€10–€20 beats a €100 taxi if you’re Halkidiki-bound
Intercity Coach Chalkidiki comes into play if you land at SKG’s Terminal 2 and want Kassandra or Sithonia on a budget instead of a €90–€140 taxi. You’re stitching together the airport bus into Thessaloniki, then a hop to the Chalkidiki KTEL station, then a regional coach out to resorts like Hanioti or Nikiti.
The full airport-to-resort trip usually runs 2–3 hours once you add the SKG–city bus (about 45 minutes), transfer time at the Chalkidiki KTEL station, and the 60–100 minute coach ride down the peninsula. Trip reports mention SKG → city bus → Chalkidiki bus station → KTEL to Hanioti as a typical routing that trades time for a big fare cut.
From the airport, you first catch OASTH Bus 01X or 01N outside Terminal 1/2 exits; tickets sit around €2–€3 and buses run roughly every 20–30 minutes. Ride into the city until you can switch toward the Chalkidiki KTEL station near the eastern side of Thessaloniki, then either grab a local bus or a €6–€10 taxi for the last few kilometers.
At the Chalkidiki KTEL station, intercity tickets to Halkidiki towns usually fall in the €8–€15 range each way depending on distance, and regulars say to check the KTEL Chalkidiki timetable online the day before. On Sundays and Greek holidays, frequencies drop, so a missed bus can add 60–90 minutes of sitting time.
Watch out for peak July–August weekends, when coaches toward beach spots like Pefkohori or Sarti can be full or standing room only despite seat reservations. Luggage bays under the coach are not huge, and several reviews mention staff turning away extra big suitcases or beach equipment when the hold fills.
Signage at both the city bus stops and the Chalkidiki KTEL station leans heavily on Greek, and more than one traveler has complained about confusing transfers. Some regulars bypass the local bus step completely and take a taxi directly from Aristotelous or the railway station to KTEL Chalkidiki to keep the handoffs down to just one.
What regulars do: arrive at the Chalkidiki KTEL station at least 30–40 minutes before departure, buy a return ticket on the spot if they already know their date back, and keep a printed or screenshot timetable in case mobile data dies. One simple rule: land, get cash, then head straight for Bus 01X instead of drifting around the terminal.