7th, 2011 at 00:33

You can definitely turn up on the same day and buy a ticket, as long as there are seats available.

All the information I have on them is provided above, and my sources are transparent. You can try the phone number and email address listed.

  anastasia wrote @ January 15th, 2012 at 00:07

thanks for this hugely helping article!

  Andrei wrote @ February 11th, 2012 at 21:02

For Romania there are a bunch of companies that come and go to Greece, crossing Bulgaria. They take people from Athens, Thessaloniki and some other cities and you can get almost wherever you want in Romania with 50 euros one way and 100 both ways (they split the passengers in smaller groups in Romania). If you are a student, or a group of at least 9, you can get a 10% discount with eurolines.ro (they have an English and a German version)

Kat Reply:
February 12th, 2012 at 01:35

Thank you so much for contributing that information.

I twice contacted the Eurolines sales office, help line and marketing manager because schedules and routes are not shown online, nor can tickets be booked via the website. However, I never received any of the promised schedules.

  george wrote @ April 24th, 2012 at 17:53

i need transpotation from thessaloniki to blagoevgrad bulgaria. please advise. thank you

Kat Reply:
April 24th, 2012 at 20:25

All the assistance I can offer is listed in the section called ‘Bulgaria.’

  ALBA wrote @ June 19th, 2012 at 15:24

Hello!
I’m looking for and information on travelling to Thessaloniki to Skopje july 27th and from Ohrid or Bitola to Thessaloniki august 5th or 6th.
Could I have some information about it: the prices, the hours and how long it’d take me?

thanks a lot ind advace

Kat Reply:
June 19th, 2012 at 15:33

First question is answered already in the article under “FYROM/Macedonia.” I have no information on Ohrid/Bitola to Thessaloniki because I live in Greece. You need to query someone in FYROM/Macedonia, since that’s where the bus would originate.

  Niclas wrote @ June 23rd, 2012 at 21:26

Comment 1:

Thanks alot for this information. I booked a flight from stockholm to thessaloniki thinking I would start my interrailing from there, before realising the problems with the trains in greece. This info will help me get a bus to bulgaria and continue by train from there! Much appreciated!

Comment 2:
Me and my travel partner are debating wheter to take the bus from thessaloniki to sofia or to skopje. Thing is, we arrive at thessaloniki on a friday, we will spend a night there and continue the journey on saturday. According to your information, a bus service leaves for sofia daily, but the bus to skopje only goes on friday, monday and wednesday. On this site however (http://simeonidistours.gr/tours/topic.php?Article_ID=32) it says the skopje bus leaves daily. So my question is, do you think the bus to skopje does indeed go on saturdays as well? Thanks for your help!

Comment 3:
Again thanks for your help, it has been of massive help. I found this page suggesting that TrainOSE now runs a daily bus service from Thessaloniki to Sofia and Plovdiv: http://trainose.gr/content/diethneis-leoforeiakes-grammes-0 . See the PDF for schedule. Maybe you can add this to the article.

Kat Reply:
June 24th, 2012 at 10:16

Answer 1:

The article is based on a question by a traveler seeking alternatives to discontinued trains– much like you and me — as there had been no information compiled on the subject. Unfortunately much of my work has been copied without permission by several well-known websites.

If you find additional or updated info, I welcome your input.

A pleasure to help nice people like you. Have a good trip!

Answer 2:

Whatever they have posted is likely the most current — more departures in summer is typical — and I say above that schedules are subject to change seasonally even weekly. I work full time and only run this website in my unpaid spare time, so there’s no way I can update the article and 300+ others on a daily or weekly basis. Direct links to sources are provided as a matter of transparency and give readers the opportunity to verify information themselves.

Answer 3:
Hi again, thanks so much for coming back to leave that info. The article was updated with your contribution. Happy travels!

  Dara wrote @ July 2nd, 2012 at 15:57

Putovala sam sa vama 10-ak puta na relaciji Beograd-Atina-Atina Beograd. Nisam putovala već dvije godine: Sad imam malu bebu 9-mjeseci i htjeli bi u posjetu prijateljma u Grčku, možete li mi reći dal tako male bebe mogu putovati sa vama i koliko košta karta -povratna za mene i moju kćerkicu na toj istoj relaciji. Unapred hvala! I naravno sve pohvale za vas i pozdrav za Gogo.

Kat Reply:
July 3rd, 2012 at 09:16

I do not speak or write Croatian, and I do not work for the bus companies listed. Please use the information provided above to make inquiries.

  claire wrote @ July 3rd, 2012 at 00:57

So, just to be clear, there are NO international buses from Turkey to Greece?Only from Greece to Turkey?

Kat Reply:
July 3rd, 2012 at 09:16

To find buses from Turkey to Greece, you need to contact a company with buses originating in that country or you can use the information provided above for Greece to Turkey and see if the company runs a reverse route.

A single bus company has full-time staff serving customers on their own routes. It would be quite impossible for anyone to compile a directory of every company in every country and every route running to/from Greece, translating more than 20 languages to English. I’m one person running this website in my unpaid spare time, providing info as a courtesy to other travelers in the country I live/work.

  Radmila wrote @ July 9th, 2012 at 13:19

Hi,
I am flying in to Thessaloniki this week and traveling to Fyrom, can you please tell me are there any buses that run from Thessaloniki to either Bitola or Ohrid?
As well as, do you know how to get to simeonidis tours from the airport? Is it far from the main bus station?
Many thanks

  Jo wrote @ July 21st, 2012 at 15:00

Hi,
I am looking for a information about traveling from Thessaloniki to Serbia. I want to know do you have any bus line linked with Vranje? is it possible to buy a ticket just from Thessaloniki to the Vranje?

Thanks a lot

Kat Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 23:26

You can inquire directly with companies listed under ‘Serbia.’

  Xir wrote @ August 6th, 2012 at 14:40

Your questions were moved to “Residence/work permits for non-EU citizens in Greece.”

  Forum – Zingarate.com • Leggi argomento – Orari TRENO o AUTUBUS dalla Grecia (Alexandropolis) alla Turchia (Istanbul) wrote @ September 5th, 2012 at 11:07

[...] mare. Grazie mille! ..e già, non è semplice, treni non c'è ne sono, e i bus…., vedi tu… Buses from Greece to international locations Buses Istanbul-Thessaloniki-Athens Derya Tur Uluslararası Otobüs İşletmesi A.Ş. e [...]

  Orpheus wrote @ October 11th, 2012 at 13:06

there is a bus to Germany as well. http://www.portokalidistours.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95&lang=en

Kat Reply:
October 17th, 2012 at 10:12

I updated the article, adding Germany and Italy. Thanks so much for giving back by providing that link.

  Batuhan wrote @ February 6th, 2013 at 15:39

A Greek travel directory and commercial websites claim that OSE replaced train services with buses to İstanbul…

A little clearance on this part, I don’t know OSE policy, but our government (Turkey) is renewing the rails from İstanbul to Edirne and İstanbul to Ankara, so there is neither intern’l nor intercity train working around this route.

Kat Reply:
February 6th, 2013 at 21:11

I addressed the misinformation being spread by that Greek travel directory in the Turkey section under ‘Rumors’ because forums, bloggers and commercial websites tend to copy/paste without doing any research. I called OSE to independently verify my info.

Thank you so much for adding your first-hand knowledge on intercity and international trains departing from Turkey. Very helpful. Wishing you all the best.

  Nikolaos wrote @ February 9th, 2013 at 19:55

i would like to send a parcel to krakow by buss or train
it is possible?

Kat Reply:
February 10th, 2013 at 10:29

By train, no. As it says in the first sentence of the article, there are no international trains.

By bus, look at the Poland section and get in touch with the companies listed to inquire.

  Georgia wrote @ February 10th, 2013 at 14:01

Your comment/question was moved to “KTEL buses of Greece.”

  Ben wrote @ February 12th, 2013 at 17:22

@moderator We are collecting two boats from Rhodes at the end of Feb and as a result have a large amount of spare empty cargo space overland from London down to Rhodes (via Athens). How do we go about advertising this/and where?

Kat Reply:
February 13th, 2013 at 15:12

The Kathimerini is an eight-page, English-language insert in the International Herald Tribune. There are no other options in English; everything else is in Greek and/or extremely localized. The biggest source of advertisements is the Chrysi Efkairia (Golden Opportunities), in hard copy and online: http://www.xe.gr/.

  KateChi wrote @ April 17th, 2013 at 15:37

Hi,
I get lost… Any bus from Athens to Araxos!
I booked 14:30 from Araxos to Bergamo.

Please help!

Kat Reply:
April 17th, 2013 at 17:56

To find a bus traveling between cities in Greece, see “KTEL buses in Greece.” Same link is referenced in section, ‘Author’s note.’

  Delisa wrote @ July 25th, 2013 at 21:22

I’m so glad I ran across your website! I’m traveling on Aug. 23, ’13 with two other women and trying to get from Thessaloniki to Nis, Serbia. We arrive on Sunday, have hotel reservation, and planned to leave on Monday. We need to be in Nis on Monday evening at the latest, as we are preparing to hold a seminar on Tuesday – Friday. Do you know how we can get there? I looked into renting a car, and the cost to cross the border is crazy!

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Kat Reply:
July 25th, 2013 at 23:36

I’ve already done the work for you. If you click the links provided for other cities in Serbia, you’ll find that pretty much every bus from Greece stops in Nis. Choose the schedule that works for you and/or inquire directly with the company.

  Fred wrote @ August 12th, 2013 at 13:54

Hi all

I want to get from Zurich to Thessaloniki (with my push bike) by bus or train…is it possible?

Thanks Fred

Kat Reply:
August 12th, 2013 at 14:45

It says in the first sentence that there are no trains in Greece serving international locations. What I know about buses is listed above and continuously updated.

In my opinion, you should be querying Swiss options since that’s your point of origin.

  elyane wrote @ September 8th, 2013 at 16:23

I am going from Sofia to Thessaloniki by bus. Does the information applies for the Thessaloniki to Sofia? Or where else should I look for information?

Kat Reply:
September 9th, 2013 at 17:46

You can click the links I provide and inquire with the company directly. Beyond that, do a Google search.

There’s no way I or anyone can have fluent knowledge of thousands of transport options originating in dozens of other countries, speak/read/write those countries’ languages and keep information current.

  Shaan wrote @ September 12th, 2013 at 01:15

Hello,
Many thanks for such great info!
I have a query, although I have a feeling you are going to tell me you have all my queries above, but just incase I am going to ask anyway..
We are getting a ferry to Rafina on the 13/09 arriving at 16:55 and we basically just need to get out of Greece and head over to the west of Europe.. The problems we have is we have excess luggage which is a pain in the ass to lug around.
Do you know any quick options to get from Rafina to the western part of Europe, at a reasonable price? Or a budget transfer company so we can over to Patras???
Any info would be greatly appreciated :)

  Adriana wrote @ October 4th, 2013 at 13:16

Do you know any buses lines who go to England?

  Rags wrote @ October 26th, 2013 at 16:15

Hello!
Excellent website and nicely organized information.
Thanks for your wonderful work.

Are there any trains going to Istanbul now (as I see it was stopped from 2011). Any recent changes that you are aware. Interested in learning about Thessaloniki to Istanbul train options.
Thanks a lot!

Kat Reply:
October 30th, 2013 at 10:22

None that I know of. All articles are updated on a rolling basis from daily news or contributions from readers.

  Kris wrote @ October 30th, 2013 at 21:13

Thanks mate for the infos. I need to go to Hungary from Athens in dec. I’ve found what I wanted. Cheers!
Kris

Kat Reply:
October 31st, 2013 at 10:34

Excellent! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment with kind words. Confirm that the schedule hasn’t changed before booking for December, and travel safe.

  Dimitris wrote @ November 3rd, 2013 at 21:10

Hello and congratulations for the courage to gather the information.

I had used in the past fptravel line to Hungary so I can give you my input on this.

First of all, the route of this line is reaching Hungary via FYROM and Serbia and vice versa. I just want to clarify that may be advertised like two lines (one for Greece-Serbia and one for Greece-Hungary) but actually is the very same that serves both countries (Serbia and Hungary). I’m not state this like it is a bad thing to do and I’m pretty sure that this agency is not the only one that advertise their route lines like this. I’m sure it is a marketing policy.

Secondly as far as I know after telephonic consultation with the agency they can pick travellers up from several other points in Greece (outside of the advertised ones) as long as they are on the line’s route.

Also one could (always after consultation with the local offices) sent/receive (uninsured) packages to/from destinations in Serbia and Hungary as long is not something illegal (eg money, guns, alcohol, tobacco products, etc). These packages can be subjected to check at the several border control points of the several countries the line route crosses so be careful what you send.

A last tip is that the agency has its route major stops at Belgrade and Budapest but also they can slightly deviate if they have to pick up/leave passengers or packages in smaller cities (like Nis or Novi Sad in Serbia or Szeged in Hungary). In that respect some small delays can be expected that can prolong the total travel and travel time.

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