This page explains how to travel by train from Athens & Greece to other European cities, and how to buy the cheapest tickets.  Click here to for journeys starting in another city.  Information current for 2024.

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Before you buy your tickets

Take a moment to read these tips for buying European train tickets.  It answers all the usual questions, "Do I need to book in advance or can I just buy at the station?", "Can I stop off?", "Are there Senior fares?" and that old favourite, "Should I buy an $800 railpass or just buy a €35 point-to-point ticket online?".  Click here to understand how far ahead you can buy train tickets.

European train travel FAQ

Athens to Larissa, Thessaloniki, Kalambaka

• Greek domestic trains are an excellent and very scenic way to travel between Athens, Larissa, Kalambaka (Meteora) and Thessaloniki (Salonika) - see the photos of the journey on the London to Greece page.

• You can book trains at the Greek Railways website, www.hellenictrain.gr.

  Change Γλώσσα to English top right.

  Class B = 2nd class,  class A = 1st class. 

  It even allows you to select your seat from a seat map.  You print your own tickets. .

• You may find it easier to buy Greek train tickets between Athens & Thessaloniki at 12go.com.

  12go.com are a reliable train, bus & ferry agency.  Place are confirmed within 24h and tickets emailed to you.

• You'll also find a combined train-bus service between Athens and Patras for ferries to Italy.

What's the journey like?  Athens to Thessaloniki by train:  Modern air-conditioned InterCity trains link Thessaloniki (Salonika) with Athens in as little as 3h57 after a speed-up in 2019, with new or upgraded sections of line coming into use.  The fare is just €45 in 2nd class or €55 in 1st class, even bought on the day, and there's superb scenery past Mt Olympus south of Thessaloniki and in the mountains between Larissa & Athens.

Trains leave from Athens' main (Larissa) station...  The train has comfortable 1st & 2nd class seats (2nd class above left) and a cafe car.  Interior photos courtesy of Dave Roberts.

A Thessaloniki to Athens InterCity train.  The carriages are modern and air-conditioned.  The photo above right shows the new colour scheme introduced when the service was speeded up in July 2019.  Photos courtesy of Rosie Maguire.  Larger seats photo.

South of Larissa, the train ascends a spectacular escarpment (above right), with the Greek plain laid out hundreds of feet below.  This section is by-passed from the speed-up in May 2019.

View of the Parnassus mountains from the train.  Courtesy of Laurent Faurite.

The train snakes through the mountains, over the Gorgopotamos viaduct, blown up by the S.O.E. in WW2.  This section is sadly by-passed by all fast trains as from May 2019.		Approaching Thessaloniki, the InterCity train runs along the Aegean coast and past Mount Olympus (seen above, from the train), mythical home of the Greek gods...

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Athens to Crete, Rhodes & other Greek islands

• Ferries link Piraeus (the port of Athens) to Rhodes, Crete & other islands.  Athens is linked to Piraeus by metro train.

• See www.ferriesingreece.com for Greek island ferries, without having to know which operator runs which route.

Athens to other countries by train

Here's the problem:  Greece used to have two daily international trains, a sleeper from Thessaloniki to Skopje and Belgrade, and a day train from Thessaloniki to Sofia.  These were all cancelled in February 2011 due to the Greek government's dire financial state.  They were partially restored in 2014, but none are now running.  Adding to this, there are now no trains from Belgrade to anywhere west.  The Balkans have, well, balkanised. 

For destinations in western & central Europe, it's best to sail to Italy by ferry then take a train, see the next section.

If you really want to travel overland, Sofia has rail connections with the rest of the world, so your best bet with the least bus travel required is to head for Sofia and change there for all points west.  Indeed, by using a bus to Blagoevgrad in southern Bulgaria then a train to Sofia you can minimise bus travel.

Athens to Sofia for all points west

Option 1, by train to Thessaloniki, then bus.

• Step 1, travel from Athens to Thessaloniki by train, as shown above.

  Trains link Athens with Thessaloniki every couple of hours, journey time as little as 4h after a significant speed-up in 2019.  It's a wonderfully scenic ride, past the mountains south of Larissa, then past Mount Olympus and along the Aegean, see the photos & information above. 

  The fare is €45 in 2nd class or €55 in 1st class, you can buy tickets from Athens to Thessaloniki either at the station or at www.hellenictrain.gr with print-at-home tickets, see the step-by-step advice on using it here.

• Step 2, take a bus from Thessaloniki to Sofia, journey time around 5h, see www.flixbus.com.
• Step 3, for onward travel from Sofia to Bucharest, Budapest, Vienna etc., see the Trains from Sofia page.

Option 2, by train to Thessaloniki, then bus+train to Sofia - more interesting, less time in a bus.

• Step 1, travel from Athens to Thessaloniki by train, as shown above.

  Trains link Athens with Thessaloniki every couple of hours, journey time as little as 4h after a significant speed-up in 2019.  It's a wonderfully scenic ride, past the mountains south of Larissa, then past Mount Olympus and along the Aegean, see the photos & information above. 

  The fare is €45 in 2nd class or €55 in 1st class, you can buy tickets from Athens to Thessaloniki either at the station or at www.hellenictrain.gr with print-at-home tickets, see the step-by-step advice on using it here.

• Step 2, travel from Thessaloniki to Blagoevgrad by bus.

  3 buses a day, journey time 3-4h, fare around €9, check times & buy a ticket at ardatur.bg.

  In Blagoevgrad, the bus drops you at a bus stop on the main road just outside the station.  More about Blagoevgrad at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blagoevgrad.

• Step 3, travel from Blagoevgrad to Sofia Central by train.

  Journey time around 2h10-2h30 by fast train, fare around €5.

  Check times & buy a ticket at the Bulgarian Railways website www.bdz.bg.

  Times vary so check for yourself, but for example you may find an 08:00 bus from outside Thessaloniki railway station which connects with a 12:45 train from Blagoevgrad station, arriving Sofia Central at 14:55.

• Step 4, for onward travel from Sofia to Bucharest, Budapest, Vienna and so on, see the Trains from Sofia page.

• Day 2 & 3, take onward trains from Rome or Milan as follows.

  For London, travel to Milan, stay overnight, then travel to Paris & London as shown on the London to Greece page, arriving Day 3.

  For Paris, travel to Milan, stay overnight, and catch a TGV or Frecciarossa to Paris as shown here, arriving Day 3.

  For Brussels, travel to Rome and take the Nightjet sleeper train to Munich then onward trains as shown here, arriving Day 3.

  For Amsterdam, travel to Rome and take the Nightjet sleeper train to Munich then onward trains as shown here, arriving Day 3.

  For Switzerland, travel to Milan, stay overnight and travel to Switzerland by EuroCity train next day, arriving late evening Day 3.

  For Germany, travel to Rome and take the Nightjet sleeper train to Munich then onward trains to Frankfurt, Berlin and so on, as shown here.

  For Austria, travel to Rome and take the Nightjet sleeper train to Vienna or Salzburg as shown here, arriving next morning (Day 3).

  For Budapest, travel to Rome and take the Nightjet sleeper train to Vienna & onward train as shown here, arriving next day (Day 3).

  For Bratislava, travel to Rome and take the Nightjet sleeper train to Vienna & onward train as shown here, arriving next day (Day 3).

  For Prague, travel to Rome and take the Nightjet sleeper train to Vienna & onward train as shown here, arriving next morning (Day 3).

  For Barcelona & Spain, travel to Milan then to Spain as shown here.

  See suggested hotels in Milan.

• The London to Greece page explains train and ferry times, prices and how to buy tickets for the journey in either direction between Athens, Bari/Venice, Milan, Paris & London.

1. Athens to Patras by train & bus

Athens station.		By train from Athens to Kiato.

The train crosses the Corinth Canal.		Kiato to Patras by connecting bus.

2. Patras to Bari overnight by ferry

The ferry Superfast II at Bari.  Photos courtesy of DiscoverByRail.com.

The passenger gangway, onto the ferry.		Reception desk & lounge on the ferry.

Lounge and bar on the Superfast II.		Self-service restaurant.

Private cabin with en suite toilet & shower.

The ferry outside Patras port.

Athens to Istanbul & Turkey

Option 1, by ferry via a Greek island

• Step 1, take a ferry from Piraeus (the port of Athens) to Rhodes, see www.ferriesingreece.com.

• Step 2, take a ferry from Rhodes to Marmaris in Southern Turkey, see www.ferriesingreece.com. 

• Step 3, take a bus from Marmaris to other Turkish cities.

Option 2, by train via Thessaloniki & Sofia

• Step 1, travel from Athens to Thessaloniki by intercity train in as little as 4 hours, check times & buy a ticket at the Greek Railways website www.hellenictrain.gr.

• Stay overnight in Thessaloniki.

• Step 2, take a bus from Thessaloniki to Sofia, journey time 5h, see www.flixbus.com.

  There should be a daily direct train, but due to Greece's problems it now only runs within Bulgaria.

• Step 3, travel from Sofia to Istanbul by daily overnight train as shown on the Sofia to Istanbul page.

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Find hotels

My favourite hotel search: www.booking.com Booking.com is my favourite hotel booking site and I generally use it to book all my hotels in one place.  I've come to trust booking.com's review scores, you won't be disappointed with any hotel that scores 8.0 or more.  Crucially, booking.com usually lets you book with free cancellation, which means you can confirm accommodation risk-free before train booking opens and/or you can hold accommodation while you finalise your itinerary and alter your plans as they evolve - a feature I use all the time when planning a trip.  I never book hotels non-refundably!

Backpacker hostels

www.hostelworld.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.

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Travel insurance & VPN

Always take out travel insurance

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

  www.staysure.co.uk offers enhanced Covid-19 protection & gets 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot.

  www.columbusdirect.com is also a well-know brand.

  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list.  Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data.

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:  1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card, they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  Why you need a VPN

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explained.  ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I get a small commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from buy from Amazon.com.

 

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