KTEL Chalkidikis bus station, Thessaloniki

Buses for destinations in Halkidiki (except Olympiada) depart
from the KTEL Chalkidikis bus station in the Thessaloniki suburb
Pylaia (Πυλαία), 10 km southeast of the city centre.

It is located just east of Motorway A24, the city's
eastern beltway (inner ring road), near the 9 km
Ano Toumba (Άνω Τούμπα) turn-off.

Tel: (+30) 2310 316555

Strangely, the KTEL Chalkidikis website makes no mention
of the bus station, it is not on its lists of destinations or its
small route map (which does not even include Thessaloniki).
However, there are directions to the unnamed bus station
under "Getting here from..." on its "contact us" page.

You can get to the bus station from Thessaloniki Airport
and other places in the city by local buses run by
OASTH (ΟΑΣΘ, Organization of Urban Transportation
of Thessaloniki). Its website has information about
timetables and routes in Greek and English:

From Thessaloniki airport

Take the OASTH X1 bus (at night N1) to IKEA
(large suburban shopping centre), then change
to the 36 bus to the KTEL Chalkidikis bus station.

Journey time: around 30-40 minutes, depending on traffic.

The airport bus fare is 2 Euro.
Other local buses cost 1 Euro.

Bus tickets can be purchased from a ticket booth at the
airport bus stop, directly in front of the arrivals entrance,
or from ticket machines on the bus (correct change needed).

From Thessaloniki city centre

OASTH bus 45
runs from the KTEL Macedonia inter-city bus station,
5 km west of the city centre, eastwards to the
railway station, through the centre and on
to the KTEL Chalkidikis bus station.

There is a bus stop for the 45 (also 45a) on Egnatias Odos
in the city centre, just to the west of Aristotelis Square.

The bus destination is "KTEL Halkidikis KOSMOS".
"Kosmos" is a huge suburban shopping centre
near the bus station.

Journey times:
from KTEL Macedonia inter-city bus station 1 hour;
from the train station 40 minutes;
from the centre around 30 minutes.

Taxis

Buses Thessaloniki - Polygyros

Buses leave around once an hour for the seaside resort Gerakini,
stopping at Polygyros bus station. Journey time about 1.5 hours.

Polygyros bus station is 10 minutes walk north of the town centre.

Monday - Saturday:
6:30, 9:30, 11:15, 12:45, 14:30, 17:45, 20:00

Buses Polygyros - Thessaloniki

Monday - Saturday:
8:00, 9:30, 13:00, 14:30, 18:00, 20:15

Bus fare Thessaloniki - Polygyros: one-way € 6.90

1. Greek bus company websites

The KTEL Chalkidikis website is exceptional and exemplary in Greece in that it provides clear simple information in Greek and English. Tough luck, however, for passengers and tourists from countries where other languages are spoken. Some timetables inexplicably open in separate pop-up windows (very old fashioned).

Information about bus destinations is grouped according to the three end points of the routes, from west to east: the Kassandra peninsula, the Sithonia peninsula and Ouranoupoli on the border with the Athos peninsula (the monasteries of the "monk's republic", see Facts and figures for Macedonia, Greece), beyond which there are no buses. Towns and villages along the way are listed in alphabetical order rather their relative positions along routes.

If you want to travel to a place not on one of the pensinsulas or "prongs" of Halkidiki (see map above), for example Polygyros or Stratoni, you have to read through the three lists to find your destination.

The Greek word for timetables, dromologia (δρομολόγια), is usually translated on Greek travel service websites as "routes", although actual route information is rarely provided. The KTEL Chalkidikis website has a small map of Halkidiki showing principal roads as well as towns and villages along routes, which is quite helpful. However, bus stops at smaller places are not marked or mentioned. If you wish to visit an out-of-the-way archaeological site or your hotel is outside a village, you have to enquire by phone or ask at a bus station.

Another problem for travellers is how to get from a place on one bus route to somewhere on another route. Where are the points of connection? Some places in Halkidiki remain beyond the reach of the routes, and for some reason there is no bus connection between Olympiada and Ancient Stageira and other towns in Halkidiki.

Even this website could benefit from a few simple improvements, which would help passengers immensely. On the whole, though, it is one of the best bus company websites in Greece. Other companies could learn from it and make a little more effort to provide customers with better information.

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