Country info: Greece (Ελλάδα)

Rail companies: OSE (Organismós Sidirodrómon Elládos)

Greek Rail Network Map

Currency: Euro

Athens to Thessaloniki train schedule and fares (checked & updated May 20, 2013):

Thessaloniki to Athens train schedule and fares:

* Fares above are for the tickets bought at the station on the day of the journey (for InterCity includes seat reservation), while same tickets purchased:

• online via OSE website will be 10% cheaper 
  
• additional 15% off passengers receive when purchasing ticket >2 days in advance
• another 20% off in case passengers buy return tickets

Train travel in Greece: train types, tickets, fares, discounts & other useful info

National Train Service:

Train types in Greece: Suburban, 'Regular', Express, Sleeper, InterCity & International trains

• Suburban (Προαστιακός) - commuter service around big cities (lines Piraeus/Airport-Athens-Kiato; Thessalomiki-Larissa/Edessa; Agios Andreas - Patra - Agios Vasileios), no seat reservation required 
• Regular (Κοινή αμαξοστοιχία, marked as ΑΠ, ΗΛ, DES) - standard passengers trains on secondary routes, usually have 4 digit number, no seat reservation required
  
• Express (Ταχεία & Ταχεία προτεραιότητας, marked as TAX) – express & priority express trains, usually have 3 digit number, seat reservation not obligatory, but possible
• Sleeper (Κλινοθεσιο) – overnight sleeper train with compulsory berth/bed reservation, runs between Thessaloniki and Athens (service currently suspended)
• InterCity – (marked as IC on OSE website) – fast intercity service between major Greek cities (like Thessaloniki and Athens), seat reservation & higher tariff/supplement for pass holders applies
• International trains – until the early 2011 there were only six international trains in Greece:

-  from Athens to Sofia, called ΔΙΕΘΝΗ-ΒΟΥΛΓΑΡΙΑ

- from Thessaloniki to Sofia, called ΔΙΕΘΝΗ-ΒΟΥΛΓΑΡΙ (on route from Thessaloniki to Sofia and Plovdiv OSE runs special buses, schedule can be found here)

- from Athens to Bucharest, called ΔΙΕΘΝΗ-ΡΟΥΜΑΝΙΑ

- Thessaloniki-Istanbul, called ΔΙΕΘΝΗ-ΤΟΥΡΚΙΑ

- Night and day time trains Thessaloniki-Belgrade, called ΔΙΕΘΝΗ- ΣEPBIA

But since February 2011 OSE ceased operation of all the international trains with the official formulation 'until further notice'. As of now operation is still not resumed due to economic situation in Greece, so at the moment entering Greece by rail neither from Serbia-FYR Macedonia, nor Turkey or Bulgaria impossible

Greece has two major railway regions – Peloponnesian Railway and continental rail network. First one uses narrow gauge (1000mm), while second - standard European gauge (1435mm)

Supplements for sleeping train from Athens to Thessalonoki (or vice versa) 8 euro (2nd class) and 15.4 (1st class)

Though by train in Greece is not very expensive there is still a number of ways how it is possible to save money and enjoy various discounts offered by TrainOSE:

Discounts offered by Greek Railways (OSE):

1.  - 10% off in case passenger purchase ticket online
2.  - 15% off in case passenger purchase ticket >2 days in advance
3.  - 20% off in case passenger purchase return ticket

(all the the above discounts can sum up, but may not exceed 40% in total)

Since 2011 OSE as well offers discounted promo tickets for journeys from Athens to Thessaloniki and back, from Thessaloniki to Alexandroupoli, from Larisa to Volos and from Palaiofarsalos to Kalampaka. Discounted tickets available online online via TrainOSE website, price levels start from only 9 euro, then 19 euro, 29 euro and finally 39 euro (each price level has a limited amount of tickets per departure)
 

Families (2 and more passengers) traveling together can as well benefit from OSE Family Card (cost 13 euro), which allows additional discount of 25% (or 50% for families of 3 to 8 people) for groups traveling together

Another major deal for national and international travels in the region is Balkan Flexi Pass, the offer for journeys in the area of South East European railways. Pass allows unlimited train travel during 5, 10 or 15 days (during one month validity) in Bulgaria, FYR of Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Serbia and Montenegro  

Balkan Flexi Pass prices (2^nd class):

International Train Service:

a) Regular discounts

Special tariff applies for connections between members of South-East Europe Railways Group (SERG): railway companies of Albania, Bulgaria,

:

This tariff is called SET and gives discount of app. 50% from SCIC-NRT/TCV tariff

b) Special offers (SparSchiene)

Not available

c) CityStars

Not available

How to Buy Train Tickets in Greece:

Passengers can purchase tickets for journeys within Greece online via Greek Railways (OSE) website www.ticket.trainose.gr

Do you still have further questions or want to share your own travel experience? You are welcome on our Forum page

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