Getting from Athens to Thessaloniki

If you are heading to Thessaloniki from Athens you are making the most important domestic journey in Greece. Thessaloniki is the second city and, for many Greeks, the better one. It sits at the head of the Thermaic Gulf in northern Greece and has a character shaped by its position at the crossroads of Byzantine, Ottoman and modern Greek history. The food scene is exceptional and widely considered the best in the country. The Byzantine churches are extraordinary, the waterfront stretches for kilometres past the White Tower and the covered market at Modiano is one of the finest in the Mediterranean. The Archaeological Museum holds the gold of the Macedonian kings.

Getting there by air

Both Athens and Thessaloniki have major international airports and the route between them is one of the most heavily served domestic routes in Greece. Aegean Airlines, Olympic Air and Sky Express all operate multiple daily flights with the journey taking around 55 minutes.

Take the ferry

There is a weekly Blue Star ferry from Piraeus to Thessaloniki taking around 27 hours 50 minutes, stopping at Mykonos, Ikaria, Samos, Chios, Lesvos and Limnos along the way. It is not a practical option for most travellers but if you want to see the northern Aegean island chain in one crossing it is a remarkable journey.

Take the train or drive

The Hellenic Train intercity service from Athens Larissa station to Thessaloniki takes around 4 to 4.5 hours and is a genuinely good journey through central Greece. If you are travelling with a car, the drive via the E75 motorway takes around 5 hours and is one of the more straightforward long drives in Greece.

Your best option

Fly if time matters. The train is worth it if you want the journey to be part of the experience, and the drive makes sense if you need a car in Thessaloniki or are continuing further north.