Best Place to Exchange Money in Alexandroupolis

Where to change money in Alexandroupolis

We could not find an exchange office in Alexandroupolis, and Onexchange's branch list, which stretches from Athens to several islands, has nothing in Thrace. Nor did we find a bank that says it buys pounds from visitors, so rely on a card that is cheap abroad or change cash before you arrive.

• Onexchange, Athens International Airport - Handy if you change planes in Athens: desks open daily, two of them round the clock, but Onexchange says its zero-commission offer excludes walk-up exchanges here, so order ahead with Click and Collect or use a card.
• Onexchange, Thessaloniki Airport arrivals - For anyone flying into SKG and heading east by coach or train: the desk is in the arrivals hall's public area and, Onexchange says, opens 07:00 to midnight daily.

Changing money at the airport

The state-run Dimokritos airport (AXD) is at Apalos, 6 to 7 km from the centre. We found no official list of its services; an independent airport guide lists a cash machine and an exchange bureau without naming who runs them, so land with some euros or a card that is cheap abroad.

The same guide describes a town bus every 30 minutes, but we found no timetable for it. A taxi is the safer bet: Greek law requires taxis to accept cards, which a sticker in the rear right window confirms. We found no official fare, so ask for an estimate first.

ATMs and cards in Alexandroupolis

Since 11 August 2025 Greek bank customers can withdraw free at any Greek bank's machine and pay at most EUR 1.50 at independent ones. UK cards gain nothing: Protothema reported no ceiling for foreign cards at Euronet, Cashflex or similar machines. Use a bank's machine instead. National Bank of Greece's tariff, updated on 27 October 2026, shows no fee of its own for euros drawn on a foreign Visa or Mastercard, but 9.5 per cent if you accept conversion into pounds. Decline it, allow for your own bank's fee and, as Which? advises, make one larger withdrawal rather than several small ones.

Cash still counts: Greek Reporter, covering a 2026 European Central Bank survey, said 99 per cent of Greek businesses accept it. Taxis and kiosks have had to take cards since April 2024, but keep some notes for small purchases and tips, and pay in euros at any terminal.

Paying for transport in Alexandroupolis

Town buses are run by Astiko KTEL Alexandroupolis, at 2 Eleftherias Square, and the municipality's transport service has four lines, A1 to A4; we found no current fares for either, so ask the driver.

KTEL Evros runs several coaches a day to Athens and Thessaloniki, with tickets at its offices or in its eTicket app. Hellenic Train's network page (12 October 2026) shows replacement buses between Serres and Alexandroupoli, so a rail trip from Thessaloniki switches to a bus at Serres; two trains a day run north to Orestiada. Ferries to Samothrace leave the port about once a day all year, taking roughly 1 hour 45 minutes; timetables and fares change with the season.

Good to know

• Tipping is your choice: round up in a simple taverna, or leave 10 to 15 per cent in cash if no service charge is added (Which?). By law, the FCDO notes, restaurants must itemise the bill.
• Greece's climate resilience fee is added per room per night by hotels and holiday lets, usually at check-out: EUR 0.50 to EUR 15 by season and category, at rates set in January 2025.
• The Turkish border is about 40 km away. The FCDO calls border areas militarily sensitive, and it is illegal to photograph or film military sites, vehicles or buildings.
• Declare banknotes and travellers' cheques totalling at least EUR 10,000 when you arrive in Greece, and keep a certified copy; without one, the FCDO warns, the money could be seized as you leave.