PLEASE NOTE

Since December 2014, buses from Thessaloniki to Asprovalta and Olympiada
no longer arrive and depart from the KTEL Thessaloniki bus station in the city centre.

Buses between Thessaloniki and Olympiada are on the route to the seaside resort of Asprovalta, 78 km east of the city.

The route is:

Thessaloniki - Rentina - Stavros (change bus for Olympiada) -
Nea Vrasna - Asprovalta

(Information about these place below.)

Two buses a day travel to Olympiada via Stavros (15 km north of Olympiada). Usually you must change buses at Stavros.

See timetables and details below.

Buses on this route are operated by KTEL Thessaloniki bus company and arrive and depart from the large KTEL "Macedonia"
inter-city bus station, 5 km west of the city centre (see How to get to Macedonia: Bus stations for details and directions).

The KTEL Thessaloniki website, with timetables and fares,
in Greek and English:

www.ktelthes.gr/en/routes/municipality-of-thessaloniki.

Ticket office: +30 2310 595447, +30 2310 595449
Parcel services: +30 2310 595470

Timetable and ticket information is now also available
in Greek and English at the KTEL Macedonia website:

ktelmacedonia.gr/en/routes/tid=14

Neither website includes information about the routes taken by buses or the bus stops along the way.

Timetables and bus routes change from season to season according to mysterious bus company logic. Sometimes there are more buses than are shown on the schedules, particular in high summer (July - August). In winter (October - April) there are far fewer buses.

You buy your ticket at the KTEL Thessaloniki ticket booth inside the bus station, and the staff will tell you the number of the bus bay in the departures hall. The buses are orange and white, and the destination is usually written on a board in the front window. Tickets include your reserved seat number written in Greek, so ask about your seat number. There are toilets (free of charge), cafes, shops and a bakery in the bus station.

The ticket office is open every day 6:45 - 21:00.

All these buses currently travel on the old National Road EO2 (see below), along the south of Koroneia and Bolbi lakes, stopping at Nea Apollonia and other villages on the way.

Buses between Thessaloniki and Olympiada

Summer 2019

Every day: Thessaloniki - Rentina - Stavros - Olympiada

Thessaloniki - Olympiada

Monday-Saturday 5:30, 12:00

Olympiada - Thessaloniki

Monday-Saturday 7:15, 14:15

From Thessaloniki you must usually take the Asprovalta bus (see below) and change at Stavros for Olympiada. The bus from Stavros waits for the bus from Thessaloniki, which takes around 2 hours.

If you are in Stavros (see below), the bus stop is at the south end of the road through the town, near the roundabout. Tickets to Olympiada can be purchased from the newspaper kiosk (periptero) at the bus stop or on the bus.

The journey between Stavros and Olympiada is around 15-20 minutes.

In high season (July - August) there are sometimes direct buses from Thessaloniki to Olympiada.

Buses stop at the main square of Olympiada village (see Olympiada gallery page 4) and return to Stavros after a 5 minute stop.

From the main square it is just 10 minutes walk to the site of Ancient Stageira (see Ancient Stageira gallery pages 1-7).

Buses between Thessaloniki and Asprovalta

Summer 2019

Every day: Thessaloniki - Rentina - Stavros - Nea Vrasna - Asprovalta

Some buses turn off the main road (National Road EO2) to stop at villages such as Nea Apollonia along the way. These diversions are usually only a few kilometres and increase the journey time slightly, but provide an important service to local people.

Olympiada, Asprovalta and other places on this route are not connected by bus to other towns
and villages in Halkidiki which are served by a different bus company and bus station.

None of the small seaside resorts north of Olympiada have have any particular tourist attractions, but are pleasant, relaxed stop-offs for travellers.

Stavros

(Σταυρός)

Around 70 km east of Thessaloniki (depending on route).
15 km north of Olympiada.
7 km west of Asprovalta.

The small seaside resort town Stavros (Σταυρός) stands on the road running along the coastal strip south from the west-east National Road EO2 (see below). After Stavros the coastal road continues southwards along the east coast of Halkidiki to Olympiada and on to Mount Athos.

It is a relaxed low-key resort, catering mainly for holidaymakers from Russia and Balkan and eastern Europan countries, mostly families. Accommodation consists of small hotels, pensions and apartments, which are quite full in summer. The beaches are among the woods at the south end of the town.

There is a small port, several shops, restaurants, bars, a post office and a bank (National Bank of Greece, 17 Papandreou Georgiou Street). Many of the shops close during the afternoon. There is a street market (bazaar) every Thursday morning at Ano Stavros, the upper part of the town.

BUS STOPS

Buses from Thessaloniki run to the south end of the town. If you have to change bus for Olympiada, get off here.

Information about buses to Olympiada is available at the newspaper kiosk (periptero) on the main street opposite the town hall, where the bus stops. You buy your ticket on the bus.

Direct buses for Olympiada continue south from here along the coast road.

Vrasna, Nea Vrasna and Asprovalta

(Βρασνά, Νέα Βρασνά, Ασπροβάλτα)

North of Stavros, the National Road EO2 runs along the coast northeastwards to the mouth of the Strymon River (24 km). The villages of Nea Vrasna and Asprovalta spread out along a 10 km stretch of excellent sandy beach to the east of the road.

They are nothing like traditional Greek villages, rather a modern ribbon development. It is difficult to see where one settlement ends and another begins. Groups of holiday homes built by people from Thessaloniki have been extended over the years, with the addition of small hotels and holiday apartments. As in Stavros and many other resorts in northern Greece, most of the holidaymakers are familes from the Balkans and eastern Europe.

BUS STOPS

Buses from Thessaloniki to Asprovalta run right to the end of the village, turn around and then head back for the city.

There are KTEL Thessaloniki bus stops around every 1.5 km along the road.

There are printed timetables for this service in Greek at some bus stops along the route, but there is no further information available at Asprovalta or Nea Vrasna.

Vrasna

(Βρασνά) also known as Upper Vrasna (Ανο Βρασνά, Ano Vrasna)

A small traditional village, 4.5 km north of and uphill from Vrasna Beach and 3 km north of National Road EO2. At the turn-off there is a bus stop for the Thessaloniki-Asprovalta bus. There are no buses up to the village.

The attractive village has a small shop, a taverna, a cafe, an old church and the ruin of a Byzantine tower.

(Παραλία Βρασνά, Paralia Vrasna and Νέα Βρασνά, Nea Vrasna)

Asprovalta

(Ασπροβάλτα)

If there is a centre for this area it is Asprovalta. It has the most shops (small supermarkets, bakeries and an international press shop), bars and restaurants, two banks and a small tourist information office (19:00 - 21:00, summer only). Most businesses are on the main road and in the side streets. The post office and a tiny ethnological museum are on the sea front.

Beyond Asprovalta: Argilos, Nea Kerdillia and Amphipolis

Some - but ever fewer - buses from Kavala and Serres to Thessaloniki travel along the National Road EO2 and stop at Asprovalta and Nea Vrasna and near Stavros (on the main road outside the town).

Bus connections between Asprovalta and other towns to the east (East Macedonia and Thrace) have been drastically reduced since the opening of the new "Odos Egnatia" motorway (see below).

Before the motorway, all buses travelling the coastal route east of Thessaloniki used to pass through Asprovalta. Now most by-pass it.

In winter, when there are fewer buses anyway, the situation is worse.

Bus connections to/from Kavala

Bus connections to/from Serres and Drama

Buses between Thessaloniki (from the Macedonia KTEL inter-city bus station) and Serres are operated by KTEL N. Serres (ΚΤΕΛ Ν. Σερρών).

Tel: +30 2310 22822 and +30 2310 14505

Booking office at Thessaloniki KTEL Macedonia bus station: +30 2310 595446

From personal experience, I have found these telephone lines continually busy.

Website: www.ktelserron.gr (Greek only)

Timetable and ticket information is also available in Greek and English at the KTEL Macedonia website:

ktelmacedonia.gr/en/routes/list/tid=33

Once again, neither website includes information about the routes taken by buses or where they stop along the way.

Some of the bus services between Thessaloniki and Serres / Nigrita travel part of the way along National Road EO2 (see below), stopping at Rentina, just outside Stavros, then at bus stops along the coast to Nea Vrasna and Asprovalta. They turn inland and northwards at Nea Kerdylia and stop just outside Amphipolis.

Journey time Asprovalta - Serres, around 2.5 hours. Journey time Asprovalta - Amphipolis, around 30-45 minutes.

These times effectively rule out a day-trip to Serres from Olympiada, Stavros or Asprovalta, since the earliest bus at 9:30 arrives at Serres at 12:00 or later. The small Serres Archaeological Museum, the churches and most shops and businesses in the town close at 13:00.

Serres is an interesting Macedonian market town with some fine old churches, Ottoman buildings and an ancient acropolis area outside the centre (not much to see there, but a good view of the countryside from the top). However, neither the town or the public transport system are geared up for tourism, and there is little to do or see in the afternoon when everything is closed. Tourist information is non-existent, although a friendly hotel receptionist gave me some good tips and a map.

1. By motorway

This is quickest way, taking 1.5 - 2 hours. Whether you are coming from the west via Thessaloniki, or from the east via Serres, Drama or Kavala, leave the motorway at exit number 26 (Rentina), then head east on National Road 2 for Stavros (about 10 km after the motorway exit).

You can also leave the motorway at exit number 27, just below the hillside village of Vrasna; above the coastal resorts of Asprovalta and Nea Vrasna. Follow the exit road southwards down to the coast. Turn right (west) at the junction with National Road EO2 (direction Stavros, Thessaloniki), then shortly afer turn left (south) for Stavros.

Drive straight through Stavros along its main street, and at the end of the village you will see signs for Olympiada, Stratoni and Ouranoupoli (which is the border for male-only Mount Athos peninsula). The coast road southwards takes you the 15 km to Olympiada.
It is the only road, so you can't miss it.

NOTE: Greek motorways are toll roads. During the recent economic crisis, Greeks have complained that the tolls are far too expensive, and many are avoiding the motorways and using the old national roads.

2. The old National Road 2 (EO 2)

(Greek, Εθνική Οδός 2, Ethniki Odos 2, abbreviated as EO2)

Before the motorway was built, this was known as the Odos Egnatias, roughly following the route of the ancient Roman Via Egnatia (see History of Stageira and Olympiada Part 7) from the Albanian border, across northern Greece to the Turkish border.

It is a bit slower, but it is a pleasanter drive, with less traffic; and if you're on a bicycle it is the flatter, least challenging route.

From the northeast of Thessaloniki the road passes the south of Koroneia and Bolbe (Volvi) lakes, and the ancient city of Apollonia (near the village of Nea Apollonia) and a Byzantine fortress at Rentina. Turn right at the junction for Stavros, and drive through town, then 15 km south along the coast to Olympiada.

3. Inland through central Halkidiki

This is the real scenic route; the slowest but most interesting. From Thessaloniki's southeastern coastal suburb of Votsi take the National Road 16 (EO 16) southwards to Thermi. The road heads inland and winds up around plains and wooded mountains (the highest is the 1165 metre Oros Holomontas) of central Halkidiki, through the villages of Vasiliki, Agios Prodromos, Arnaia, Palaiochora, Neochora, modern Stageira (not to be confused with Ancient Stageira, see above) and Stratoniki.

The road then descends to the east Halkidiki coast. You turn left just before the seaside village of Stratoni and take the coastal road northwards for the final 15 km to Olympiada.

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