Local Tip
If you want to pay cash for a bus ticket, buy it before boarding: the machines inside Thessaloniki's buses take only debit or credit cards. A metro ticket will not work on the bus, or the other way round.
Where to change money in Thessaloniki
Onexchange runs the airport's exchange desks and has two shops in the centre, plus one in a shopping mall outside town. Its English and Greek branch lists, read on 2 October 2026, agree on everything except one shop's hours.
- Onexchange, 9 Aristotelous Square - On the city's main square, open Monday to Friday 09:00 to 21:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 18:00 (phone 2310 265969).
- Onexchange, 39 Venizelou Street - Also listed as 26 Solomou, and open Monday to Saturday. The English list says 09:00 to 15:00 and the Greek one 10:00 to 18:00, so ring 2310 242 908 before an afternoon visit.
- Onexchange, Mediterranean Cosmos - At the 11th km of the road to Nea Moudania in Thermi, 11:00 to 19:00, Monday to Saturday. Only worth it if you are going to the mall anyway.
Changing money at the airport
At Thessaloniki Airport (SKG), Onexchange has a desk in arrivals and two more on the departures side, all in public areas. The airport describes the service as open every day, every hour, but Onexchange's own list is narrower: 07:00 to midnight in arrivals and 07:00 to 23:00 in departures, so after a late landing use a cash machine. Alpha Bank, Eurobank and National Bank of Greece have ATMs in the public arrivals hall; Euronet machines are in baggage reclaim and in departures, and Cashflex has one in departures. Into town, airport buses 01X and 02X need a €2 special-route ticket; ordinary city tickets are not valid on them.
ATMs and cards in Thessaloniki
Wherever you withdraw, read the charges on screen before you accept. When a cash machine or a shop's card reader asks whether to bill you in pounds or euros, pick euros and leave the conversion to your own bank, whose rate is normally the better one. Keep some coins and small notes too, because OASTH ticket offices sell bus tickets for cash only.
Paying for transport in Thessaloniki
The metro, open since 30 November 2024, ends at Nea Elvetia, Mikra and New Railway Station. First trains leave them at 05:15, and the last at 00:30 from Sunday to Thursday or 02:00 on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are sold only by the machines in stations: €0.60 for one journey, €2.50 for 24 hours from first use, or €5.80 for ten plus one free. Touch the ticket on the gate reader both when you enter and when you leave.
Buses have their own tickets. A 70-minute urban ticket costs €0.60 (€0.80 in the outer zone) and a 24-hour bus ticket €2.50. Buy them at street machines (cash or card), on board (card only), at OASTH ticket offices (cash only) or as a QR code in OSETH's app. A trip using both metro and bus needs two tickets, €1.20 in the urban zone. Neither operator mentions paying by tapping a bank card on the readers, so buy a ticket first.
Good to know
- Validate every time. Inspectors make random checks on metro platforms and trains, and OSETH warns that a bus passenger who has not validated can be fined even with credit loaded.
- Half-price fares for students, over-65s and other eligible groups go only on a personalised card, so most visitors pay full fare; the 24-hour ticket has no reduced price at all.
Key Areas in Thessaloniki
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Exchange bureaux, banks and cash machines, as mapped by OpenStreetMap. The map loads only when you ask for it.
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Thessaloniki travel money FAQ
Where is the best place to exchange money in Thessaloniki?
Onexchange at 9 Aristotelous Square is the most central bureau, open until 21:00 from Monday to Friday and from 10:00 to 18:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. After a late flight, note that its arrivals desk at the airport closes at midnight, according to Onexchange.
Can I pay cash on Thessaloniki buses?
Not on board, where the ticket machine takes only debit and credit cards. Pay cash at a street ticket machine or an OASTH ticket office before you get on.
Does a metro ticket work on the bus in Thessaloniki?
No. Metro and bus tickets are separate, so a journey using both costs two fares, €1.20 in the urban zone. The airport buses 01X and 02X need their own €2 ticket.
Checked October 2026. Fees, fares and opening times change, so check locally before relying on them. Sources: Thessaloniki Airport (Fraport Greece) · Onexchange · European Commission (Inforegio Panorama) · Thessaloniki Metro (THEMA) · OSETH
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