Say those who like to travel: “If you want to meet a city, its inhabitants, its habits, the good and the bad sides of everyday life, you have to take a ride on public transport at least once and feel the spirit of local life.” With this idea, but also with the idea of saving money and time, below we suggest alternative ways of visiting Thessaloniki without using cars.

This will be a detailed guide to the tour of Thessaloniki by public transport, but we will also mention the option of a taxi that is not expensive.

Public transport in Thessaloniki is the best option for city trips

We begin by presenting the Lines of Public City Transport of Thessaloniki (ΟΑΣΘ – OASTH) and first we will present to you the “queen” among them – line No. 50 known as cultural line (line map in figure 2).

Line 50 - cultural line

The so-called “cultural line”, which begins and ends at the White Tower, has 15 extremely important stations leading to the heart of the historic part of Thessaloniki. The Historic Centre and Ano Polly (Upper Town) reveal the glamour of their ancient, Hellenic, Roman and Byzantine times. With modern constructions of the urban part of Thessaloniki, the “remnants” of glorious times, such as Roman tetrarhya, but also tragic moments like the 1917 fire… Then, the coexistence of Armenians, Jews, Greeks and Turks is evident at every turn, as witnessed by byzantine churches, Christian temples, hammams and cemeteries that dominate the tour. This is a city that provides a variety of facilities, and it is best not to think about parking, driving, traffic jams, regulations and to visit everything by public transport. Whether you’re coming in your car or without a car, this option is great.
During this route of Thessaloniki’s public transport, monuments and curiosities are described in Greek and English, while a friendly companion provides additional information to passengers.

To go to Ano Polly is the ideal route, and the station you need to get down to is: Agii Anarghiri. On the way back, you wait for the bus at the station: Platanas (more information in “What to visit in Thessaloniki”).

This line number 50, Thessaloniki’s public transport, is open daily.

  • Departures start at 9:30 and end at 3:00 p.m. during winter, while in summer the first departure is at 8:00 and the last at 7:00 p.m.
  • The full price of the ticket is 1.80€, while the discount is €0.90. For this shuttle line, tickets for an unlimited number of transfers are valid.
  • More information is available on oasth.gr

Some of Thessaloniki’s public transport lines that may be useful to you:

  • To the long-distance bus station (KTEL) from Egnatia and vice versa: line 2K.
  • The Bus Station for Halkidiki (KTEL Chalkidikis) from Egnatia takes you to line no. 45.
  • Directly from the airport to the city center, and vice versa, line no. 01X. While 01N is a night line to and from the Airport. Tickets for this line cost €1.80, while discounted €0.90.
  • To and from Ikea Shopping Mall from Egnatia you can use line 2K.

Some of the lines you can use to tour the city are:

  • Line No 24. The station where you’re waiting for the bus is Platia Aristotle, and you’re coming down at the last stop, T.S. Hillion Dandron. On the exclusion from the Thessaloniki bypass for Agios Paulos, it is located in the same area and a temple dedicated to St. Paul, just above Agiasma (The Holy Source) of Apostle Paul (more information in “What to visit in Thessaloniki”).
  • Lines No. 2K, 5, 6. Can take you to the east part – Kalamaria and Nea Krini, where the beautiful Marina Aretsou is located (more information in “What to visit in Thessaloniki”).
  • Line No. 58. It will take you from the city centre to the suburb of Panorama (more information in “What to visit in Thessaloniki”).

One of the best ways to visit Thessaloniki is to park your car somewhere and ride the bus.

  • Lines No. 69 (Epanomi) and 72 (N. Michanonia). From Ikea Shopping Mall you can take one of these lines to the first beaches in the eastern part of Thessaloniki.
  • Line No. 70 operates during the summer and drives towards Epanomi from the city centre (more information in “What to visit in Thessaloniki”).

Metro/subway in Thessaloniki

After 4 decades of operation, the metro will be operational in Thessaloniki from November 30, 2024.
You can see where the line goes in the photo. The red line is the one that has been put into operation, and the blue line is the part that is still under construction.

  • The price of a basic regular one-way ticket on any bus line and metro line is 0.60 euros (reduced by 0.30 euros). The ticket is valid for 70 minutes.
  • The price of a set of basic tickets 10+1 for city buses and metro is 5.80 euros (reduced by 2.90 euros).
  • Children under 6 years old do not pay a ticket.
  • Reduced prices apply to children and young people aged 6 to 18. You can claim the right to a reduced ticket by showing your passport or ID when purchasing a discounted ticket.

For details about the metro, see HERE.

An interesting and novel feature is that the Thessaloniki metro, following the example of the Athens metro, will also include a museum where artifacts found during the construction of the metro will be exhibited. Thus, the metro can be a very interesting option for getting to know the cultural and historical heritage of Thessaloniki. Another reason for a nice ride. Find out more about what was discovered on which metro route here: Archaeological treasure discovered during the construction of the Thessaloniki metro: from the ancient past to the present day (with many photos).

Thessaloniki Public Transport Prices

The price of a basic one-way regular ticket on any bus line is 0.90€, while the discount is 0.45€. A 70-minute ticket for two stops is €1.10, while a discounted ticket is €0.55. A 90-minute ticket for three stops, up to and from each direction, is €1.30. The discounted ticket is €0.70. A 120-minute ticket for four stops is €1.80, and the discounted variant is €0.90.

Who pays the regular ticket price and who pays the discount on public transport in Thessaloniki?
The discounted price of tickets for public transport in Thessaloniki applies to children aged 7 to 12 and young people aged 13 to 18 as well as older than 65.
For the issuance of this ticket, it is necessary to attach an ID confirming age and identity. In any case, make sure you have your passports with you. Children up to 6 years old have free transportation. Tickets are purchased at newsstands and cancelled on the bus.
Careful ! Prepare precise change (coins), because the appliances on the buses don’t return the change. More information on the site: oasth.gr

Options for visiting Thessaloniki

Sight Seeing Thessaloniki is an exclusive tour of the city. Open buses that you can visit numerous monuments of Thessaloniki (the route you take is pictured at number 3). Information on the most important facts related to the history of the city, with audio commentary in 8 different languages. An authentic way to tour the city at affordable prices. The starting and finishing stations are the White Tower. The timetable is from 9.10 am to 4.00pm (November - March) and from 9.10 am to 9.00pm (March - October).

A one-day ticket for an adult (16 years and up) costs €10, while a child ticket (5 - 15 years) is €5. Children under 4 years old are free.

A two-day ticket for adults 16 and over is 18 euros, for children 5 - 15 years is 8 euros, while for children under 4 years of age, the ticket is free. Tickets are purchased at the starting station. More information on thessaloniki-sightseeing.com

Thessaloniki taxi tour

When it comes to using taxis to move around the city, there is an official tariff of the Taxi Association of Thessaloniki. Prices range from €1.90/start (minimum fare is €3.16, km in the city is 0.68, out of town €1.19 – city limit is Ring Road, Thessaloniki bypass to Halkidiki) up to €18 from The Airport to the city centre and vice versa. In the photo, you can see a detailed overview of Thessaloniki’s official taxi price list.

It should be noted that many taxi drivers are willing to give better, unofficial prices. One of them is Athanasios Sakis Makantasis, who meets our tourists. It offers a ride outside Thessaloniki, at a cost of €0.90/km instead of €1.19, which is the official price. Mr Sakis can be contacted by phone: +30 6971 806 608.

If you plan to go to Thessaloniki and you could use more information about this city, such as places to visit, where good food is, how best to navigate the city, see our Thessaloniki Guide .

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