Thessaloniki

The Thessaloniki Airport Makedonia (SKG), in the area of Mikra, is the second largest airport of Greece and is linked with most destinations of Europe and Balkan countries in particular. Getting from the airport to the city centre will take you from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the traffic. You can go to the centre of Thessaloniki using bus route X1 “KTEL – Airport”. It runs every 30-ish minutes and it takes approximately 45 minutes. You can buy a ticket at the kiosk before boarding or pay using a machine inside the bus (90 cents, exact change).

Is Thessaloniki the same as Thessalonica? Yes. Thessalonica was the most common spelling in early 20th century, which later changed to Salonika, and finally to the version we have now. In English, the city can be called Thessaloniki, Salonika, Thessalonica, Salonica, Thessalonika, Saloniki, Thessalonike, or Thessalonice. Is Thessaloniki in northern Greece? Yes. Thessaloniki is located at the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea, on the Thermaic Gulf. But 'north' does not mean 'cold'! Expect sunny weather and perfect beach conditions from April to late September. Are there beaches in Thessaloniki? There are no beaches in the city centre, since Thessaloniki is a real port city. However, you can easily reach sandy beaches by boat, car or bus. Alternatively, explore the Halkidiki area after a few days in the city. Thessaloniki's Macedonia airport is very well connected.

You can cover most of the distances in the city on foot or using local buses. Tickets can be bought either at the kiosks or from the vending machines on the bus (90 cents, exact change). If you buy the ticket on the bus, remember to have coins. All tickets must be validated and are usable for 70 minutes. Various kinds of day passes are also available. Google Maps is blissfully unaware of the bus system in Thessaloniki, so you'll have to install an app like Moovit to figure out how to get places.

Uber does operate in Thessaloniki, but it's simply used to call a municipal taxi to your location and does not give you a cost estimate. From the smaller streets, taxis can be hailed whenever you need one. On the major city streets, there are points signed "TAXI". You also find taxis standing on piazzas or outside the hotels. You can also book online through Taxi Way.

Each pharmacy in Thessaloniki has a notice in the window showing which ones are open out of normal hours and their addresses. Wherever there is a doctor, you may see a sign with a cross most of the times. On some signs, there are also phone numbers to the emergency room.

Country code: +30 Area code: 231

230 V, 50 Hz Power outlets type C and F — the usual European ones.