Thessaloniki Airport BUS

All You Need To Know About Buses At Thessaloniki Airport (SKG)

Thessaloniki, which is Greece’s second largest city, is located a fairly long distance from the nearest airport, at about 9.3 miles (or 15 kilometers). Travelers will have to rely on transportation to get between the two locations, and one option you can consider is taking a bus.

There are a few benefits that you might get to experience when taking the bus to get into Thessaloniki, in particular the fact that it’s by far the cheapest option for this trip – especially when you compare it to the more expensive choices of getting in taxi or having a rental car.

But you will see that there are also some downsides associated with taking the bus for this journey. For example, luggage space under the bus will be limited because you’ll be sharing it with other passengers, and there might not be much room for your bags if you are traveling at a busy time when several flights have just landed. If you have a lot of suitcases and other items, you may want to consider other transportation, like renting a car or taking a taxi.
And because you’ll be sharing the bus with other fliers, this means it’s the transportation method with the least privacy. Similarly, if the journey is happening at a peak travel time during the day, the number of seats might be limited and you may even have to wait for the next bus.

Finding the airport bus station and buying your ticket

If you would like to take the bus to get from the airport to Thessaloniki, it’s easy to find. Once you have landed and gone through security and collected your suitcases, look for signs in the airport directing you to the bus waiting area, which is located outside of the main terminal. Ask a member of the airport staff to direct you if you’re having any issues finding the location.

Once you are at the bus stop, you will see a kiosk – this is where you can purchase your ticket for your one-way trip to the city, which you can pay for in cash or with a debit or credit card.

It is strongly recommended that you buy your ticket for the trip before boarding the bus. But if you forget to do so, there are machines available on board that you can use to purchase the ticket, although unlike the kiosk at the bus stop, these machines cannot give you any change.

You will also need to validate your bus ticket during your journey, and you can do this by looking for a small orange machine, typically located close to the driver’s seat. Simply slide your ticket into the opening on the machine and it will be stamped, meaning the ticket is validated. Having a validated ticket is important in case officials later board the bus and ask to see your ticket, because the stamp will show that you have paid for and verified your journey.

Important details about airport bus fares, times and more

There are two bus routes that take passengers from the airport to several stops along the way to Thessaloniki.

• The 01X bus operates between roughly 6am and 10pm.
• The 01N bus is available outside of those hours.

You should be able to find a bus to take you to the city even if your flight is delayed and ends up landing very late at night or early in the morning.

Be aware that the waiting time to board a bus at the airport can sometimes run between 30 minutes to an hour, particularly if you have just missed the most recent departing bus. You should factor this waiting time into any time-sensitive plans that you might have later in the city.

One-way tickets to get from the airport to downtown are priced €2 for adults, but only €1 for children between the ages of 7 and 18 or for adults over the age of 65. If there are any children in your traveling group that are aged 6 or younger then they can ride the bus for free.

Expect the travel time from Thessaloniki Airport to the city center to be about 1 hour and 10 minutes, although it can be even longer if you’re riding at a very busy time like rush hour. Buses are the slowest transportation option because they will make several stops on the way to the city, and passengers getting off at those stops need time to disembark and get their bags.