Contrary to most countries in Europe, the most popular means of transport to travel around Greece is not the train but the bus.
The rail network of Greece is not well-organized and slow and buses in Greece are used for most travel purposes between main Greek cities.
Bus routes to most locations around Greece depart from the largest Greek cities (Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra) either directly or via a connection.
There are also itineraries between Greece and other European countries, including Bulgaria, Romania and Germany.
Table of contents:
• International Routes • National Routes • Athens Bus Stations • Buses in islands • Buses in the Mainland
Read more information about the buses in Greece (National and International routes), information about the central bus stations in Athens and links to many bus organizations around Greece and the islands.
International routes
Routes between Thessaloniki (Giannitsa) and other big towns of the Balkans and Europe are available every week.
In fact, there are bus connections between Thessaloniki and Istanbul, Sofia and other Bulgarian towns, Bucharest, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Mannheim, Munich and Stuttgart.
These buses depart from Macedonia Intercity Bus Station in Thessaloniki.
National Routes
There are buses from Athens to almost all towns in Greece. There are also regional bus stations that connect large towns with local villages of the area.
These buses are green and they are served by KTEL, the company of suburban buses in Greece.
In Athens, buses depart from two major stations in Athens, Kifissos and Liossion Stations.
Some Greek islands also have small yet practical bus networks.
Bus stations in Athens
There are two main stations with buses reaching destinations outside Attica: Kifissos Station and Liossion Station, from where intercity buses depart. The bus station of KTEL Attikis lies in the Pedion Areos area, with buses heading to regions outside Athens but within the limits of Attica departing from there. Travelers can reach all three stations by public means of transport, namely the metro and city buses.
• Kifissos Bus Station
Kifissos station is located on Kifissos Avenue in Egaleo. From there, buses depart to most parts of Greece, including Patra and Igoumenitsa which are connected to the Ionian Islands.
Access to the station:
Visitors departing from the airport can board the X93 bus which heads directly to Kifissos bus station.
Visitors starting from Athens can use one of the following buses:
420 from Piraeus station (Green and Blue Metro Line)
051 from Metaxourgeio station (Red Metro Line)
052 from Eleonas station (Blue Metro Line)
All three buses stop at the bus stop outside Eleonas station (Blue Metro Line).
For more information about Kifissos Station, you can call +30 210 512 4910, +30 210 512 4911 or +30 210 513 2601.
• Liossion Bus Station
Liossion Station in Athens serves buses to the prefecture of Sterea (e.g. towns like Lamia, Agios Constantinos, Kammena Vourla, Karpenisi, Delphi, Levadia, Arachova, etc), towns of Northern Greece (e.g. Volos, Katerini, etc) and the island of Evia.
Access to the station:
Visitors departing from the airport can board the X93 bus which heads directly to Liossion bus station.
Visitors starting from Athens can use one of the following buses:
420 from Piraeus station (Green and Blue Metro Line)
A10, B10, 719 from Larissa Station (Red Metro Line)
A10, A11, B10, B11, B12, Γ12, 719, 720 from Attiki station (Green and Blue Metro Line)
For more information about Liossion Station, you can call +30 210 831 7186.
• KTEL Attikis Bus Station
KTEL Attikis station is located at 68 Patission Street and 2 Kotsika Street in Pedion tou Areos. KTEL Attikis operates routes to the areas of Attica that are outside the core of Athens in all directions.
Travelers must be careful, though, as buses leave from three different points in Athens, depending on their final destination.
Access to the starting points:
Buses heading to a) the port of Rafina and the areas of Nea Makri, Marathon, Grammatikos and Souli or b) the port of Lavrio and the areas of Markopoulo, Kalyvia, Keratea and Porto Rafti depart from the Nomismatokopeio Station of the Blue Metro Line.
Buses heading to Megara, Nea Peramos, Neraki, Loutropyrgos, Elefsina, Alepochori, Kinetta, Vilia, Oinoi, Erythres, Mandra and Porto Germeno have their starting point 180 meters away from the Thiseio Station of the Green Metro Line.
Finally, buses to Sounio or any other place not mentioned above have their starting point at Mavromataion Street in Pedion tou Areos. The same applies to long-distance buses heading to Thessaloniki (*). The starting point is a 10-minute walk from Victoria Station on the Green Line of the Metro via Heiden Street.
(*)Intercity buses to Thessaloniki also depart from Kifissos Station.
For more information about KTEL Attikis, you can call +30 210 880 8000 or visit www.ktelattikis.gr.
KTEL Buses in the islands
Amorgos: www.amorgosbuscompany.com
Andros: www.ktelandrou.gr
Chios: www.chioscitybus.gr
Corfu: www.astikokerkyras.gr (City Buses) and www.greenbuses.gr (Intercity Buses)
Crete: www.e-ktel.com
Chania: www.chaniabus.gr / Heraklion: www.astiko-irakleiou.gr / Lassithi: www.ktelherlas.gr / Rethymno: www.e-ktel.com
Evia: www.ktelevias.gr
Folegandros: www.folegandrosbuses.gr
Ios: www.ktel-ios.gr
Kea: www.kea.gr
Kefalonia: www.ktelkefalonias.gr
Kos: www.ktel-kos.gr
Lefkada: www.ktel-lefkadas.gr
Lesvos: www.ktel-lesvou.gr
Milos: www.milosbuses.com
Mykonos: www.mykonosbus.com
Naxos: www.naxosbuses.com
Paros: www.ktelparou.gr
Patmos: www.patmosbus.gr
Rhodes: www.ktelrodou.gr
Santorini: www.ktel-santorini.gr
Sifnos: www.sifnos.gr
Skopelos: www.skopelosweb.gr
Syros: https://www.syros-ermoupolis.gr
Zakynthos: www.ktel-zakynthos.gr
KTEL Buses in the mainland
Achaias: www.ktelachaias.gr
Argolidas: www.ktelargolida.gr
Arkadias: www.ktelarkadias.gr
Corinth: www.ktelkorinthias.gr
Etoloakarnanias: ktel-aitolnias.gr
Evros: www.ktelevrou.gr
Fokida: www.ktel-fokidas.gr
Fthiotida: www.ktelfthiotidos.gr
Halkidiki: www.ktel-chalkidikis.gr
Ileia: www.ktelileias.gr
Imathia: www.ktel-imathias.gr
Karditsa: www.ktel-karditsas.gr
Komotini/Rodopis: www.ktelrodopis.gr
Kozani: www.ktelkozanis.gr
Lakonia: www.ktel-lakonias.gr
Larissa: www.ktellarissas.gr
Meteora/Trikala: www.ktel-trikala.gr
Macedonia: www.ktelmacedonia.gr
Messinias: www.ktelmessinias.gr
Pellas: www.ktelpellas.gr
Thessaloniki: www.ktelthes.gr
Thesprotia: www.ktel-thesprotias.gr
Volos - Magnisia: www.ktelvolou.gr
Xanthi: www.ktelxanthis.gr
