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{{Infobox Italian Location
|country = Greece
'''Thessaloniki''' is a city in [[Greece]].
== Hitchhiking out ==
=== East towards Kavala and [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey|TR]]) {{E|90}} ===
This route is widely perceived to be difficult. If you are lucky it can be easy if you get to a Turkish truck. Take bus #27 from the centre (e.g. Kamara) until the very end of the line. [UPDATE: bus #83 no longer starts where bus #27 finishes. Instead ask your #27 bus driver where to get off for bus #83] Switch to bus #83 and go a few stops until you see the motorway. Get off at Filothei (Φιλοθέη) when you see a JetOil BP Oil in green colour rest area on the other side of the motorway. Just follow the bus and go under the motorway to reach the other side. Once you are there, rally the petrol station personnel to help you (they are very nice!). Show them your Istanbul (or Kavala or whatever) sign and ask them to tell you if they notice someone going to Turkey. Be prepared to convince the paranoid drivers that you are not wanted by the police and show them your passport. Getting a ride can take anything between one minute and five hours. If it just does not work at the petrol station see the options below (thumbing up on the road etc). Also, there should be a toll station (peage) about [http://hitchwiki.org/maps/?place=6374 15 km east of Lagynas], near Analipsi (where bus #83a is supposed to go). When you get to the border you might want to switch to a passenger car because the truck could be stuck in customs for a while. Bus #83 goes all the way to Lagkadas (Λαγκαδάς). If you stay on the bus until it reaches this small town, you can try hitching out in the direction of Kavala, Istanbul, etc. Update (July 2022): the options listed above are extremely outdated and not very helpful. This route is still difficult, but there are better options.
=== North-West to [[Skopje]] ([[North Macedonia]]) ===
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 to Skopje. Standing on the highway there, it was very quiet
=== South to [[Athens]] ===
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 Malgar). You can go down out on the station stop "''25 Martiou''" which is the closest to the tolls but on the bus, it's announced differently (in Greek ''ikostis pemptis martiouIkostis Pmptis Martiou'' if you want to ask the driver). There you can ask and find the Malgara Toll Station toll station (in Greek ''diodia'') on E75 easily. You'll have to walk about 2 km to find it, but then there is a possibility to get a ride even straight to Athens. Before you enter the motorway where the toll station is, you 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 there is water flowing down, you need to find your way around it. If it's day, from the fields you can see a small canteen on the motorway, head to that direction, you can bypass the ridge there very easily and also you don't need to jump the fence (easy 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. [edit] 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).
For those not wanting to take a bus or want to hitch closer to the city (and aren't scared to walk), go to the the A1 motorway going towards Athens. It runs right beside the city centre. Starting from near the train station after walking 2kms 2 km you will arrive at the international bus station. From there it's a 6km walk along the motorway to where the E90 highway joins on to the A1 road to Athens. This is a good spot due to the high amount of Turkish trucks coming straight from the border and bypassing the city as well as any traffic coming from the north. Stand at the end of the onramp where there is a shoulder for traffic to pull over and you can get a ride to Larissa or even Athens.
=== West to [[Igoumenitsa]] {{E|90}} ===
Go to the train station, which is also the inner-city bus station. From here, take bus 8 KTEL (the KTEL are the blue and white buses) to Makedonia bus station. From there, you can catch the bus #80 to the end of the line, then follow motorway signs walking (approx. 2km) to the [[toll station]]. Or rather than taking bus #80, just walk across the road (roundabout) till you come to an [[on-ramp]] where, according to [[User:Liva|Liva]], is a a pretty good spot to stop cars.
In [[Igoumenitsa]] you can get a ride with trucks over the sea to [[Italy]].
=== North-East to [[Sofia]] ([[Bulgaria|BG]]) ===
Take the bus #27 from the centre to it's final stop, where also other buses stop(you need #85). Then take bus #8583 (A, B or M) and you're already on your way. Almost any stop of this bus leaves them will get you at a good hitchhiking pointthere, but even the nineteenth express) from Aristotellous Square stop ''21o chiliometro'' (21st kilometreon Egnatia Street) is on the way . You want to Serres and get off at the Bulgarian border Kombo Gerokomeiou exit (to SandanskyGoogle maps doesnt show the bus stops this far north, Blagoevgrad, Sofiabut on the opposite side of the highway is a gas station called Derveni Gas S.A.). If MAKE SURE you can't explain all this to the bus driver just ask him you want to get off at Assirusthis exit. It's a village near Otherwise, he might not get off the highway here and the motorwaynext stop is too far to walk back from. When you ask Stand on the locals for shoulder of the motorway use the german word "autobahn" instead of "motorway" or "highway"ramp. The road There is E79 and it's not a motorwaylot of traffic here, especially after the border. These city bus tickets for 2 rides cost 90 cents (that so it might take you don't even have up to an hour to pay) and take you quite some kilometres out get a ride, but I think its worth it because most of the city towards all destinationscars going as far as Bulgaria will get on the highway here.Good luck!
Update: If you want to get to ''21o chiliometro(August '' make sure to make that really clear to the busdriver since the bus doesn't stop at every stop nor says the stops out loud. 22)Try to <b>not</b> end up in Assirus. Hitchhiking out of this village is a pain. And if you are unlucky enough to end up there: Don't ask locals for the highway because they will take you bus 83! You have to the old highway. If you want take bus 83B to get to the new highway to Sofia ask right place! Taking bus 83 will make you walk for "autobahn"a long time until teaching the ramp.
Basically you need to take 2 buses. Very similar to the above direction to Sofia. But this time it is bus #27 / #27a and bus #84 / # 84a. You can change buses in two different places.
Stay on bus #84 whilst it passes through 2 villages, Liti and Melissochiori. When it is out of Melissochiori, at one point the bus will cross the road going to Kilkis and you will see signs for Kilkis. When you are at the cross roads you can press the stop button on the bus and it will stop just after the cross. There is a bus stop there. Then you are at a great spot for hitching a ride to Kilkis, Gallikos or even North Macedonia (but not the most common way to Skopje. it is a different border).
== Sleep ==
Forest Recreational Center near the Zoo (''Neapoli-Sykies, 554 38'') which is located on the hills above the city can be a solution. However, depending on your choice of the "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 a big problem in the big cities as Thessaloniki or Athens, so you better have something to protect yourself from them during the night (get some long sticks near you). Normally they are scared of "throwing a rock gesture" because some greeks do that against dogs. So, if you see an unfriendly dog try to pretend taking a rock from the ground - it should work for lonely dog.
=== Camping =Airport====
We slept at a deserted camping space by the beach in Ag. Triada, which is really worth a visit. We even made a big fire at night and it didn't disturb anybody. This place is about 30km south of Saloniki Thessaloniki and you can reach it within 1,5h by bus. From the famous ottoman tower take the bus to ikea. At the last stop ask for the bus to Perea and Ag. Triada. The last bus will pass by the airport and enter a cupple of villages before you get to Triada. Ask for the old camping at the beach, locals will guide you.
== Public Transport ==
Google maps doesn't really know how buses work, so they are unable to get you directions from point A to B in the city. So, if you want to move inside the city using a public transport download special application (''in 2022 there is an application called "Moovit").
The tickets for the buses in the city cost 0.80€ and sometimes 0.90€ (0.40€ for students). 2€ for airport route.
Controllers are using civil clothes (they doesn't use a special clothes, they just unzip theirs jackets with controllers badges in the middle of the road, so they already know if you didn't validate your ticket). If you speak to the controller in a foreign language (showing that you're a tourist, not an illegal immigrant) they'll just leave you alone. If not, they first ask 30 euro for the tax, in that case you can say you don't have one. Then they ask your an ID card, you say that 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 not. There were big movements in this city about not paying for public transport. Many people don't pay and controls are rare. Spent a whole month [[User: HHer-Vert|HHer-Vert]] was living in this that very city taking buses daily 5 years, and never got checkedcontrolled only 2-3 times.
== Shower ==
Thessaloniki is perhaps the only place in the world where you can eat everyday for free easily. == Free =Fititiki Leshi (Φοιτητική Λέσχη) upd:2022=== Next to the campus of Aristotle 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''. There you can find a free full meal 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 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.
== Trashwiki & Nomadwiki ==