Changes

=== North-West to [[Skopje]] Update ([[North Macedonia]]July 2022) ===: the options listed above are extremely outdated and not very helpful. This route is still difficult, but there are better options.

Don't bother 1) with bus number 83 you can get to hitch hike to the border!!! There is a free bus Laguna from the city centre where there's about 20 minutes walk to the border! These buses belong to the casinos knot that ties local road 2 and highway 2. Here you can find at the border just before Gevgelija. You can find theses buses on Tsimiski street. They are easy get directly to recognize (the name entrance of the casino highway for Kavala where you filter out any cars not going your way. The traffic is printed on very slow but the bus, cars can stop and it is written "free shuttle"). The buses leave they get a good look at 17:00 and 21:00 though, so it might be quicker to hit the road directly, but more comfortable taking the busyou. There's a gas station about 30km down before Evangelios

Take a bus #8 (or #31?3) from Egnatias street in the centre to KTEL (last stop). You can also take bus #45 which goes between KTEL Makedonia and KTEL Halkidiki (you want to go to ''Makedonia''). Then switch to bus #81 which you can find on the upper platform. Afterwards40,7214723, you can do different things. You can get off at a first bus stop after you drive over the highway Athens-Skopje - [http://g.co/maps/3qj6m here]. Be careful22, 9740939 or the first big crossing you going to come to is the crossing with the ring road (you are going to driver underneath it) while only spot right after the next on exit for Laguna is the one you need (you are going to risky. The cars drive above it). Then you have to walk almost 2km backwards (if you walk fast it takes 20 minutes) so be careful and you can hitch on the junction to there's a high probability the highway patrol tells you to Skopjeget off. However, if the bus goes into Agios Athanasios you can better get off and find your way we hitched a ride within 5 minutes with a Kavala sign as there are a lot of Turkish truck drivers going from there (it seems that this bus goes differently depending whether it is #81 or #81A and depending on some external stuff; you can talk to the driver Athens to make sure)Istanbul.

Bus 81A from KTEL busstation to Agios Athanasios. Got off when it turns from the highway. From there hitched to Polykastro and another ride got me to the border. At the border asked the car in front of me for a ride, which got me === North-West to [[Skopje. Standing on the highway there, it was very quiet]] ([[North Macedonia]]) ===

=== South Option 2:Take a Bus to [[Athens]] ===Agios Athanasios. From "KTEL Macedonia Bus station" lines 81A, 89B, 89K go there. You can hitch on the nearby junction to Highway A1/E75 to Skopje.

Take Buses #31, #12, #8 or #78 Option 3:Actually hitch hike. Highway EO2 effectively runs down the center of Thessaloniki to the bus station called KTELEdessas. From there take bus #80 or #80A to the village It's a normal road (called ''Malgara''. You can go down on the station "''25 Martiou''Monastiriou", "Egnagia" which is and others) up until the closest to junction with the tolls ring road (in Greek ''ikostis pemptis martiou'' if you want to ask the driverA2/E90). There you You can ask and find the toll station walk down it (in Greek ''diodia''going north-west) easilywhile hitch hiking. You'll have to walk about 2 km to find There are gas stations along it, but then where you can hitch hike. Just past the ring road there is a possibility to get a ride even straight to Athens. Before you enter stop light before the motorway ramp where the toll station is, you will have to go through some fieldscan hitch hike. If it's night be careful, just before the motorway Just beyond that there is a small ridge that is a bit steep and there is water flowing down, very big shoulder where you need to find your way around itcan hitch hike. If it's day, Continue following EO2 from the fields you can see there for 10km (in a small canteen on the motorway, head to that direction, you can bypass the ridge there very easily car by now ideally) and also you don't need to jump are at Agios Athanasios as in option 2 above. Take the fence (easy exit to jump though) because there is an entranceA1/exit for the canteen. From the canteen you will see the tolls, they are less than 50 m awayE75 to Skopje.

=== South to [edit[Athens]] First of all, it appears greek bus stops do have several names. "25 Martiou" is written on the roadsign but on the bus, it's announced differently. I messed up because of that various times so always be sure to ask the driver to signal your stop. Finding the canteen is a bit of trial and error, but still easily possible. In case you don't find the toll station, from the canteen go right (following the "Athen" roadsign) for about 1,5km to find a small (but picturesque) side stop (August 2017).===

[edit] Some Take Buses #31, #12, #8 or #78 to the bus station called KTEL. From there take bus #80 or #80A to the village called ''Malgara'' (some of these buses don't go all the way to Malgara so you have to get Malgar). You can go out at one on the stop in "''25 Martiou''" which is the closest to the middle of nowheren before tolls but on the bus turns back to Thessaloniki , it's announced differently (in Greek ''Ikostis Pmptis Martiou'' ask the driver). There you can ask and wait for another bus with find the same or different number that goes to MalgaraToll Station toll station (in Greek ''diodia'') on E75 easily. It can be You'll have to walk about 2 km to find it, but then there is a possibility to get a little confusing so the best way is ride even straight to tell someone on Athens. Before you enter the bus motorway where the toll station is, you want will have to go through some fields. If it's night be careful, just before the motorway there is a small ridge that is a bit steep and let them tell there is water flowing down, you need to find your way around it. If it's day, from the fields you when can see a small canteen on the motorway, head to get off for that direction, you can bypass the next bus ridge there very easily and also you don't need to jump the station ''ikostis pemptis martiou''. fence (September 2019easy to jump though)because there is an entrance/exit for the canteen. From the canteen you will see the tolls, they are less than 50 m away.

====The university campus ==== The university campus in Thessaloniki is just in the city centre and it's the seems to be a perfect place to sleep in your van/tent/sleeping bag, but IT IS NOT!  It's '''NOT SAFE THERE''' ''(upd.2022)''. The drug business moved there, as unbelievable as it sounds. People selling drugs and fighting over things related to them, passerbys get attacked. If someone has a van maybe it's okay. But sleeping in a tent or sleeping bag is an invitation to get robbed. It's the worst place to sleep, really. Plus, starting from 2019 it is a place where a lot of immigrants sleep. Police has no right to enter that area because of some tragic past, i.e. it's ideal place for drug sellers and crime. ====Forest Recreational Center==== Forest Recreational Center near the Zoo (''Neapoli-Sykies, 554 38'') which is located on the only green place in hills above the city and because can be a solution. However, depending on your choice of the police "height" of that forest (after highway it becomes more wild, before highway it more like a park) there can be pack of stray dogs which is not a good gift.  Homeless animals are not allowed to enter a big problem in the university! There are few guards but don't big cities as Thessaloniki or Athens, so you better have something to protect yourself from them during the right to touch night (get some long sticks near you). Normally they are scared of "throwing a rock gesture" because some greeks do that against dogs. It's generally safeSo, though perhaps not suitable if you see an unfriendly dog try to pretend taking a rock from the ground - it should work for a single femalelonely dog. ====Airport====

It's not so safe anymore. The drug business moved there, as unbelievable as it sounds. People selling drugs and fighting over things related Place to them, passerbys get attacked.. If someone has stay for a van maybe it's okayshort term. But sleeping in a tent or sleeping bag It is an invitation to get robbed. It's not closing for the worst place to sleepnight, really. Try Seih Sou, the forest on the hills above the city. Or any crowded place in the centerso you can always overnight there.

The tickets for the buses in the city cost 0.80€ and sometimes 0.90€(0. Blackriding is possible. If you speak to the controller in a foreign language (showing that you're a tourist, not an illegal immigrant40€ for students) they'll just leave you alone. If not, they first ask 30 euro 2€ for the tax, you say you don't have. Then they ask your id card, you say you don't have it with you and then they'll just give you a paper to note your name and address, where you can write any fake name. Or even simpler you can give your real passport and they are supposed to send you the bill to your country. It's 100% SURE that they will notairport route.

There were big movements in this city about not paying for public transport'''Blackriding''' is possible. Many people donIt't pay and controls are s risky because there is no chance of recognising controllers before they enter the bus, however the very control is rare. Spent a whole month in this city taking buses daily and never got checked.

Thessaloniki is perhaps the only place in the world where you can eat everyday for free easily.  ===Fititiki Leshi (Φοιτητική Λέσχη) upd:2022=== Next to the campus of Aristotles universityAristotle University, Egnatia street, after the crossroad with 3rd September street there is the university canteen. (''Address: Egnatia, Thessaloniki 546 36, Greece''). Ask anybody for ''fititiki leschi''/φοιτητική λέσχη. There you can find a free full meal twice a three times per day: 8. 00-10.00, 12.00-15.00 and 18.00-20.00. These free meals are provided for the university students, but even if you're not one, you don't have to pay and you don't have to show a student ID or any document(but due to cobtrol re-enforcement you could be asked for your ID).  To avoid control you need to be a part of a big crowd which is hard to control, therefore try to be there during the most crowded time (normally the beginning of opening) and you won't be controlled. Another 'life-hack' that you can use if you have been asked for your ID is to tell that you just started to study greek language for university and you don't own by now any proof of that (there are a lot of foreign students who really study greek for that reason, and yes - they don't have any proof in the beginning). It is harder during the weekends (or holidays) because there are less people and have no crowd, so if you look suspicious you can be asked for an ID.  Just follow the queue, take the food and eat it. There's never any checks. There's nothing to be afraid of, just try to look more or less like a student. Only disadvantage is that it is closed on weekends, summer holidays and not-working days for the university in general. Picture of the building [http://www.makthes.gr/filestore/modules/news/68918/lesxi.jpg here]. Alternative entrance: when you are there look to your right. At the end of the grass there is a stair case, you can go up directly to the dining hall (if it's opened, if it's not you can knock or wave through the door to another student, normally they will let you in). ''There is another option (easy in the morning, otherwise is more difficult):'' ===Alfa foititiki estia (Α' φοιτητική εστία):===Your aim is the same - free student food from student canteen, however now you are going to search it directly in canteen of student's dorms. There is no control at the entrance of student's dorms. The restaurant is located on the first floor, at the left side from the big marble stairs. The doors are opened at the meal time.  You can find it by following ''address: Stilponos Kiriakidi 17, Thessaloniki 546 36, Greece'' The best way is to be hosted there by any student through hosting application or ask some students living there to help you get the dinner (regularly even if you cannot get main dish they provide you orangers or apples which no one takes). If you cannot find a student helping you, you can try get some food by your own, follow this instruction: - They are controling IDs only during day time and evening time, so it's very easy to get there in the morning (8 a.m - 10 a.m). In the morning there are almost no people eating, so staff is really bored of checking IDs or is even absent. - Take the trey with food and go eat as all do at the table. Don't be suspicious, you are a student now. Many students doesn't really eat there, they are taking food away which they can physically take out and leave the dorms. You can do the same.

Alternative entrance: when you - Normally control-staff are there look to your rightcrossing out the numbers on the paper. At Each student has his own number on ID-card and he tells it in the end moment of the grass there is entering. It's another strategy of pretending to be a stair casestudent: you tell random number in greek language (p.e. 103 = ekato tria, 25 - ikosi pende, 207 = diakosa epta, you can go up directly to the dining halletc), so they will cross it out.I donDon't think worry, students rarely take morning breakfast, so you really need this because itare not "eating someone's very is easy to enter trough the main doorfood in his place".