Getting There
The only enjoyable and efficient ways to see the places where Philip of Macedon and Alexander the Great lived and reigned are by car or with a tour. (Tip: Prices on rental cars from international agencies are lower when the car is booked in advance from outside Greece.) Budget Rent-A-Car has offices at the airport (tel. 2310/471-491) and in the city at 15 Angelaki (tel. 2310/274-272 or 2310/229-519), opposite the International Fairgrounds. Other rental offices are Avis, 3 Leoforos Nikis (tel. 2310/227-126 or 2310/683-300), at the western end of the harbor, opposite the docks; Europcar, 5 Papandreou (tel. 2310/836-333); and Hertz, 4 El. Venizelou (tel. 2310/224-906), on Eleftherias Square.
Several Athens-based companies, such as CHAT and American Express, offer tours of Central and Northern Greece that take in the most important Macedonian sites. Zorpidis Travel, 4 Salaminios (tel. 2310/244-400) is a reputable Thessaloniki company offering tours of the Philip and Alexander sites. A day trip to Pella, Edessa, Veria, and Vergina, or to Philippa, Kavala, and Amphipolis, costs from 100€ ($130). It is vital to make an advance reservation. Avoid visiting on a summer weekend, when crowds of Greeks flock to these sites.
By Bus -- If you try to visit these sites by local bus, you may feel that it takes you longer to see them than it took Alexander to conquer the world. Still, if you have lots of time and love buses, you can visit the following sites by bus from Thessaloniki. For Pella, there are sometimes direct buses; failing that, take a bus to Edessa and ask to be let off at Pella. For Vergina, take a bus to Veria, and then a local bus to the site of Vergina. To travel from Pella to Vergina, take the Thessaloniki bus from Pella to Halkidona, where you can get a bus to Veria. This may involve a substantial wait. For Dion, take a bus to Katerini and then a local bus to Dion. For up-to-date information on bus schedules and departure points, check with the Greek National Tourism Organization in Thessaloniki (tel. 2310/2721-100); the bus information line (tel. 2310/512-122) is unlikely to have English-speaking staff. If you read Greek, the Thessaloniki daily newspaper Macedonia also lists bus schedules.
Visitor Information
If you stop in Athens or Thessaloniki before visiting these sites, drop by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) in Athens at 7 Tsohas (tel. 210/870-7000; www.gnto.gr), or in Thessaloniki at 133 Tsimiski (tel. 2310/271-888), and get a copy of the brochure Greece/Macedonia as well as any other brochures for individual sites. At each site, ask whether a free Culture Ministry brochure is available.
