Getting Around Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki stretches along the Thermaic Gulf, but most visits centre on a short part of it. Aristotelous Square sits on the waterfront, with Ladadika by the port to the west and Ano Poli, the old upper town, above the centre. The TIF-Helexpo exhibition grounds are about 1 km from the square, at 154 Egnatia Street. They cover 180,000 m², and the Ioannis Vellidis Congress Centre inside holds up to 2,200 people in its main area. Kalamaria, to the south-east, lies on the airport side of the city.
Intercity trains from Athens arrive at the New Railway Station, west of the centre, which is also the western end of the city's metro. Add the train and its arrival time to the booking, and the car is scheduled for that arrival.
Congress visitors often move between hotels in Ano Poli, the Ioannis Vellidis Congress Centre, restaurants in Ladadika and offices by the port. Each journey can be booked as a separate transfer; for a full day of meetings, hourly service reserves one chauffeur and one vehicle for the hours you choose.
For a hotel in Ladadika or Ano Poli, give the hotel name as well as the street. Send the full street address when you book, and support will say how close to the hotel a car can get.
Airport Transfers in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki Airport Makedonia is 17 km south-east of the centre. The drive usually takes 25–40 minutes, depending on the hour. The main route follows the Thessaloniki–Nea Moudania road onto the Eastern Inner Ring Road. The alternative follows the coast, where Georgikis Scholis Avenue becomes Vasilissis Olgas and leads straight into the east side of the centre.
Until the Flyover elevated road is finished, due in 2027, the Eastern Inner Ring Road is a construction site: traffic runs on two lanes at 60 km/h, and overnight closures send cars through the centre. Traffic and weather both affect the journey time.
For arrivals, your chauffeur checks the flight status and times the pickup to when you actually land, and your booking confirmation shows where to meet the chauffeur. For a departure from Thessaloniki, what counts is the length of the drive, not the time on the clock: 25–40 minutes from the centre to the airport, longer in heavy traffic. You set the pickup time yourself, and the confirmation shows it.
Long-Distance & Cross-Border Travel from Thessaloniki
On the Egnatia Odos, the west of northern Greece is within a day's drive. Ioannina, the main city of Epirus, is 262 km west on the A2, 3 hours 5 minutes to 4 hours 10 minutes by car. Volos is 208 km south on the A1. If a fair in Thessaloniki is followed by meetings in Ioannina or Volos, you book one transfer from your Thessaloniki hotel to the next address and travel with your luggage in the same car.
Two neighbouring capitals are also within range. Skopje, in North Macedonia, is 228 km north via the Evzoni crossing. Sofia, in Bulgaria, is 294 km north via the Promachonas–Kulata crossing. On either road you get the same chauffeur and car from start to finish, with no change of vehicle at the border.
Greece and Bulgaria are both full Schengen members. North Macedonia is outside the EU and the Schengen area, so the Evzoni crossing has border and customs checks. Bring the travel documents required for your nationality and your route.
Groups & Congress Travel in Thessaloniki
Groups come to Thessaloniki mainly for its fairs and festivals. The Thessaloniki International Fair, held at Helexpo every September, has drawn more than 220,000 visitors, and the city hosted 727 conferences in 2024. Cruise groups come in at the Alexander the Great terminal on Pier 2, close to the centre; the terminal can take two ships and more than 6,000 passengers and crew at once.
When you book for other people, all their transfers can be kept in one account, each with its own booking and confirmation; for a delegation arriving on several flights, every arrival gets a transfer of its own. A Sprinter van takes up to 12 people with their bags; larger groups travel by coach, with up to 56 seats, chosen to fit the group and its luggage.
Book early for the second week of September, during the International Fair, and for early November, when the International Film Festival is on: local vehicles and drivers are booked up early. If your plans go beyond a standard booking, write to support with the dates, addresses, number of passengers, flights and luggage, and the team will arrange it.
