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VOLUME 5 ISSUE 1
Travel Tips for getting to Thessaloniki!
By: Michael Radmann
Many of you will more than likely have the opportunity to visit Greece during your Peace
Corps service. Your first stop will probably be
Thessaloniki. There are easy and simple ways
to get to Thessaloniki from Macedonia. The
easiest and cheapest is taking the train that
leaves from the main Skopje train station almost every morning at 6 am or if you’re an afternoon person, approximately 4pm (not every
day). Check th e train station for the latest
schedule. The train never leaves on time but,
eventually
you’ll make it to
Thessaloniki.
The cost is
about 30 Euros
roundtrip. The
train ride is
pleasant and the
scenery is beautiful, taking you
along the Vardar
river passing
through Veles
and eventually
past Negotino
and finally to
the border. The
border crossing will take time, usually 30-40
minutes depending upon the number of passengers and the two checkpoints you’ll have to go
through to cross the border. The train will then
head to Thessaloniki with the total journey
from Skopje taking you almost 4 hours.
An alternate and faster way to Thessaloniki is
to take the daily mini-van shuttle that leaves
Skopje at 5am from the petrol station right next
to the Holiday Inn on the river walk. This ride
will take you about 3 hours with the border
crossing. The mini-van operator is Compass
Holiday and their telephone number is 32 96
880 in Skopje. If you’re only going for a day
trip to Thessaloniki, the shuttle costs 25 Euros
roundtrip. On the return, you need to pick the
shuttle up at 5pm from the Capsis Hotel which
is located one block from the main train station.
If you take the return trip on another day, the
roundtrip will cost you 50 Euros.
Thessaloniki, the city on the seaside.
When he founded the city, Kassander, king
of Macedonia, gave it the name of his wife,
Alexander the Great’s half sister who in turn
was named after her father Phillip II’s victory over Thessaly. The custom whereby
kings named the cities they founded after
themselves, their wives or mothers, began
with Alexander who thought it politically
expedient.
Thessaloniki is
Greece’s
second
largest city
which lies
at the back
of the
Thermaic
Gulf. The
city is
built like
an amphitheater up
the slopes
of Mount
Hortiatis. The city is divided in two by the
famous White Tower, built by the Venetians
in the early years of the Ottoman Empire’s
occupation. There are many sites to visit
including just about every important era in
history. One really interesting site is the
house of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of
modern day Turkey who was actually born
in Thessaloniki. It is now the Turkish Consulate.
A great place to try fantastic Greek food is
the restaurant by the name of “Ta Nissia”.
Their address is 13 Proxenou Karomila
Street. The menu lists over 150 different
types of Greek dishes! Nightlife in Thessaloniki is really great and there are plenty of
places to enjoy right on the boardwalk.