Greek railways are small, and the honest summary is that one line matters, a few branches are useful, and a lot of the map is no longer running.
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 is the whole useful long-distance network while the Meteora branch stays closed.
The Meteora branch
From the main line at Palaiofarsalos a branch runs to Kalambaka, the town under Meteora. It has been out of service since the September 2023 storms Daniel and Elias, which destroyed long stretches of track in Thessaly. When we checked in September 2026, repairs on the line were reported to be nearly finished, but no date had been announced for passenger trains to return.
Until they do, plan Meteora by bus, car or tour: Athens to Meteora sets out the options, and Hellenic Train has the current state for your dates. Once trains run again it will be 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, about an hour each way. It has been suspended since March 2026 after rockfalls, pending geological studies, so check whether it has reopened before you plan around it.
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 September 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 Athens suburban trains are genuinely useful; the Meteora branch has been out of service since the 2023 storms, 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?
Not when we last checked, in September 2026. The branch from the main line to Kalambaka, beneath the rock pillars, has been out of service since the September 2023 storms, and no date had been announced for trains to return. Check Hellenic Train for your dates, and see Athens to Meteora for the bus and road options.
What is the Kalavryta rack railway?
A narrow-gauge rack line from Diakofto up the Vouraikos gorge to Kalavryta, about an hour each way. It has been suspended since March 2026 after rockfalls, pending geological studies, so check whether it has reopened before you plan around it.
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.