Izmir to Athens by train
Travel from Izmir (Turkey) to Athens (Greece) by train (303km): schedule and information to the train connection. Compare fares and buy your ticket.
To travel from Izmir in Turkey to Athens in Greece, the easiest and fastest way is by bus. There is no direct train connection anymore between these two countries. Please read the information bellow.
There are two main routes. Compare them and decide which one feeds your needs best.
- 1Izmir (Turkey) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Athens (Greece)
- 2Izmir (Turkey) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Sofia (Bulgaria) - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Athens (Greece)
303 km
How to use the following information: we show you the best routes and where to buy tickets. On longer routes you may need more than one ticket. Book your tickets step by step as explained. If you have questions about the route from Izmir to Athens, please ask in our forum. Of course, sometimes there are as well other travel routes possible.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections : popular connections travelled by other users
Athens - Izmir / Istanbul - Thessaloniki / Istanbul - Alexandroupoli / Istanbul - Larissa / Istanbul - Patras / Istanbul - Iraklion / Ankara - Athens / Ankara - Thessaloniki / Ankara - Alexandroupoli1 Izmir (Turkey) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Athens (Greece)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
1a Travelling from Izmir (Turkey) to Istanbul (Turkey)
To travel from Izmir to Istanbul, there are two route options.
1) Train:
Izmir to Eskişehir by night train (Izmir Mavi Treni). Journey time is 10 hours.
Eskişehir to Istanbul Pendik by train. Journey time is 3 hours.
You can leave Izmir at 18:00h and arrive in Istanbul at 09:00h.
2) Train and ferry:
Izmir Basmane to Bandirma Gar by train. Journey time is 6 hours.
Bandirma Sehir to Istanbul Yenikapi by ferry. Journey time is 2,5 hours.
You can leave Izmir at 08:50h and arrive in Istanbul at 18:00h.
Tickets are available via the booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Izmir to Istanbul?
Check times&prices 
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Istanbul - Izmir
1b Travelling from Istanbul (Turkey) to Thessaloniki (Greece)
Travel from Turkey to Greece by bus. There exists no direct train connection anymore. If you want to travel by train, travel from Istanbul to Sofia (Bulgaria) and from there to Thessaloniki. But it takes a lot more time than by bus.
There are several direct (overnight) bus connections available from Istanbul (Turkey) to bigger Greek cities (Athens, Thessaloniki, ...). Find bus and train schedules via the booking links provided.
The bus journey time from Istanbul to Thessaloniki is 10 hours. Buy your bus ticket for this travel route from 45 EUR.
To book your ticket, use the following city names to find connections.
Istanbul = Istanbul Avrupa
Thessaloniki = Selanik
Athens = Atina
Where to buy a ticket from Istanbul to Thessaloniki?
The following links could be interesting for you.
bus: Bus connections that might be helpful.
Istanbul - Athens / Athens - Istanbul / Thessaloniki - Istanbul / Istanbul - Thessaloniki
train company:
TCDD Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları / OSE TRAINOSE / METU Metro Turizm / CRZH Crazy Holidays
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Thessaloniki - Istanbul / Istanbul - Athens / Istanbul - Alexandroupoli / Istanbul - Igoumenitsa / Istanbul - Iraklion / Istanbul - Larissa / Istanbul - Patras / Ankara - Athens / Ankara - Thebes / Izmir - Athens
1c Travelling from Thessaloniki (Greece) to Athens (Greece)
To travel by train from Thessaloniki to Athens, use one of the direct IC connections for day travel. There are usually five connections per day with a journey time of four hours.
The ticket price for a one-way journey starts from EUR 35 in second class.
There is one overnight train available with a journey time of about seven hours. Ticket prices start from EUR 20.
Find the train-schedules and ticket fares via our booking links.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
Inter City (IC)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
T 600 Athens - Alexandroupoli / T 601 Alexandroupoli - Athens
train company:
OSE TRAINOSE
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Athens - Thessaloniki
2 Izmir (Turkey) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Sofia (Bulgaria) - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Athens (Greece)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
2a Travelling from Izmir (Turkey) to Istanbul (Turkey)
To travel from Izmir to Istanbul, there are two route options.
1) Train:
Izmir to Eskişehir by night train (Izmir Mavi Treni). Journey time is 10 hours.
Eskişehir to Istanbul Pendik by train. Journey time is 3 hours.
You can leave Izmir at 18:00h and arrive in Istanbul at 09:00h.
2) Train and ferry:
Izmir Basmane to Bandirma Gar by train. Journey time is 6 hours.
Bandirma Sehir to Istanbul Yenikapi by ferry. Journey time is 2,5 hours.
You can leave Izmir at 08:50h and arrive in Istanbul at 18:00h.
Tickets are available via the booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Izmir to Istanbul?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Istanbul - Izmir
2b Travelling from Istanbul (Turkey) to Sofia (Bulgaria)
Travel from Istanbul to Sofia by direct overnight train. The daily train has a journey time of 12 hours. Train tickets start from 29 EUR.
The train departure time in Istanbul Halkali station is at 21:40 and the arrival time in Sofia is 08:40. Buy your train ticket locally at the Istanbul Sirkeci train station (ticket window 4). This is not the departure station Istanbul Halkali. The ticket price is 19 EUR plus a supplement of 10 EUR for a 4-berth couchette or 15 EUR for a 2-bed sleeper. The private sleeper compartment for one single traveller is 28 EUR plus a supplement of 35 EUR. In the middle of the night there is a control at the border.
The departure station Istanbul Halkali is located 25 kilometres outside of the historic city centre. Buy your ticket for the overnight train at Istanbul Sirkeci railway station and get by Marmaray suburban train directly to Istanbul Halkali railway station. These suburban trains run every 15 minutes with a ticket fare of less than 2 EUR. The journey time is 35 minutes.
If you come by train from Ankara, the Marmaray suburban train station is "Söğütlüçeşme". From there you get directly to "Istanbul Sirkeci" (buy the overnight train ticket) and on to "Istanbul Halkali" (departure of the overnight train).
Where to buy a ticket from Istanbul to Sofia?
Buy the train ticket at a railway station. Note: in some countries you have to pay a service fee at the ticket counter. The ticket can be purchased at a station in the country of departure, also sometimes in other countries.
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
D 493 Sofia - Istanbul / D 81032 Istanbul - Sofia
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Sofia - Istanbul
2c Travelling from Sofia (Bulgaria) to Thessaloniki (Greece)
Travel from Sofia to Thessaloniki by direct day train. The journey time is 8:30 hours. Buy your train ticket for 35 BGN (18 EUR) at the train station in Sofia.
The departure time in Sofia is 15:00. The arrival time in Thessaloniki is 23:30. There are always seats available therefore it is no problem to buy the ticket at the day of departure.
Note (2022/2023): currently the train traffic is interrupted and you have to travel by bus. The bus ticket price is 15-20 EUR. Buy it via the given links or on union-ivkoni.com
No discount with Interrail/Eurail.
Where to buy a ticket from Sofia to Thessaloniki?
Buy the train ticket at a railway station. Note: in some countries you have to pay a service fee at the ticket counter. The ticket can be purchased at a station in the country of departure, also sometimes in other countries.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Thessaloniki - Sofia
2d Travelling from Thessaloniki (Greece) to Athens (Greece)
To travel by train from Thessaloniki to Athens, use one of the direct IC connections for day travel. There are usually five connections per day with a journey time of four hours.
The ticket price for a one-way journey starts from EUR 35 in second class.
There is one overnight train available with a journey time of about seven hours. Ticket prices start from EUR 20.
Find the train-schedules and ticket fares via our booking links.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
Inter City (IC)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
T 600 Athens - Alexandroupoli / T 601 Alexandroupoli - Athens
train company:
OSE TRAINOSE
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Athens - Thessaloniki
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Do you have questions about the connection between Izmir and Athens? Does something not work as it should? Just ask in our forum and get competent answers from our rail travel experts.
Eurail: if you want to travel this route by Eurail instead of train tickets, have a look here for reservation fees and further information.
