Greece, Thessaloniki, Tips & advice

How to get from Thessaloniki to KTEL Halkidiki for Kassandra, Sithonia or Ouranoupoli

RiA
25 August, 2019
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Halkidiki in Greece is a great place to visit on a solo travel trip. It’s not far from the city of Thessaloniki and along its three peninsulas you’ll find beautiful beaches, lush greenery with pretty villages or bustling resorts. If you’re planning to get to one of Halkidiki’s legs, here’s how to get from Thessaloniki to KTEL Halkidiki for Kassandra, Sithonia or Ouranoupoli.

KTEL buses

As you wander around the city of Thessaloniki, you’ll see the bright white buses with yellow, blue and red patterns. To get to the KTEL Halkidiki bus station you have to catch the 45, 45A or 45B bus from either the Macedonia Bus station or at one of the stops along Egnatia street.

If you’re closer to Egnatia then you need to find either bus stop Kamara (bus stop number 01052) or Kolombro (bus stop number 01307). Look for the direction of Mediterranean Cosmos.

Even though it was a weekday and during the day so not at the most busiest times, the bus was packed! If you have luggage you may find it more difficult to board.

Bus schedules

The buses are not very frequent at all! I referred to the schedule for the all morning on the day I was leaving but there was no real consistency in timing. The Oasth website is great for up-to-the-minute bus schedules. I left on a week day and the buses were about every 40 minutes to an hour.

Bus tickets

Purchase tickets once you board he bus. At the time I travelled it was under €2 to get from Thessaloniki centre to KTEL Halkidiki. There are usually two machines, both in the middle of the bus.

Be prepared

Be prepared to wait either at the bus stop in Thessaloniki or even when you get to the KTEL Halkidiki. When I went to look for the bus stop I needed ahead of time (I was staying a few minutes walk away) the same people I saw waiting were still at the bus stop when I went to catch the bus. The bus came shortly after that so the live timetable helped.

KTEL Halkidiki bus station

Once you get the the KTEL Halkidiki bus and coach station you’ll find the ticket office inside with a small waiting room and then another room that has a shop and got food counter.

There are toilets close to the ticket and information desk. All the Thessaloniki buses will drop you off and leave from the same side of the building. All buses to the “Halkidiki Legs” leave from the other side of the building.

Other useful routes

If you’re coming from any of the Halkidiki three legs straight to Thessaloniki Macedonia Airport, there is no there is no direct bus. You’ll have to go back to the KTEL Halkidiki bus station and then take the number 36 bus (direction IKEA). From there, take the 79 bus to the airport.

You should take bus number 78 from Thessaloniki Macedonia Airport which will take you to the bus stop at IKEA. From IKEA take the 36 bus to the KTEL Halkidiki for bused to Halkidiki’s three legs.

Hope that helps if you’re thinking of going to Halkidiki. Tell me about your plans or experiences of this journey. Please share them below in the comments!

Check out a few of my tips to help along the way…

Tips

The KTEL Halkidiki buses can be a little infrequent. Get the bus before the one you actually need as it’s best to be on the safe side in case there’s a lot of traffic.
Use the Oasth website to plan your trip from Thessaloniki to KTEL Halkidiki. It has real time bus timetables.
The ticket machines onboard the buses don’t give any change. Make sure you have loose coins or the right change.
At KTEL Halkidiki there are no announcements in English. Make sure you know the time of your bus.
Check out the KTEL Chalkidikis bus website to get an idea of all the stops the buses make on each of the Halkidiki legs. This website is useful when looking at accommodation and you can book your bus ticket through the website as I did.