Changes

Another optionThis 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 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 goes all and go a few stops until you see the way to Lagkadasmotorway . If Get off at Filothei (Φιλοθέη) when you stay see a BP Oil in green colour rest area on the other side of the motorway. Just follow the bus until it reaches this small townand go under the motorway to reach the other side. Once you are there, rally the petrol station personnel to help you . 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 try hitching out in 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 direction road etc). Also, there should be a toll station (peage) about [http://hitchwiki.org/maps/?place=6374 15 km east of KavalaLagynas], Istanbul, etcnear 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.

*''I followed Bus #83 goes all the instructions and went way to JetOil and got Lagkadas (Λαγκαδάς). If you stay on the personnel to helpbus until it reaches this small town, but it turned you can try hitching out to be quite hard to get a ride going east. Even though a lot in the direction of cars and trucks do stop there, the cars appeared to be going local and the trucks were heading towards Athens. After half an hourKavala, I decided to move on and got a short ride to the highway. After 5 minutes a truckerIstanbul, who was on his way to Iran, stopped for meetc. So even though I do not recommend thumbing up on the highway, it does work some time. December 2010, Lana''

*''I tried the recommended way of asking around at the JetOil trying to get out of Thessaloniki, with no luck. It seemed all the truckers were either sleeping, local, or going to Athens. Also, they were not that keen on taking hitchhikers anyway. After a few hours, I went to the highway right next to the station Update (there is an opening in July 2022): the fence, you just have to look for it), options listed above are extremely outdated and got a ride halfway to Istanbul within 10 minutesnot very helpful. It surprises me how closedminded the original post This route isstill difficult, being that it is entirely possible, and quite easy to get a ride on the highway. Just a lesson that you should never take anyone's recommendation as absolute truthbut there are better options. I would personally recommend getting the gas-pumpers at the station to ask around for you (they were incredibly friendly), and stay within clear sight on the highway in case they get you a ride before you do. February 2011, Jon''

*''First of all: it1) with bus number 83 you can get to Laguna from where there's not easy at all about 20 minutes walk to hitchhike in Greece btw Thessaloniki. We spent one day and two hours the next day in knot that area to ties local road 2 and highway 2. Here you can get a hike in the direction directly to turkey. If you take the bus #83 from town be prepared that it DOESNT stop on entrance of the highway. we drove to the next station and waited for the bus #86 to drive backKavala where you filter out any cars not going your way. the whole in the fence The traffic is an option very slow but a bad one because the cars are driving fast can stop and they have almost no space to stop. we got get a hitch good look at the drive-up, direction kavala. it is wide and the cars are driving slow. if you come with the bus and go under the highway you'll find it on your left hand side. 250m to walk from the JetOil. Good Luck! July 2011, Timo'There's a gas station about 30km down before Evangelios

*''In Thessalonıkı Kamara you can take bus 83. There ıs no need to take bus 27 and change to 83. The rıde towards the HH poınt takes about 20 to 30 mınutes. The bus wıll drıve on the hıghway. Stay on the bus untıll ıt leaves the hıghway and contınue for about 5 mınutes on the local road. Leave the bus when you see a petrol statıon on your rıght. Walk for 100 metres untıll the traffıc lıght where you wıll fınd some shade from trees. It ıs so hot between 12 and 4. 500 metres further from the traffıc lıght ıs the hıghway. I fırst trıed there but all the traffıc was headıng for Thessalonıkı. So I went back to the traffıc lıght. 2) The cars are highway entrance after BP near Megalohare kantina is still very local , but there are several trucks goıng 's enough traffic so it's possible to Turkeyhitch longer rides. They take the natıonal road Since Greeks don't stop often we opted to avoıd the tollcosts from go for the hıghway. Try first ride which brought us to get the attentıon of the trucks. I used a cardboard wrıtten Kavala-Turkey. The truck took me to the border and there I slept ın the truck wıth the drıver. At the border change to a car. The waıtıng tıme for the truck was about 40 mınutes. The waıtıng tıme for the car was 5 mınutes. Good Luck. May 2012. Len''3rd option

=== North-West 3) 40,7214723, 22,9740939 or the spot right after the exit for Laguna is risky. The cars drive fast so be careful and there's a high probability the highway patrol tells you to [[Skopje]] (FYROM) ===get off. However we hitched a ride within 5 minutes with a Kavala sign as there are a lot of Turkish truck drivers going from Athens to Istanbul.

Take a bus #8 (or #31?) 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. AfterwardsNone of these options are perfect, you can do different things. You can get off at a first bus stop after you drive over but they seem way more likely than the highway AthensBP station since 4-Skopje - [http://g.co/maps/3qj6m here]. Be careful, the first big crossing you gonna come to is the crossing with the ring road (you are going to driver underneath it) while 5 hours of hitchhiking there yielded only the next on is the one you need (you are 2 rides going to drive above it)Kilkis. Then you have to walk almost 2km backwards (if you walk fast it takes 20 minutes) Since we changed strategy we only needed about an hour and you can hitch on the junction to the highway to Skopje. However, if the bus goes into Agios Athanasios you can better get off and find your way 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 to make sure)a half in total.Good luck!

*''My girlfriend and me stood at the junction just next to the old paytoll, which seemed to be the best place since cars were going rather slowly. After 10=== North-15 minutes we were picked up by a Macedonian woman who brought us West to the border. A week later I hitchhiked alone from the same spot and was picked up after 40 minutes and got to the junction with Polykastro before which the highway goes into one line for 500 metres. On that spot I thumbed and got to the border after another 40 minutes. December 2011, [[User:Rozwal|RozwalSkopje]] ([[North Macedonia]]'') ===

*Option 1:Don''My friend and I (two guys) stood here for 4 hours and despite many cars passing only one Macedonian guy stopped but he asked for money. Then we put up our tent in t bother to hitch hike to the border! There are free busses from the city centre which belong to the nearby field and tried our luck casinos across the next dayborder just before Gevgelija. After another 2 hours we got picked up by Albanian workers that took us to PolykastroYou can find these buses on Tsimiski street. There They are no gas stations or shops nearbyeasy 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 so bring food and water just only useful for arriving in case! August 2012, [[User:Chaba|Chaba]]''Skopje at night.

Alternatively, you can get off [httpOption 2://maps.google.coTake a Bus to Agios Athanasios.uk/maps?saddr=Thessalonikis-Edessas%2F%CE%98%CE%B5%CF%83%CF%83%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%AF%CE%BA%CE%B7%CF%82-%CE%88%CE%B4%CE%B5%CF%83%CF%83%CE%B1%CF%82%2FRoute+2&daddr=Leoforos+Konstantinou+Karamanli%2F%CE%9B%CE%B5%CF%89%CF%86%CF%8C%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%82+%CE%9A%CF%89%CE%BD%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%AF%CE%BD%CE%BF%CF%85+%CE%9A%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%B1%CE%BC%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%BB%CE%AE&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sll=40.692744From "KTEL Macedonia Bus station" lines 81A,22.819805&sspn=0.09097989B,089K go there.209255&geocode=FaD1bAIdtpZcAQ%3BFaD1bAIdtpZcAQ&vpsrc=0&mra=mift&mrsp=1&sz=13&t=m&z=13 here] which is reported You can hitch on the nearby junction to be a better place for cars Highway A1/E75 to stop. But there you have a lot of cars going to the West, while if you come the previous stop you will have cars going only towards Polykastro or the borderSkopje.

*''I took bus 81A from KTEL busstation to Agios AthanasiosOption 3:Actually hitch hike. Got off when it turns from Highway EO2 effectively runs down the highwaycenter of Thessaloniki to Edessas. From there hitched to Polykastro It's a normal road (called "Monastiriou", "Egnagia" and another ride got me to others) up until the junction with the borderring road (A2/E90). You can walk down it (going north-west) while hitch hiking. There are gas stations along it where you can hitch hike. At Just past the border asked ring road there is a stop light before the car in front of me for ramp where you can hitch hike. Just beyond that there is a ride, which got me to Skopjevery big shoulder where you can hitch hike. Standing on the highway Continue following EO2 from there, it was very quiet, but I was very lucky as an Austrian for 10km (in a car passed by now ideally) and got me straight you are at Agios Athanasios as in option 2 above. Take the exit to BelgradeA1/E75 to Skopje. January 2011, Lana''

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 wan 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.  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 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.

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.

Take bus 83 (any of them will get you there, even the bus #27 express) from the centre to it's final stop, where also other buses Aristotellous Square stop(you need #85on Egnatia Street). Then take You want to get off at the Kombo Gerokomeiou exit (Google maps doesnt show the bus #85(Astops this far north, B or M) and you're already but on your way. Almost any stop the opposite side of this bus leaves you at a good hitchhiking point, but the nineteenth stop ''21o chiliometro'' (21st kilometre) highway is right on a petrol gas station on the way to Serres and the Bulgarian border (to Sandansky, Blagoevgrad, Sofiacalled 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 word "autobahn" instead of "motorway" ot "highway"ramp. The road There is E79 and not a lot of traffic here, so it's not might take you up to an hour to get a motorwayride, especially after but I think its worth it because most of the bordercars going as far as Bulgaria will get on the highway here. These city bus tickets cost only 50 cents Good luck! Update (that you donAugust '22)Don't even take bus 83! You have to pay) and take bus 83B to get to the right place! Taking bus 83 will make you quite some kilometres out walk for a long time until teaching the ramp. Also, I wasn't so lucky there. I waited a total of 4 hours before I gave up.I think it's better to go to the Shell gas station at 40°41′01.72″N 22°56′28.28″E and ask people. Thumbing on ramps is pretty difficult in Greece.You can take bus 53 until Strophe Oraiokastrou to get to the city towards all destinationsgas station.

* This way is faster as you don't need to stay on bus #27 so long. Take bus #27 or #27a and get off at Minerva stop in Oreokastrou suburb. If you walk some hundreds of meters from the bus stop where you get off, in the direction the bus was going, you will reach a crossroads and on your left you will see another bus stop. From there you can take bus #84.* This way is easier because you don't need to change bus stops, it is the way mentioned in the Northeast to Sofia section. Take the bus #27 or #27a from the centre the the final s top ''Platia Stavroupolis'' (Stavroupolis square). Then at the same place take bus #84 / #84a and you're already on your way.

This way is easier because you don't need to change bus stops, it is the way mentioned in the Northeast to Sofia section. Take the bus #27 or #27a from the centre the the final s top ''Platia Stavroupolis'' (Stavroupolis square). Then at the same place take bus #84 / #84a and you're already on your way. 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).

 ====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 a big problem in the big cities as Thessaloniki or Athens, so you better have something to enter protect yourself from them during the university! There night (get some long sticks near you). Normally they are few guards but don't have 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 right ground - it should work for lonely dog. ====Airport==== Place to touch stay for a short term. It is not closing for the night, so youcan always overnight there. ====Other==== We slept at a deserted camping space by the beach in Ag. Triada, which is really worth a visit. ItWe even made a big fire at night and it didn's generally safet disturb anybody. This place is about 30km south of Thessaloniki and you can reach it within 1, though perhaps not suitable 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 single femalecupple of villages before you get to Triada. Ask for the old camping at the beach, locals will guide you.

The tickets for the 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 cost 0.80€ and sometimes 0.90€. Blackriding is possible. If So, if you speak want to move inside the controller in city using a foreign language public transport download special application (showing that you're a tourist, not 'in 2022 there is an illegal immigrantapplication called "Moovit") they'll just leave you alone. If not, they first ask 30 Euros 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 not.

There were big movements The tickets for the buses in this the city about not paying for public transportcost 0. Many people don't pay 80€ and controls are raresometimes 0.90€ (0. Spent a whole month in this city taking buses daily and never got checked40€ for students). 2€ for airport route.

* ''On 'Blackriding''' is possible. It's risky because there is no chance of recognising controllers before they enter the bus #85 , 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 driver asked 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 tickets before leaving the stationtax, I simply said (in English) that I had no money 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 I was going, you can write any fake name. Or even simpler you can give your real passport and he let me ride they are supposed to send you the bus anywaybill to your country. September 2012, AlnairIt'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. [[User: HHer-Vert|HHer-Vert]] was living in that very city 5 years, and got controlled only 2-3 times.

I took one shower ın one hospıtal 500 metres from One even safer option is the televısıon broadcast antennastudent residence. There are three hospıtals close to eachother Noone here checks who enters. Ever. Even if they see you like a complete stranger with a tons of baggage and I ask you anything, just trıed onetell them that you are visiting a friend or whatever. After walkıng around ın the hospıtal and talkıng frıendly to some nurses I was able you enter, go upstairs to take a shower any floor and shaveyou'll find common baths everywhere. It is located near the swimming pool at the city center. You can enter 24h. May 2012Location on map: https://goo. Lengl/maps/H8WZU  

This might 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 true anymoreasked 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 heard 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 year 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 started checking for 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 pass: 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". - In the end, if you did not get any food, you are desperate and frustrated, you can try to tell staff that you are an adventurer, they are pretty understanding. They will give you food anyway if you came in the restaurant's closing time (10 a.m; 2.30 p.m & 9 p.m). There are always extra food, which they give to random people. Just ask. == Trashwiki & Nomadwiki ==