Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
The main line: Athens to Thessaloniki
This is the country’s real railway: standard gauge, electrified, and the fastest surface link between the two cities. It runs via Larissa, and it is competitive with flying once you count airport time.
For most visitors this line plus one branch is the entire useful network.
The Meteora branch
From the main line at Palaiofarsalos a branch runs to Kalambaka, the town under Meteora. There are through services from Athens on some departures and a change on others.
It is the best rail journey in Greece for a visitor: you arrive at the foot of the rock pillars without a car.
The Athens suburban network
The Proastiakos is the useful one nobody mentions. It links Athens airport to the city and runs west along the Corinthian Gulf to Corinth, Xylokastro and beyond, which makes a string of gulf towns reachable without driving.
The rack railway
The Diakofto to Kalavryta line is not transport, it is the ride: a narrow-gauge rack railway that climbs the Vouraikos gorge through tunnels and over ledges. It is among the most spectacular short train journeys in Europe and takes about an hour each way.
What is closed
Most of the Peloponnese. The old metre-gauge network that once ran round the peninsula to Patras, Pyrgos, Olympia, Kalamata and Nafplio was largely suspended and has not returned. You will find station buildings, track and even rolling stock in place, and no trains.
Do not plan a Peloponnese trip by rail. It is a bus and car region, and getting around Greece explains the KTEL bus system that actually serves it.
The islands, obviously, have no railways at all.
Practical notes
- The operator is Hellenic Train; tickets are sold online, at stations and through agents.
- Book the main line ahead in summer and around holidays; it sells out.
- Delays and engineering work are common enough that a same-day onward flight is a risk rather than a plan.
- Athens has a separate metro, which is a different system and an excellent one.
Last checked August 2026. Greek rail services change and suspend without much notice - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
Can you travel around Greece by train?
Only partly. The Athens to Thessaloniki main line and the Meteora branch are genuinely useful; most of the Peloponnese network is suspended and the islands have none.
How long does the train from Athens to Thessaloniki take?
It is the fastest surface link between the two cities and competitive with flying once airport time is counted. Check the current timetable, which changes.
Is there a train to Meteora?
Yes. A branch from the main line runs to Kalambaka beneath the rock pillars, with through services from Athens on some departures.
What is the Kalavryta rack railway?
A narrow-gauge rack line from Diakofto up the Vouraikos gorge to Kalavryta, about an hour each way, and one of the most spectacular short rail journeys in Europe.
Are there trains in the Peloponnese?
Very few. The old metre-gauge network round the peninsula was largely suspended and has not returned, so the region is served by KTEL buses and cars.
Next
Read getting around Greece, Meteora, or Kalavryta.