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Take Option 3:Actually hitch hike. Highway EO2 effectively runs down the center of Thessaloniki to Edessas. It's a bus #8 normal road (or #31?called "Monastiriou", "Egnagia" and others) from Egnatias street in up until the junction with the centre to KTEL ring road (last stopA2/E90). You can also take bus #45 which goes between KTEL Makedonia and KTEL Halkidiki walk down it (you want to go to ''Makedonia''going north-west)while hitch hiking. Then switch to bus #81 which There are gas stations along it where you can find on the upper platform. Afterwards, you can do different things. You can get off at a first bus stop after you drive over the highway Athens-Skopje - [http://ghitch hike.co/maps/3qj6m here]. Be careful, the first big crossing you going to come to is the crossing with Just past the ring road (you are going to driver underneath it) while only the next on there is a stop light before the one ramp where you need (you are going to drive above it)can hitch hike. Then you have to walk almost 2km backwards (if you walk fast it takes 20 minutes) and Just beyond that there is a very big shoulder where you can hitch on the junction to the highway to Skopjehike. However, if the bus goes into Agios Athanasios you can better get off and find your way Continue following EO2 from there for 10km (it seems that this bus goes differently depending whether it is #81 or #81A in a car by now ideally) and depending on some external stuff; you can talk to the driver to make sure). Bus 81A from KTEL busstation to are at Agios Athanasiosas in option 2 above. Got off when it turns from Take the highway. From there hitched exit 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 A1/E75 to Skopje. Standing on the highway there, it was very quiet
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.
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 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.====Other====
→North-West to Skopje (North Macedonia)
=== North-West to [[Skopje]] ([[North Macedonia]]) ===
Option 1:Don't bother to hitch hike to the border!!! There is a are free bus busses from the city centre to the border! These buses which belong to the casinos you can find at across the border just before Gevgelija. You can find theses these buses on Tsimiski street. They are easy to recognize (the name of the casino is printed on the bus, and it is written "free shuttle"). The buses leave at 17:00 and 21:00 though, so it might be quicker to hit the road directly, but more comfortable taking the busonly useful for arriving in Skopje at night.
Option 2:
Take a Bus to 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.
=== South to [[Athens]] ===
=== Camping ===
====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====
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 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 ==
The tickets for the buses in the city cost 0.80€ and sometimes 0.90€ (0.40€ for students). 2€ for airport route.
'''Blackriding''' is possible. It's risky because there is no chance of recognising controllers before they enter the bus, however the very control is rare.
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. Was [[User: HHer-Vert|HHer-Vert]] was living in that very city 5 years, and got controlled only 2-3 times.
== Shower ==
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 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).
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 therein 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 dondoesn't really eat there, they are taking food away food which they can physically take out and leave the dorms. You can do the same.
- Normally control-staff are crossing out the numbers on the paper. Each student has his own number on ID-card and he tells it in the moment of entering. It's another strategy of pretending to be a student: you tell random number in greek language (p.e. 103 = ekato tria, 25 - ikosi pende, 207 = diakosa epta, etc), so they will cross it out. Don't worry, students rarely take morning breakfast, so you are not "eating someone's food in his place".