Train and Rail Travel in Macedonia Northern Greece (see Greece train map)

This is a very different kind of Greece from the barren Greece of the much visited Aegean islands, with very different landscapes and regional cultures. Its greener by far!

Macedonia (Ma-ke-do-nee-ea, in Greek) is the largest province/prefecture in all of Greece. It extends from the northern part of the long Pindos range in the west to the Aegean coast near Mt. Olympus in the east, and encompassing the Thermaic gulf, Thessaloniki, and the three-pronged peninsula of Halkidhiki, to its eastern border with Greek Thrace at the Nestos River. It is bounded in the north by Albania, FYROM, and Bulgaria (from west to east). To the south it is bounded by Thessaly.

There is spectacular nature in this huge province, with mountains, lakes, rolling and wooded land with rivers and stone bridges; there are wildlife reserves with wolves and bears as well. Thrace (Thraki in Greek), stretches east from the Nestos River to the Evros River, which forms the border with Turkey (with the Turkish portion of the old region of Thrace, now split between the three modern nations of Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey). To the south of this long and narrow province, which, along with Macedonia was added to Greece only in 1923, is the Sea of Thrace (part of the Aegean), and in the north by the heavily forested Rhodope Mountains which form the border between Bulgaria and Greece.

The railway station of Thessaloniki is the largest in all of the Balkans. Its construction was commissioned during the 1930s by the Dictator Ioannis Metaxas, who wanted a station that would proclaim the glory of ancient Greece. Completion was delayed, however, until 1954, due to WWII and the Greek Civil War, and the station finally built was a bit simpler, though still quite grand, with its marble fascade. It has in-house postal and telecommunications offices and its own chapel. Buses stop outside, and many bus lines have their terminus here. There are many bus or car trips possible from Thessaloniki, a very popular destination being the Halkidhiki peninsula.

Thessaloniki - Platamon

This is the northern segment of the north /south standard gauge mail rail line in Greece, most double track, with many daily trains going east and west.

There are many old steam locomotives stored on the left side of the train as one leaves Thessaloniki. The branch to Serres and Alexandhroupoli goes off to the right near Diavata (no stop), and a rail lines crosses a 170meter iron bridge over the Gallikos, shortly after, the train stops at Sindos. After a long, flat plain, the train cross the Axios River over a 620meter girder bridge, which is the largest river in Macedonia, its sources in former Yugoslavia. It only flows for 80km in Greece, and was a dangerous malarial marsh before flood and reclamatio works in 1925. There's a stop at the Axios station, followed by another bridge 152meters long. The next river crossing is over the artificial Loudias River, created as part of the 1925 drainage project; the train stops after here at the rail junction of Platy, followed by several small villages, then a 450meters bridge over the Aliakmon River before the station of the same name. This is the longest river in Greece, its source in the Pindos mountains on the Albanian border, and flows 175km into the Thracian Gulf. The upper part of the river is through gentle valleys, the middle flows through narrow gorges, and the mouth has been dammed near Veria (1973).

Continuing to the south are small villages settled by Asia Minor refugees forced to leave in 1923, after the disastrous Greco-Turkish War. Kolidhros is noted for its annual custom on 8 January (St. Domenika Day) when women and men changes roles, and the women hang out in the cafes while the men do household chores. At the Makriyialos station the first sandy beaches are glimpsed, with campsites, hotels cafes and restaurants. This is the first beach resort reachable by train from Thessaloniki. Mt Olympus is also visible from here; the largest salt mines Greece, surrounded by the Touzla Marsh, are in this area, as well as an ancient harbor, and some archaeological sites. Katerini, with a population of around 50,000, is situated right below Mt. Olympus and is a major rail junction. The ancient site of Dion is one of the main reasons that people come to Katerini. Litohoro, to the south, is the starting point for hiking and camping on Mt. Olympus, the station (near the coast) 7km from the village, which is at the mouth of the Mavrolongos Gorge. You can walk to the road where the buses stop for Litohoro, though, which takes only a couple of minutes form the station. There are also campsites along the shore.

Thessaloniki - Kozani

This is a standard gauge railway which begins west of Thessaloniki and reaches all the way to the foothills of the Pindos mountains of Ipirus, built during the last years of the Ottoman empire by a German company, with the segment between Amindeo and Kozani added in 1956. The scenery along the rail line resembles that of the Balkans more than the usual images of sun, turquoise sea and whitewashed houses so often associated with travel in Greece.

Many trains depart daily from Thessaloniki towards the west, all of them leaving the north-south main line at Platy and passing through the Amindeo junction, and from there heading towards Kozani or Florina.

Platy - Veria

This line passes through the town of Alexandria, under the Thessaloniki-Florina road, through Xehasmeni, over the Akliakmon River, past the request stop of Mesi, surrounded by orchards of peach and plum trees, and past ancient Vergina (which is 10km from the railway line). The Veria station is about 3km from the ancient city.

Veria - Naoussa

This route parallels Mt. Vermion, which is the watershed for Thessaloniki, and the most densely forested mountain in Greece. Chesnut, hazel, beech, pine, oak and evergreen trees shelter deer and wild boar. There are ski resorts here, and an 18-bed hostel in the village of Seli. The wine growing village of Stenamachos was settled by Greek refugee families from near Plovdiv (Phlippolpolis) in Bulgaria, most of whom were viticulturalists in the wine towns of Asenovgrad.

Naoussa has around 25,000 inhabitatnts on the slopes of Mt. Vermion, is noted for its good red wine, with a grape variety grown since ancient times, which is possibly the ancestor of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. The famous Boutaris family Stenamachos winery is here, with tastings and slide shows, as well as the Chrisohoou, Markovitis, and Melitzanis family wineries. Naoussa sits between two tributaries of the Arapitsa River, and though a modern town is still delightful, with walking paths along the river that flows through its center, It is famous for its pre-Lenten festival (Greek 'Apokries', called 'Carnival' in other countries) with its masked dancers and elaborate costumes. There are nice walking possibilities in this shaded mountain area.

The rail line ascends Mt. Vermion after a stop in Lefkadhia, the latter town with Hellenistic ruins that have been excavated. Next are the request stops of Episkopi and Petria, and then the railway climbs to Skydra where it rejoins the Roman Via Egnatia. This town of around 5,000 inhabitants is a mountain resort and site of an abandoned 60cm gauge line that went to Ardea and Sosandra. The line keeps climbing through mountain country, through the village of Garefi, with beautiful views of the valley and villages to the north. And through a series of galleries, the last of which is 641meters long before it reaches the station at Edhessa with its stream courses running through the town that lead to the high waterfall that drops down a high bluff at its edge, onto the Macedonian plain below. From the western edge of the rail station in this beautiful town, the line passes over three bridges and seven tunnels into the rocky landscape that leads to the alpine Lake Vegoritidha at 558meters altitude. The lake is 19km11.78miles long with a maximum width of 8km/about 5miles and a depth of 49meters/161feet. The rail line goes around the lake, with two little villages on the way: the little fishing village of Armnissa, which has a Tuesday market and walking tours of the high villages of Mt. Kaimaktsalan, and Aghios Penelimonas (whose station is called Vegoritis). This second town has red tiled roofs, a little beach, and a campground. After the end of the big lake, the train passes the smaller Petro lake; and reaches the Amindeo junction (also known by its former name of Sorovits). This is also an important red wine-producing area , based on the same Xynomavro variety as in Naoussa (the name meaning 'acidic black', with a local wine co-op. The Boutari family produces the largest quantities of wine here.

Amindeo - Florina

One of the first lines built by the 'Chemin de Fer Oriental' in the late 19th century, the purpose of this 37km standard gauge line was to link the present day town of Bitola in FYROM with Thessaloniki, and was the first line built in the former Ottoman province of Macedonia. It passes through hilly country with wheat fields and high mountain cattle pastures, climbs to the station at Klidi, which is the highest point on the OSE standard gauge railway.

Florina (popuation around 15,000) has cold, snow-bound winters, with below-zero temperatures for months and hot summers. It is the gateway to the city of Kastoria and to the Prespa Lakes. The old town was situated on both sides of the Sakoulevas river, and some of its historic houses have been restored, with one of them converted into the Gallery of Modern Art . The Prespa Lakes region was declared a national park in 1971 to protect its rare wildlife, including wolves, bears, and foxes, as well as many birds (egrets, cormorants, crested grebes, pelicans) which live among the reeds along the banks of the smaller lake, 'Mikri Prespa'. More than 1248 types of rare mountain plants have been found in this National Park.

There are rooms in the village of Mikrolimni on the way to Aghios Yermanos and also in the village of Psaradhes on the larger lake. Megali Prespa. For Kastoria, best access is through Kozani, there being few bus connections from Florina. Amindeo to Kozani This last major railway built to serve Greek destinations, is a 60km segment of standard gauge, which heads southward through a broad fertile plain, the beauty of the area marred by the high tension power lines of the huge Ptolemais hydroelectric plant, which provides a huge portion of Greece's electric needs. The town of Ptolemais/Ptolemaidha (pop. About 30,000) has lignite mines which produce low grade coal, sulphuric acid and nitrate fertilizers, with the village of Emborio behind it, from which some old mountain trails lead to Siatista and beyond it to Kozani. These trails were used by fur traders during medieval times; in 1941 Greek troops fled on them from Albania to avoid capture by the Germans. They begin behind the center of the town, beyond the gazebo on the edge of the chestnut forest there. The rail line continues south through the crossroads of Azoto (no stop here) where there is a huge DEH plant (Greek electric company), and on to the village of Komanos, which has a massive power plant. A well in this village is known for its strange black water.

Kozani

After here are the villages of Pontokomi, Mavrodendri, and Drepano, the line climbing to its hight point of 701meters. Kozani has a population of around 35,000. It is little visited by foreign travellers, and is the communications and transport center for western Macedonia and Ipirus, as well as an agricultural market and military center. There are old wooden mansions here, nice squares and curving pedestrian streets, and several museums. There was a serious earthquake here in 1995. This town was created by voluntary population transfers from Ipirus during the 14th and 15th centuries, and later settlers from Agrafa during the 17th century. A city much favored by the sultan's mother, artitisan converged here during the 18th century: tanners, weavers, bronze and fur workers. From here traders radiated out into Central Europe and the consequent wealth financed fountains, churches, cobbled streets and the arhondika, or upper class mansions, these being two storeyed and timber framed. The schools here, and the first public library in western Macedonia (endowed by an Archbishop) helped foster Hellenism, but the city waited until 1912 for liberation from the Ottomans; Greek cavalry used it as a base when struggling with the Bulgarians during the First Balkan War soon thereafter. There is a good archaeological museum; there is also plenty of accommodation.

A road leads south from Kozani over the Alakmon River hydroelectric lake via a 2km bridge, which used to be the longest in Greece, until the Rio Andiro bridge was finished. At the foot of Mt. Pieria is the village of Velvendio, with Byzantine churches and a cave with a waterfall concealing its entrance. This road leads to Servia (pop. around 3500) , which got its name from the colony of Serbs who were re settled here in the 7th century as a buffer against invaders. The Pass of Sarandoporos was the main north-south route between Thessaly and Macedonia before the modern era. A road going west from Kozani gives access to Ipirus, as well as to two interesting towns. Siatista (pop. Around 7,000) is a fur trading town, most likely settled during the 15th or early 16th century by Ipirit immigrants. It was a prosperous town from which, like Kozani, business radiated into central Europe; with nearby Kastoria, it organized foreign financial and political support for the struggle against Ottoman rule in the 18th century. It was hidden from the main roads, unknown to the Turks for decades after their seizure of the rest of western Macedonia. There are two platias (town squares)-an upper and a lower-linked by a long street with the town's only hotel. The mountains which surround the town were covered with vineyards wiped out by a plant disease in the 1920s, and are now barren, but the excellent, sweet local wine is still produced on a small scale. There are 18th century arhondika in the town with overhanging second floors aned wattle-and-daub finish over stone foundations, which have been restoed and can be viewed. Especially interesting is the Keratzis mansion, which has a wall painting of a harbor scene with peacocks up in the clouds; there are two 17th century churches, and a fine public library founded by a 19th century scholar. A nationally known two-day long paneyiri (saint's day festival) is held here, during the major annual 15 August (Dekapend-avgousto) paneyiri celebrated all over Greece. Locals parade in costume on horses also adorned for the occasion, some of them dancing to live traditional music on the horses' backs. The festival goes on without a break during those two days.

Grevena

Past Siatista another fork in the road goes south to the town of Grevena, a town which has its own very beautiful traditional music and dance played on violin, clarinet, laouto (lute), and defi (a tambourine-like drum). Summertime is the season to hear this music, with many musicians coming only then from the cities to play. The same road also branches north 49km through densely wooded countryside to the beautiful city of Kastoria, or straight ahead into and over the Pindos mountains to the Zagoria villages, Konitsa, and Yannina/Ioannina in Ipiros. There are many trailheads near Konitsa and the Adriatic seacoast at the port of Igoumenitsa.

Kastoria

Kastoria (population c. 20,000) is on the promontory of a peninsula that projects into a large lake. Many considered it to be one of the mainland Greece's most beautiful cities. Its prosperity derives from the 500 year old fur trade here, based on both minks and beavers. The name of the town comes from the Greek word for beaver, 'kastori', the local ones that lived in the lake here trapped to extinction during the 19th century. Kastoria dates to antiquity, and has been controlled by Bulgars, Byzantines, Serbians Turks. There are many Byzantine churches here and a Byzantine museum with a large collection of icons. The arhontika here are in better shape and more plentiful than those of Siatista, with one house, more than 500 years old, converted into a Folklore museum. The lake, like that of Ioannina is better for walking than swimming (not being terribly clean). Camping is possible near the Monastery of Mavriotissa, halfway around the peninsula, which has a circuit of 9km. The fourth highest mountain peak in Greece rises up beyond the town. This is Mt Grammos (2,520 meters) which, with its neighbor, Mt. Vitsi (2,360meters) form the border with Albania. In August of 1949, left wing rebels who had their camps on Mt. Grammos during the Greek Civil War (1946-49), were the object of the first use of napalm, the signs of which are still visible almost six decades later. This was during the Greco-American assault which ended the Greek Civil War. Trails lead upward from the valley of the Sarandopotamos River to the summit of Grammos. Hikers are warned to stay on the marked trails because live munitions have been found even in recent years by local shepherds which were part of the assault there.

International Train Connections from Thessaloniki

International through trains connect Greece's second largest city with Western and Central Europe via FYROM, Eastern Europe via Bulgaria and Turkey through Pythion. Thessaloniki is the only major Greek city linked to the rest of Europe via a through railway passenger service. To get accurate train information it is better to check with railway authorities in Thessaloniki rather than in Athens.

The railway going north from this city to the border station of Idomeni has only one stop, Polykastro. The line is 76km long. It was part of a grand Turkish railway plan in 1869, completed during the seventies, first carrying the Orient Express in 1888. At the time it seemed that Thessaloniki might become a significant port on a direct route from Europe to the Far East via the Suez Canal, but this didn't happen. International trains through Idomeni use the same rail corridor as all trains out of the Thessaloniki station up to the point where the Alexandhroupoli line goes off to the right along the Gallikos River, and the international line cross the same river on a 20span bridge, continues along a marshy plain, and turns northward on reaching the Axios River near the Gefyra station, to follow this river for 200km to the city of Skopye in FYROM.

Irrigation and flood control works control the Axios River; American built drainage works which reduced the former Lake Amatavor are near Kastanas. The alluvial flats reclaimed from the drained lake are between the villages of Aspros and Limnotopos. Polykastro is reached after crossing the Axios on a large bridge. This town has a population of 4,700, and is the point at which the old, abandoned Turkish Thessaloniki bypass line (20km long) connected to the Alexandhroupolis line near Kilkis. Polykastro is on the southwest end of Lake Ardzan, near an Iron Age site (Tsaotsitza); west of the town is one of Greece's northernmost wine producing villages-Goumenitsa. Founded in the 15th century, this town was an major silk and wine center. It is the wine that is today experiencing a big revival, with local wineries also producing raki, the Greek spirit made from the grape residue after wine making (similar to the Italian grappa). From Polykastro the line follows the Tsingan gorge (10km) at the foot of Mt. Paikon to the border station at Idomeni; the gorge was once the main north-south invasion route for Slav and Germanic tribes to penetrate the warmer climatic regions to the south.

Thessaloniki - Ormenion (Bulgaria)

This 615km/381mile standard gauge single track railway is the longest main line in Greece, and was the main line of the Ottoman 'Chemin de Fer Oriental' built in the late 19th century. It is a route that include marvelous scenery as well as passage through an area with peoples and cultures not found in other parts of Greece.

Thessaloniki -Serres Trains leave the main line about 8km northwest of Thessaloniki and then branch off to the north through the villages of Lahanokipi and Latomio, with the Gallikos river to the left at first, until the train crosses it just before the Philadhelphia station. In this area, near the village of Xirohori a 9-12million year old skull, of Ouropithekos Makeddhonikos was found. There's a military cemetery near Kilkis, with the graves of 659 British soldiers who died in 1917-18 during WWI . The victory for the Greek and Allied armies over the Germans and Bulgarians was near here in the May, 1918 Battle of Skra Ravine.

The modern town of Kilkis has around 15,000 inhabitants, and is a modern concrete city on the edge of a large plain. There is a Byzantine fort here called Gyinaikokastro because it was defended by women ('gyinaika', the Greek word for 'woman' ). There's a small archaeological museum in Kilkis.

The rail line heads towards Lake Doirani, past rolling meadows, with the Kerkini mountains up ahead, these the border with FYROM. Some people are reminded of the Scottish Highlands by the terrain here, with large herds of cattle grazing (something not commonly seen in Greece). There's a British memorial before the Doirani station , which consists of a 12meter high obelisk guarded by two crouching lions, with the names of 2,160 soldiers who fell in WWI without known graves inscribed on panels attached to the obelisk; a nearby Military Cemetery contains 1,300 graves (875 of them British).

The rail station serves a large lake divided between Greece and FYROM, the town in the part belonging to FYROM. The water is 11meters deep, and is fished by locals. Other FYROM villages are visible from here. The train then crosses the foothills of the Kerkini. The summit of this mountain, at 2032 meters, has snow on it well into June, and forms the border with Bulgaria and FYROM.

There's a stop at Mouries; the stop at the Kastanonoussa rail saton near the Dova Tepea Pass (278meters) with extensive views of rolling plain, though after the Rodhopolis station the line enters wide alpine meadows. This little town is populated by Bulgarians and Macedonian Greeks. Next comes Livadhia and marshy land irrigated by the Koumoulis River; Mandraki, and a valley drained by the Strymon River, which is dammed further south, man-made Lake Kerkinis (visible on the right), the villages of Akritohori,Vironia, Neo Petritisi; then the line crosses the Strymon and curves southeast. The line to Sofia leaves here, heading towards the mountain border.

Sidherokastro, with a population of around 7,000, means 'Iron Castle'; its Turkish name is Demir Hisar. It is situated at the bottom of a hill with a 14th century Byzantine citadel. Bulgarian, Turkish, and Greek are all spoken here (and even some Russian). Though there are a couple of hotels here, this is a place not visited by many foreign travellers.

The line from here continues towards the southeast through big cotton fields.near the villages of Kamaroton, Gefyroudhi and Skotoussa, beyond which is the Strymon River valley. The villages of Kala Dhendra and Mitroussi lead to ancient Serres.

Serres

The modern town of Serres has a population of around 55,000, and is an important commercial center. After liberation from the Turks in 1913, the Bulgarians burned it to the ground and there was a serious fire in 1949. The Greek Archaeological Service has since restored the 12th century Cathedral of St. Thodoris and the church of Aghios Nikolaos which is on the ancient acropolis. Byzantine gates and walls have been unearthed, as well as parts of the aqueduct; there are some mosques, and the old big brick Turkish market now houses the Archaeological museum. There is a Sarakatsani folk museum, dedicated to this ancient nomadic pastoral culture. Serres is definitely worth a visit.

Serres - Drama

The area to the east of Serres is known as East Macedonia-a hilly region cut by the Strymon river and its tributaries on their way to the sea. The Nestos River on its eastern most eddge forms the border with Greek Thrace. The train passes through the hills of Dafnoudi, Vertiskos and Kerdilia; beyond the villages of Dimitra and Lefkothea it goes under three covered galleries and into the Petras Defile before crossing over the Angiti River. At this point the Serres nomos is left behind and the line enters the Drama nomos. Mt. Falakros (Bald Mountain) looms on the left and from the village of Photolivos, the line enters the plain of Drama.

Drama

Drama (population around 50,000) is a thriving commercial center based on the tobacco trade. There are many green platias (squares) and nice old neighborhoods with shade trees. Treks can begin here to Mt. Falakro (2,232meters) with buses to the trailhead at Pirgi on the southwest flank of the mountain; other buses lead to the trailhead at the villages of Volakos on the mountain's north side. There are also possible treks to the interesting seaport of Kavala. There is fine wine produced in Drama, especially by the Lazaridhi brothers, who have experimented seriously with the local grapes, and who use very modern techniques for producing dry white, rose and red from a variety of grapes. You can arrange a visit by phoning: 25210 36 616; fax: 31 453.

By road from here one can visit the ruins at ancient Macedonian Philippi and its old seaport, Kavala, but the views of the latter are best from the sea . Kavala has a population of around 65,000, is situated against the lower slopes of Mt. Simvolon. As port of Phlippi it was known as Neapolis (New City), and in modern times is the principal port for northern Greece, as well as being the largest Greek city with no rail service.

Ferries leave from here to Thassos, Limnos, and Samothraki

Ferries leave from here to Thassos, Limnos, and Samothraki, with some continuing on to Alexandhroupoli. There are buses from here to Thessaloniki and to Xanthi in Thrace. For rail travellers interested in seeing the spectacular Nestos River gorge, the best thing is to return to Drama and continue east by rail.

Drama -Xanthi

This stretch covers a distance of 105km, with some of the most dramatic scenery in all of Greece, with its highest point at Platania. From this point on the views from the right side of the train are riveting, as the rail line runs along the banks of the Nestos River from Paranesti all the way to Xanthi. This river is also known as the Mesta and has its source in the forested Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria. From there it passes through 234km of wild gorges, mostly above Paranesti. 250 bird species live on its banks, close to half of them (such as the Dalmatian pelican, imperial eagle and peregrine falcon) are either rare or endangered. In the upper Bulgarian portion the river runs through Rila and Pirim national parks; in Greece, the Nestos delta is one of eleven Greek wetlands protected under the international Ramsar convention. There have been threats to the integrity of the river's flow, however, in the form of desired water diversions, and hydroelectric projects, so you might want to see it while it's still wild.

The first rail stop after Drama is at Nikiphoros, by which time the train has ascended into the mountains, after which it crosses a trestle bridge and the village of Platanovryssi becomes visible on the right and Mt. Lekani on the left (1298 meters), with its gorge on the right. The Platania station in the center of the village marks the watershed boundary between the Angitis and Nestos Rivers and also the highest point (322meters) on the entire Thessaloniki-Pithion rail line. From here the line descends through the Korpilon narrows via tunnels and galleries, and then crosses a 150meter iron bridge over the river torrent below, with raging water most of the year; here the train is entering the Nestos gorge. There's a brief stop at Paranesti, and the gorge continues with Mt. Koula (1827 meters) on the left and Mt. Lekani still visible on the right. The following station marks entry into Thrace province, with the first Thracian station at Paskhalia. More tunnels and galleries follow through tiny villages with amazing canyon scenery. The train leaves the river at Toxotes where the stream flows south into a widening valley while the rail line starts bearing slightly north into the Xanthi plain., and the main Thessaloniki-Alexandhroupoli highway rejoins the railway.