Greece
Thessaloniki
Away-day guide
Thessaloniki is a strong weekend away city: compact, late-night and excellent for cheap street food, with Ladadika the sensible base for visiting support. Toumba is intense and tightly policed, so drink centrally, keep colours covered and use any organised away-fan transport.
Public transport
Central Thessaloniki is compact but traffic is heavy, so walking and public transport are usually quicker than taxis for short trips. The metro’s main route links the New Railway Station, the city centre and Nea Elvetia; Toumba Stadium is not directly beside a metro station. OASTH runs the bus network, including the airport services. The representative urban single fare is 0.60 and a 24-hour product is normally around 2.50, but bus and metro ticket media and transfer rules have changed since the metro opened, so check OSETH before travelling. Buy or validate the correct ticket before the journey where facilities allow; do not assume a bus ticket automatically covers the metro. OASTH’s telematics app is useful for live bus arrivals, while FREE NOW is handy for licensed taxis. Suburban trains leave the New Railway Station for regional destinations but are of limited use for the ground.
Typical prices
- Beer (0.5L)
- EUR 5
- Coffee
- EUR 3.5
- Meal, mid-range
- EUR 15
- Taxi from airport
- EUR 25
- Single transit ticket
- EUR 0.6
✈ Airports & cheaper alternatives
- Thessaloniki Airport Makedonia SKG primary 13 km OASTH airport buses 01X by day and 01N overnight run to central Thessaloniki and the New Railway Station. Allow roughly 40–60 minutes, longer in rush-hour traffic. The obvious choice and close enough for a straightforward weekend trip. A taxi is worth considering if three or four of you are splitting it.
- Kavala International Airport Alexander the Great KVA alternative 170 km Travel from the airport towards Kavala, then take a KTEL intercity coach from Kavala bus station to Thessaloniki. Connections are less frequent than at SKG, so leave plenty of time. Occasionally cheaper with seasonal flights, but the transfer wipes out much of the saving unless the fare difference is substantial.
- Sofia Airport SOF alternative 300 km Take Sofia Metro Line 4 from the airport, changing at Serdika for Line 2 towards Central Railway Station. International coaches leave the adjoining Sofia Central Bus Station for Thessaloniki; the road journey is normally around five hours before delays. Can work when flights to Greece are expensive, particularly for a larger group, but it means a long cross-border transfer and possible delays at the Bulgarian–Greek border.
🍺 Supporters' pubs
PAOK
Home fans: PAOK support gathers throughout Toumba, particularly immediately around the stadium. Recognised home venues include Sport Cafe – Stadium Toumpa at Tyrolois 10 and Beeratis Alehouse in the Toumba area, alongside informal supporters’ bars beside the ground and around Gate 4.
Away fans: The Dubliner in Ladadika is the clearest documented visiting-supporter pub. Egyptou Street and the wider Ladadika district have hosted Aberdeen and Hearts fans and are the normal neutral base. Aristotelous Square has also been used as an official daytime meeting point before police buses. Avoid the bars immediately around Toumba Stadium, including Sport Cafe, Beeratis and supporters’ premises by Gate 4; keep away colours covered outside an organised gathering.
PAOK are Thessaloniki’s only club in a 2026/27 UEFA competition. Visiting fans are better based in Ladadika or at the meeting point announced by their club and police, rather than attempting an independent pub crawl near Toumba.
Sourced from supporters' forums — always follow your club's and police advice for the fixture.
Nightlife
Ladadika is the easiest base for an away trip: plenty of bars within a few streets, late opening and a short walk from Aristotelous Square. Egyptou Street is particularly convenient for groups. Valaoritou and Syngrou have late bars and clubs in converted commercial buildings and tend to feel younger and less polished. Navarinou and the Rotonda are cheaper, student-heavy areas for beer and casual food. The waterfront around Nikis Avenue is good for a first drink and sea view but generally costs more.
Food & drink
Start with bougatsa, either custard-filled and dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon or savoury with cheese. Koulouri sesame bread rings are the standard cheap snack, while gyros, souvlaki, soutzoukakia and shared meze suit groups. Thessaloniki is also good for seafood with ouzo or tsipouro. For something sweet, try trigona Panoramatos, crisp pastry triangles filled with custard. A freddo espresso is the usual cold coffee order.
Cheap eats & beer
For a cheap breakfast, Bougatsa Giannis on Mitropoleos is a central favourite: bougatsa and coffee should cost roughly 5–7. Savvikos by Aristotelous Square is useful for quick gyros, souvlaki and shared plates without committing to a long sit-down meal. The lanes around Kapani Market have inexpensive bakeries, grill shops and daytime tavernas, while Bit Bazaar, around Tositsa, is good for groups sharing meze. Navarinou and the streets around the Rotonda are the best bet for student-priced beer, usually cheaper than the waterfront or the smarter parts of Ladadika. Ladadika is more convenient for away fans than genuinely cheap: expect beer around 5–6, with The Dubliner the established visiting-supporter option. There are local grill houses along Grigoriou Lampraki in Toumba, but away supporters should not use the stadium neighbourhood for a pre-match crawl or display colours there.
Staying safe
The main centre is generally straightforward, but watch for pickpockets on crowded airport buses, around Aristotelous Square and near the railway station. Use licensed taxis or an app and make sure the meter is running unless an airport fare has been agreed. Football is the bigger concern: do not wear away colours around Toumba, visit PAOK supporters’ bars or wander towards the ground in a small group. Avoid rival Greek club colours and political or provocative stickers. Follow your club’s match-specific police advice even if it means an early meeting time and a long wait for buses. Keep your passport secure but accessible for stadium checks.
On matchday
The visiting section at Toumba is normally the segregated Gate 8 area, but use only the entrance printed in your club’s official instructions. For higher-risk European fixtures, away supporters may be required to gather centrally—often around Aristotelous Square—and travel on police-controlled buses. Independent travel to the stadium can be discouraged or refused. Carry the passport or photo ID used for the booking: ticket and matching-ID checks may happen more than once, and a home-end ticket is not a workaround. Keep colours covered away from the official meeting area and do not drink around Toumba, Gate 4 or PAOK supporters’ bars. Police commonly restrict traffic and pedestrian movement on Kleanthous, Mikras Asias and nearby residential streets; there is no adjacent railway station to rely on, and post-match holdbacks are possible.