There are two types of local buses : the orange articulated "caterpillar" models which operate within the city, and the deep-red or blue buses which travel further afield. The fare within the city is €0.30, to the suburbs €0.40 and out to nearby villages €0.50. In most cases there's an automatic ticket machine on the bus (correct money only), but there are still a few where you pay the conductor at the rear entrance. Useful lines include #10 and #11, both of which ply the length of Egnatía/Karamanl? From Platía Eleftherías (just behind the seafront), buses initially run east along Mitropóleos; line #5 takes you to the archeological and folklore museums, and #22/28 heads north through Kástra to the highest quarter, known as Eptapyrgio. Taxis (dark-blue and white) are plentiful and reliable.

If you bring your own car , it's best to use the attended fee-parking area that occupies all of Platía Eleftherías, where you pay on exit. Otherwise, finding a kerbside space is a fairly hopeless task, even in the suburbs; if you do manage to find a space you then usually have to go to a períptero to buy blue-and-red strip cards which you cancel yourself for an hour at a time (€0.90 per hour) - buy as many as you need in advance for display in the windscreen. Fees are payable 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 3pm on Saturday. If you intend to drive around the city, you're advised to arm yourself with a map that shows the one-way system (such as the one published by EOT).