THESSALONIKI - IGOUMENITSA

fubustan
Traveller
5 comments

well hello,

although i ve never done this route i live in thessaloniki and i will learn how much you will pay.

However, i have to warn you, despite the fact that Greece is a beautiful country, it is not very organized, especially for interraillers. I am very sorry to say that, but our railway network is at least awful.

You have to take a bus from thessaloniki.I dont know if there is a direct connection or you have to stop in Ioannina and from there take another bus to Igoumenitsa.

I m gonna call the bus service and i will let you know in a while. :D

evangelos
Traveller
6 comments

Hello fubustan!!! Evangelos is my real name by the way (eimai rwmios konstantinopolitis :) vasika millw ellinika, omos na grapsoume agglika mipos mporoun kai epofelithoun kai alloi!)

First of all i thank you so much, I've been to Greece before and I know what you mean, I also agree about the beauty of the country!

If you are already going to ask to bus service, can you please ask if there is any bus connection from Larissa to Igoumenitsa, or from Trikala/Kalambaka to Igoumenitsa? I think I can go to Larissa by train easily and get a bus from there to Igoumenitsa too but I cant find any information about timetables or pricing...

Thank you so very much! Greetings from Istanbul!!! :)

fubustan
Traveller
5 comments

I asked and here are the results: :D

There is a direct connection to Igoumenitsa from Thessaloniki daily.
Everyday,only at 13:00, there is a bus and the journey lasts app. 4hrs.

Price for adult with no discount is 36,8
If you are a student the discount is 25% but I doubt they will accept it.You can ask however.

That's all for the trip!

I m gonna tell you some more things to help you move inside Thessaloniki.

You will arrive in our only railway station and outside from it, are many local bus stations.
To go to the center you will take the busses 3 or 8 or 10.Well there r more but never mind. :)
I suggest you will take 3.It is the slowest but makes a lot of stops so you will find your place easy.

Now, in order to go to the Regional Bus Station (it is called K.T.E.Λ.Μακεδονία = KTEL Macedonia) from the railway station you will take bus 8 (the one that goes to K.T.E.Λ. ,not the city centre - you better ask someone there because it's a bit confusing for a tourist). From there you will take the regional bus to Igoumenitsa.

It's not very often so be prepared.. 8)

I dont remember the number of the ticket counter but you will look for ΚΤΕΛ ΘΕΣΠΡΩΤΙΑΣ - ΙΓΟΥΜΕΝΙΤΣΑ = KTEL THESPROTIAS - IGOUMENITSA

For more info about local busses see this: www.oasth.gr/index_eng.php and www.oasth.gr/service/routes_eng.php

For questions about the Regional bus this is the phone of the KTEL Thesprotias in Thessaloniki: 2310 595416
I hope you will enjoy your travel.

If you need more Info I m happy to answer,
Michael

fubustan
Traveller
5 comments

op, i didnt see your previous answer :)

well i dont know if there is from trikala or from Larissa a direct connection.I believe that you will have to go first in Ioannina. That is because there r not big cities. :P I m not very sure though.

Xairetismata sthn polh (eggonos diogmenwn eimai kai gw) :P
Michalis

evangelos
Traveller
6 comments

Well the bus of 13:00 seems to fit to me, at least this will be a life jacket for me :)

The extra information you gave about local transportation will be very helpful to me.

Thank you very very much Michali! Contact me if you'll need any information on istanbul or Turkey!

Efcharisto para poli kai pali, geia sou!

Peter
Traveller
9333 comments

really detailed information!! I think this will help as well a lot of other travelers. a big THANK YOU!! Peter :)

evangelos
Traveller
6 comments

I would like to share some other valuable information i received from another traveler:


One direct bus:
[b]Thessaloniki[/b] (bus station) - [b]Igomenitsa[/b]
Dep. 20:00h - Arr. 04:00h
EUR 30,-

Daily buses:
[b]Thessaloniki[/b] (bus station) - [b]Ioannina[/b]
Dep. 07:30h, 10:00h, 12:40h, 15:20h, 18:00h - Arr. +6:30h
EUR 27,-
From there connection to Igomenitsa: EUR 8,-

[topic had to be changed by Peter - sorry - :) ]

fubustan
Traveller
5 comments

hmmmm....

I m not very sure how accurate are the timetables from Thessaloniki to Igoumenitsa.I called the day before yesterday the regional bus office myself and they told me that it is every day at 13:00,not 20:00. I don't know...

Do you want me to ask them again?

And, why do you want to go from Larissa?
Beside the fact that you will have to make a whole trip just to arrive in Igoumenitsa (Constantinople-Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki-Larissa, Larissa-Ioannina, Ioannina-Igoumenitsa), the road that connects Larissa to Ioannina is not a highway.[b]It's a very nice trip because it's through the mountain[/b] but it has a lot of turns which makes some people feel sick.

The direct connection is through the highway Egnatia Odos which makes travel from central to west Greece very comfortable and fast.

It's your desicion,just let me know if you want me to double check the timetables. :P

evangelos
Traveller
6 comments

I did not have any special information about the roads btw thessaloniki-larissa-ioannina-igoumenitsa (railways or roads), i just thought that larissa is a big station with many train and bus connections, and maybe there would be a better way or at least an alternative way to go igoumenitsa (in case that the train from istanbul to thessaloniki arrives late). It seems that i am wrong, the realistic alternatives to catch the ferrry are narrowed down to two:) : Thessaloniki-Igoumenitsa direct by bus or Thessaloniki-Athens-Patras (to get on the ferry from Patras)

Thank you so much Michali, i may need to consult you again after we decide which port (Igoumenitsa or Patras) we are going to use to go to Bari...