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nono
Traveller
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Posted 2 years ago

hi!
A friend and I are currently in Istanbul with the interrail global 7 days in a month pass. We've already been to sofia, bucharest, belgrade and budapest and we really would like to go to greece. Is there a way to get to greece from Istanbul with interrail?
Thanks!

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Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

replied 2 years ago

Hi!

There is no direct train anymore; only option is to take the night train to Sofia but there also is no train service to Thessaloniki from there either, so this means either bus Istanbul - Thessaloniki or night train Istanbul - Sofia and bus Sofia - Istanbul.

If you are adventurous you could take the train from Istanbul to Edirne, then make your way (probably taxi or hitchike or on foot) to the border to get to Greece at Kastanies. From there, train to Thessaloniki.
Attention: check if the border crossing is possible, there could be restrictions due to the current migration situation in the area.
Also, it is vital to check train timings beforehand since there might only be one or two trains per day.

Flo

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MisterSteve
Traveller
1090 comments

replied 2 years ago

just remember, if you do manage to find a way into greece it will be just as hard to get out afterwards!

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Peter
Traveller
9333 comments

replied 2 years ago

Hi.
Flo already explained it.
Here some booking links: https://rail.cc/train/istanbul-to-thessaloniki
If you use Metro, fill in "Istanbul Avrupa" and for Thessaloniki "Selanik".
From Greece you get by ferry to Italy. Patras to Bari, Ancona and Venice. Read for example here: https://rail.cc/train/athens-to-rome
Peter :)

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partir-en-europe
Traveller
1 comments

replied 1 year ago

For french travelers
Pour ceux qui souhaitent rejoindre la Turquie depuis la Grèce, je traite le sujet sur mon blog ici : https://partir-en-europe.com/blog/interrail-comment-rejoindre-la-turquie-par-la-grece-avec-le-pass-interrail/