Thessaloniki Airport Bus, Metro and Taxi

Thessaloniki’s main gateway is Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” (SKG), at Mikra, about 16.5 km southeast of central Thessaloniki. The airport’s current access information lists public buses and taxis; there is no rail station at the terminal and no metro train directly from the airport. (Thessaloniki Airport access guide, checked 2026-09-28)

For central Thessaloniki, use bus 01X, shown by the airport as line 1X. It connects the airport with the city centre, the New Railway Station and KTEL Makedonia, the main intercity bus terminal. The airport bus stop is in Arrivals, in front of Exit 4 of Terminal 1. (Thessaloniki Airport public bus information, checked 2026-09-28)

Other buses serve specific connections. Line 79 runs to IKEA and 02X links the airport with Nea Elvetia. OSETH’s X3, launched 27 August 2026, now links Mikra Metro station directly with the airport; Fraport’s English page still calls it 3X. Check current OSETH telematics for the route and direction. (Thessaloniki Airport public bus information, checked 2026-09-28; OSETH X3 airport route notice, checked 2026-09-28)

A taxi rank is in the Arrivals area between Terminals 1 and 2, between exits 3 and 4. A taxi is the practical choice for a late arrival, bulky luggage, several passengers or an address away from the bus corridors. (Thessaloniki Airport taxi information, checked 2026-09-28)

Current airport and TheTA pages give no fixed journey time for 01X or 01N. Traffic, stops, destination and transfers affect the full trip. Search the exact stop and date instead of relying on a headline estimate. (Thessaloniki Airport public bus information, checked 2026-09-28; TheTA bus schedule search, checked 2026-09-28)

01X serves central Thessaloniki, the New Railway Station and KTEL Makedonia. It is not a door-to-door transfer; allow for the stop walk, luggage and onward connection. TheTA lists the route in both directions. (TheTA transit stations, checked 2026-09-28)

No fixed time is published for 02X to Nea Elvetia or X3 to Mikra. Add the bus leg before the metro, and allow time for the interchange, luggage and separate metro ticket. (Thessaloniki Airport public bus information, checked 2026-09-28; OSETH X3 airport route notice, checked 2026-09-28; Thessaloniki Metro stations, checked 2026-09-28)

The airport publishes no fixed taxi duration. Traffic determines the road journey; confirm your address and leave extra time before a flight. (Thessaloniki Airport taxi information, checked 2026-09-28)

TheTA lists the special-bus ticket at €2, valid for unlimited travel on airport routes 01X and 02X for 70 minutes after validation. OSETH’s current Greek notice classifies the new X3 Mikra–airport bus as a special airport route with the same €2 fare. The English fare page does not yet name X3. (OSETH special bus fare, checked 2026-09-28; OSETH X3 airport route notice, checked 2026-09-28)

The €0.60 urban, €0.80 peri-urban and €2.50 24-hour bus tickets exclude 01X and 02X. Do not use a standard city ticket for an airport bus. (OSETH bus fare products, checked 2026-09-28)

If you change from an airport bus to the metro, you need a separate metro ticket because bus and metro fares remain separate. The metro operator lists a €0.60 basic ticket and a €2.50 24-hour metro ticket. (TheTA transport FAQ, checked 2026-09-28; Thessaloniki Metro tickets, checked 2026-09-28)

Buy the airport bus ticket at the terminal booth or an OSETH automated machine in the Arrivals area. Reduced airport fares are listed at €1, but TheTA says reduced products require an eligible personalised ThessCard. A taxi fare is not fixed on the airport’s own taxi page, so confirm the applicable charge before leaving the rank. (Thessaloniki Airport public bus information, checked 2026-09-28; OSETH bus fare products, checked 2026-09-28; Thessaloniki Airport taxi information, checked 2026-09-28)

TheTA identifies 01X as the airport route to KTEL and 01N as the night route. Its transit-station page sends passengers to TheTA Telematics for schedules, stops and maps rather than printing a permanent frequency table. The airport page likewise directs travellers to the transport operator for detailed schedules and fares. Search the exact airport stop, direction and travel date. (TheTA transit stations, checked 2026-09-28; Thessaloniki Airport public bus information, checked 2026-09-28)

The current English operator pages do not publish a fixed 01X interval, first departure or last departure in plain text. The route-search service is the published source for operating hours and stop-by-stop departures. This matters after a delayed flight and on the return trip, when the exact city stop changes the result. (TheTA bus schedule search, checked 2026-09-28)

TheTA also lists line 79 between the airport and IKEA, but its current transit-station page does not print one permanent interval or complete first-and-last timetable in English. Use the live search for that route rather than transferring an old summer timetable to another season. (TheTA transit stations, checked 2026-09-28)

The terminal is published as open every day from 00:00 to 23:59. That confirms airport access, not continuous bus operation. Match your flight time with 01X, 01N or the available route result; an open terminal does not guarantee a daytime route after midnight. (Thessaloniki Airport public bus information, checked 2026-09-28; Thessaloniki Airport taxi information, checked 2026-09-28)

For a late arrival, check 01N first. TheTA labels it “KTEL–Airport” and explicitly calls it the night line. The current operator page does not state a universal night interval or guarantee a departure for every flight, so use the live telematics result for your arrival time. (TheTA transit stations, checked 2026-09-28; TheTA bus schedule search, checked 2026-09-28)

If 01N does not match the flight, use the taxi rank between exits 3 and 4. The airport confirms taxi availability and the rank location but publishes no fixed fare or city-centre journey time on its current taxi page. Ask the driver to confirm the destination and applicable charge before boarding. (Thessaloniki Airport taxi information, checked 2026-09-28)

Metro trains depart the three terminal stations, including Nea Elvetia and Mikra, from 05:15 to 00:30 Sunday–Thursday. Sunday and holiday frequencies differ by branch: between 25th Martiou and Nea Elvetia, trains run every 30 minutes from 05:15 to 07:30, then every 10 minutes 15 seconds until 00:30. Between 25th Martiou and Mikra, the intervals are 15 minutes, then 5 minutes 7 seconds. These are metro intervals after the airport-bus connection, not airport-terminal departures. (Thessaloniki Metro operating hours and frequencies, checked 2026-09-28)

The airport and TheTA pages do not print a separate Sunday 01X or 01N frequency in English. Check the selected bus in TheTA Telematics, then check the metro’s published Sunday window if you are changing at Nea Elvetia or Mikra. For an early flight, search the return journey from the exact city stop and leave time for the final walk to the terminal. (TheTA bus schedule search, checked 2026-09-28; Thessaloniki Metro operating hours and frequencies, checked 2026-09-28)

Use 01X for the centre, New Railway Station or KTEL Makedonia; 02X for Nea Elvetia; or the new X3 from Mikra, launched 27 August 2026. These are bus-to-metro connections, not a metro at the terminal. (Thessaloniki Airport public bus information, checked 2026-09-28; OSETH X3 airport route notice, checked 2026-09-28)

The metro’s current Line 1 serves New Railway Station, central stations including Venizelou and Agias Sofias, Nea Elvetia and Mikra. That makes a bus-to-metro itinerary useful for eastern neighbourhoods, Kalamaria and destinations near a metro station, but it adds a transfer and a second ticket. Check station entrances and lifts before choosing it with heavy luggage. (Thessaloniki Metro stations, checked 2026-09-28; Thessaloniki Metro tickets, checked 2026-09-28)

A taxi is simpler for a hotel outside the published bus corridors, a group with several bags or an arrival when the next bus is uncertain. Walk to the marked airport rank in Arrivals rather than accepting an unsolicited offer inside the terminal. The operator publishes the rank position but no fixed tariff, supplement list or journey time, so confirm those practical details before the vehicle leaves. (Thessaloniki Airport taxi information, checked 2026-09-28)