A dream come true: from Thessaloniki to all of Europe by train, with an InterRail Global ticket. Tickets for Greek trains on-line and electronic train schedules in Greece How long does it take to get to Greece by train?

The railway network is not the best strong point in Greece. Water and bus transport here are much better developed, which, however, is easily explained from the point of view of the topography and characteristics of the country itself, most of which is scattered across many islands.

Main directions

The number of destinations in Greece that can be reached by train is not very diverse. However, if you are traveling between major cities, then the railway in a number of cases - especially for night crossings - can be very useful.

For example, communication between Athens and Thessaloniki is very convenient: there are many routes, and an ICE category train (more on that below) “covers” this distance in just 4 and a half hours. On the other hand, choosing a slower train on the same route will save you a lot.

Map of railways in Greece

The main railway line connects Athens with Thessaloniki. In addition, important branches also include the directions Athens-Corinth-Nafplio-Tripoli-Kalamata, Athens-Corinth-Patras, Athens-Lamia-Kalambaka, Thessaloniki-Alexandroupolis, Thessaloniki-Larissa-Kalambaka.

Separately, it is worth highlighting the branch from Diakopton to Kalavryta, which can rightfully be called the most exotic and picturesque in the country.

In addition to local destinations, before the crisis there were a number of flights from Greece international routes: to Turkey, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, etc.

Most of them were closed in 2011-2013, but some have reopened since 2014. Thus, since May 2014, passenger traffic has been restored between Thessaloniki and Belgrade, as well as between Thessaloniki and Sofia.

Rolling stock, schedule and tickets

Although the railway network is quite modest, it is nevertheless very diverse. Thus, due to the characteristics of the terrain, a wide range of gauges from 0.6 to 1.43 meters are used in Greece. This in turn determines the wide variety of trains used.

Among the trains on Greek routes there are also some very unusual ones

The cost of IC and ICE train tickets largely depends on the time between the dates of purchase and actual travel. Thus, by planning your trip in advance, you can save a lot.

Learn more about how to find out the current train schedule for your travel dates and purchase tickets online Grekoblog.

Train station in Athens

The railway station in Athens consists of two stations: Larissa and Peloponnese, which are located in close proximity to each other. At the same time, the first station provides communication with the Northern regions of Greece, and the second is designed for southern directions. The station in Athens is quite modest for a city with a population of about 5 million people.

The easiest way to get to the railway station from any part of Athens is by metro

The easiest way to get to the station from any part of the city is by metro. The Larissa metro station of the same name is located on the red line. The station building is located right next to the exit from the crossing. Grekoblog devoted a separate article to the Athens metro in more detail.

You can also get from the Airport to the station by commuter train Proastiakos, the final stop of which is the Larissa station (Stasmos Larissis). The train runs from the airport from 6:48 am to 8:14 pm with an interval of 15 minutes. Estimated travel time is about 40 minutes.

Finally, you can always take a taxi.

Railway station on the map of Athens:

How to get to Greece

You can get to Greece by plane, ferry, car or bus. Read about the possibility of getting from Russia to Greece by train at the link below.

By plane

From Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities you can get to Athens, Thessaloniki, Crete (Heraklion), Rhodes and Kos both by direct flight and by flight with transfers.

The following companies operate direct flights to Greece:
Aeroflot (from Moscow to Athens);
Aegean Airlines (from Moscow to Athens, Thessaloniki, Rhodes, Crete and Kos);
UTair (from Moscow to Thessaloniki);
State Transport Company "Russia" (from St. Petersburg to Crete);
“Flight” (from Voronezh to Athens and Crete).

Charter flights from various cities Russia in the period from April to October are carried out in Athens, Thessaloniki, Rhodes, Heraklion, Kos, Kalamata, Corfu, Chania. In summer, the frequency of charter flights increases.

To Athens and greek islands European low-cost airlines fly, whose flights can be connected with flights from Russia:

How to get to Athens

How to get to Thessaloniki

How to get to Rhodes

How to get to Kos

How to get to Crete

To Athens

Direct flights from Moscow to Athens

Aeroflot - operates daily flights from Sheremetyevo;
Aegean Airlines – 5 flights per week from Domodedovo;

The following airlines operate connecting flights to Athens:
Air Serbia (via Belgrade) from Moscow;
AirBaltic (via Riga) from Moscow and St. Petersburg;
Pegasus Airlines (via Istanbul, Sabiha Gokcen).

From Voronezh to Athens

“Flight” – 1 flight per week in summer period.

To Thessaloniki

From Moscow to Thessaloniki

Aegean Airlines operates 4 flights per week from Domodedovo;
UTair – from the end of March to the end of October 2 flights per week from Vnukovo;
from April to October are carried out charter flights(in the summer season the number of charters increases).

Connecting flights to Thessaloniki:
Air Serbia (via Belgrade) from Moscow.

EasyJet (flights from London (Gatwick) to Athens, Kalamata, Kos, Heraklion, Mykonos, Santorini, Chania with flight Moscow-London);
Wizz Air (flights from Budapest to Corfu, Zakynthos, Rhodes, Heraklion, Thessaloniki with flight Moscow-Budapest).

From Moscow to Rhodes

Aegean Airlines – 4 flights per week from Domodedovo;
From April to October, charter flights are operated (in the summer season the number of charters increases).

From Moscow to Crete (Heraklion)

Aegean Airlines – 4 flights per week from Domodedovo, seasonal flights are also operated;
From April to October, charter flights are operated (in the summer season the number of charters increases).

From Moscow to Kos

Aegean Airlines – 1 flight per week;
From April to October, charter flights are operated (in the summer season the number of charters increases).

From St. Petersburg to Crete

State Transport Company "Russia" - in the summer, 6 flights per week to Heraklion;
From April to October, charter flights are operated (in the summer season the number of charters increases).

From Voronezh to Crete

“Flight” – 1 flight per week in summer to Heraklion.

From other cities of Russia

From various cities of Russia, from April to October, charter flights are operated to Athens, Thessaloniki, Rhodes, Heraklion, Kos, Kalamata, Corfu, and Chania. In summer, the frequency of charter flights increases.

European low-cost airlines fly to Thessaloniki and the Greek islands, whose flights can be connected with flights from Russia:
EasyJet (flights from London (Gatwick) to Athens, Kalamata, Kos, Heraklion, Mykonos, Santorini, Chania with flight Moscow-London);
Wizz Air (flights from Budapest to Corfu, Zakynthos, Rhodes, Heraklion, Thessaloniki with flight Moscow-Budapest).

On a ferryboat

You can get to Greece by ferry from Italy, Cyprus, Turkey and Israel.

From Italy

Ferry services from Italy to Greece are carried out on the following routes:
from Venice, Ancona, Bari and Brindisi - to Corfu, Patras and Igoumenitsa;
from Ravenna and Trieste to Patras and Igoumenitsa.

The exact schedule and tariffs can be found on the Viamare ferry aggregator website – www.viamare.com.

A regular ferry runs from Limassol to Lavrion (40 km from Athens).

You can also take cruises offered by Salamis Lines or car ferries from Athens to Larnaca (they have several cabins for passengers), but the cost of such travel is much higher than the cost of air travel.

From Turkey

There are regular connections between Turkish resort towns and islands of Greece:
Marmaris – Rhodes (40USD one way),
Bodrum – Rhodes,
Fethiye - Rhodes,
Cesme – Chios (35USD one way),
Kusadasi – Samos,
Ayvalik - Lesvos.

According to agreements between Greece and Turkey, 2 flights are carried out in each direction - respectively, on a Greek and Turkish ship. For example, on the island of Lesvos tickets are sold for the morning Greek ferry to Turkey, but there is no opportunity to buy tickets for the Turkish ship leaving in the afternoon. Ticket prices are relatively high, which is explained solely by the tourist orientation of these lines. Small discounts are provided when purchasing round-trip tickets.

From Israel

The situation with ferries to Israel is constantly changing. In 2010, the service was restored again, however, we are talking about cruise ships traveling on the route Athens - Limassol - Haifa/Ashdod - Port Said (Egypt) - Limassol. The Cypriot company Salamis Lines has begun selling tickets for these cruises, including to those traveling one way between Israel and Greece. The cost of sailing is quite high - 250 euros one way, which is 1.5 times more expensive than air travel between these countries. Tickets are sold by Cypriot companies Salamis Lines, Varianos Travel and Israeli Rosenfeld Shipping.

By car

Distance from Athens by road:
from Moscow – 3180 km,
from Sofia – 820 km,
from Bucharest – 1220 km,
from Istanbul – 1135 km.

By bus

Every day Arda Tur buses depart to Thessaloniki from the capital of Bulgaria - Sofia: at 10.00, 12.30, 17.00, 23.30 (the schedule may change and must be clarified in advance!). Travel time is about 6 hours.

By train

Please note, at the end of 2011, international railway traffic with Greece was suspended indefinitely due to the debts of Greek railway workers. In this regard, all trains previously traveling to Greece from Bulgaria, Macedonia and Turkey (and, accordingly, to reverse direction) were cancelled.

On this moment, the Greek government’s plans include the resumption of railway traffic on the Thessaloniki-Belgrade route. However, information on the timing of the resumption of traffic is contradictory. So, initially it was planned to run this train only in the summer (from June 6 to September 28), later information appeared that it would run all year round, starting from April 25, 2014. In any case, when planning a trip to Greece, you should give preference plane, ferry or bus.

Photo and description of Les Baux (translated from the Provençal dialect " high rock") is another Provence commune...

For many years I dreamed of traveling around Greece by train, but each time it turned out that I rented a car. Exactly 25 years after my first visit to Greece (and I first landed in Athens in the summer of 1995), I went to the Thessaloniki train station and bought a train ticket. By all indications, this is one of the most interesting countries world for traveling by train: magnificent Balkan nature, mountains, canyons, wild rivers, architectural monuments, three seas at once. The Greek railway, created in 1869 with the launch of a steam locomotive from the port of Piraeus to Athens, today has a length of 2238 kilometers, of which about 300 kilometers are mountain narrow-gauge railways in the Peloponnese and in the area of Volos. There are also hundreds of tunnels, gorges and bridges, a number of engineering masterpieces of Greek railway workers. Add to this the relatively inexpensive fares for passengers and we have an excellent way to explore ancient Hellas.

It seems that all the compliments are directed at the Greek railway I expressed it. Now I’ll tell you something that Greeks themselves don’t like to talk about with foreigners. About the economic crisis, the bankruptcy of an entire state and the collapse transport infrastructure Greece since 2009. We all remember how suddenly prosperous and sunny Greece appeared on the front pages of all world media due to the crisis. Suddenly the Greeks found themselves owing hundreds of billions of euros to the entire world, their ports and factories were sold to Germany, China and the Emirates, and the Greeks themselves suddenly went from one of the richest nations in Europe to one of the poorest.

Regarding the Greek railway, I will give just a couple of figures: in 2009, the railway generated 3.5 million euros in losses daily, and its total debt reached a fantastic 13 billion euros (15% of Greece's GDP), but in the same year the average annual salary of a Greek railway employee the road cost was a disproportionate 78 thousand euros (source The New York Times), and the driver’s salary was up to 130 thousand euros (source The Daily Mail). Is this a lot or a little? Swiss railway employees have exactly the same salary, but compare the economies of Switzerland and Greece: the GDP per capita of the Swiss is 80 thousand euros in 2017, while the Greeks have only 18 thousand. In other words, the Greek public sector, including the railways, was not only ineffective and plagued by corruption, but also salaries were at the level richest countries world, although the Greek economy did not correspond to this at all. To give a general idea of the situation, I will say that today the average salary in Athens is 1000-1200 euros per month, but here it is five times more.

When the crisis struck, the railway suffered the most. Since 2009, a third of all lines have been closed and today there are practically no trains in the Peloponnese, with the exception of two short narrow-gauge routes for tourists. Also, the line was closed in the north of the country, between Kozani and Florina and also between Volos and Meteora. Moreover, they are currently not functioning international lines to Bulgaria and Macedonia, although tickets are on sale. They will just take you to the border by bus. On this map, routes that are not working today are marked with a dotted line -

I’m telling you this because I didn’t choose the best time to study the Greek railway. But I’m just worried that if I don’t do it now, tomorrow the railway will be closed altogether. Or, at best, they will be “cut down” to a single line between Athens and Thessaloniki. Therefore, let's go!

This Train Station in Thessaloniki -

Tickets can be purchased both at the box office and on the official website OSE.gr. But I don’t see the point of buying a ticket online. Trains are rarely full and you will always buy tickets at the ticket office for the same money -

The average fare is currently one of the lowest in Europe - approximately 1 euro per 15 km of travel. Only neighboring Bulgaria and Romania have less. In our case, travel from Thessaloniki to the town of Edessa, which is 100 km from the departure point, cost 7 euros -

Departures and arrivals timetables are in Greek and English -

For 3 euros you can leave your things in the station storage room -

Our train is like Christmas tree covered with graffiti. Unfortunately, ugly graffiti is a disaster. modern Greece. Hooligans paint everything from monuments to the heroes of the war against Nazism to train carriages -

Overall, modest but clean -

The train departs with about half of the seats unoccupied -

Good-natured drivers allowed us to take photographs from the cab -

Greek stations for the most part are real architectural monuments. Many of them are over 100 years old -

And again this graffiti -

I have never seen such stations before - as if bus stop, where the only passenger stands -

From Thessaloniki to the west, towards Florina there is only one track -

The stations are extremely colorful, but this graffiti and general devastation remind us that the country is in deep crisis -

The train arrives at its destination exactly on schedule, minute by minute. Edessa station, here we get off -

Like many other Greek railway stations, Edessa is like a museum under open air. Here is the ancient infrastructure of the early 20th century and old carriages and switches from the era of our grandfathers -

Impression? I like it. The trains are quite comfortable, although no frills. Departures are exactly on schedule (although passengers said that there are serious delays due to breakdowns on the line), ventilation works, and toilets are available. But the most important thing is the feeling that you have taken a time machine to the distant past. Everything is so old and dilapidated. Not sure if this option is good for ancient Greece, but as a tourist you will definitely enjoy it.

You can get there by plane, ferry, car or bus. Read about the possibility of getting from Russia to Greece by train at the link below. So, you can get to Greece:

By plane

From Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities you can get to, Thessaloniki, Crete (Heraklion), Rhodes and Kos both by direct flight and by flight with transfers.

Direct flights to Greece performed by the following companies:

(from Moscow to Athens);
Aegean Airlines (from Moscow to Athens, Thessaloniki, Rhodes, Crete and Kos);
UTair (from Moscow to Thessaloniki);
State Transport Company "Russia" (from St. Petersburg to Crete);
“Flight” (from Voronezh to Athens and Crete).

Charter flights from various cities of Russia in the period from April to October are carried out to Athens, Thessaloniki, Rhodes, Heraklion, Kos, Kalamata, Corfu, Chania. In summer, the frequency of charter flights increases.

They fly to Athens and the Greek islands European low-cost airlines whose flights can be connected with flights from Russia :

To Athens

Direct flights from Moscow to Athens

- makes a daily flight from Sheremetyevo;
Aegean Airlines - 5 flights per week from Domodedovo;

Connecting flights to Athens The following airlines operate:

Air Serbia (via Belgrade) from Moscow;
AirBaltic (via Riga) from Moscow and St. Petersburg;
Pegasus Airlines (via Istanbul, Sabiha Gokcen).

From Voronezh to Athens

“Flight” - 1 flight per week in the summer.