More than 250,000 Greek and foreign visitors, from 2012 until today, have chosen the open-type red buses of Thessaloniki Sightseeing to get to know the city and its numerous monuments, museums and churches, in just… 80 minutes. This is what one of the two owners of the company, Ioanna Toulkeridou, points out while speaking to state news agency APE-MPE, underlining that in 2019 a traffic record was recorded, which may be repeated or even surpassed this year, “although what will happen in the future can only be announced safely at the end of the season, i.e. in December.”
What is clearly visible, according to Ms. Toulkeridou, is that on the days of cruise ship arrivals in Thessaloniki, “there is increased traffic on the open-type red buses of Thessaloniki Sightseeing, as well as in the whole market”, she emphasizes.
Number one among the users of the red open-top buses of Thessaloniki Sightseeing are, according to Ms. Toulkeridou, tourists from the Balkans, followed by Israelis and Central Northern Europeans, while the months with the highest traffic are from July to September.
“Unforgettable experience” in…10 languages
Reading the user comments on the company’s website, it was found that even residents of Thessaloniki, who have lived and worked in the city all their lives, finally managed to get to know the history of the “Nymph of the North” and visit its numerous monuments, while on board the open-type red buses of Thessaloniki Sightseeing.
“I live and work in Thessaloniki, but I have never had the opportunity to visit the most important monuments of our city in such a short period of time. Truly an unforgettable experience”, says Giorgos K. on the company’s website, while Haris M. from Kavala characteristically says that “with a single trip we saw everything”.
In their majority, the users of the company’s open-top red buses characterize their tour as an unforgettable experience, underlining the cleanliness inside the vehicles and the competitive price of the ticket compared to the provision of the same service in other European countries. In addition, the majority of them highlight the commentary on the history of the city in ten different languages (English, Greek, German, French, Spanish, Serbian, Romanian, Russian, Hebrew and Turkish), as well as the punctuality of the routes, every half an hour, while there are also some who, while declaring themselves satisfied, recommend more information regarding the modern history of Thessaloniki.
Four buses connect the sights and history of the city
Thessaloniki Sightseeing has been operating since March 2012 and currently has four open tour buses with a capacity of around 250 people, with Mrs. Toulkeridou noting that “there are thoughts of development and upgrading of our company constantly”.
The company offers its exclusive city tour service, from March to December every year, with audio commentary. Itineraries run daily from 10am, starting and ending at Lefko Pyrgos. There are seven stops: Archaeological Museum, Hagia Sophia, Agios Dimitrios, Byzantine Castles, Rotonda-Kamara, Aristotelous Square and the Port of Thessaloniki.
The frequency of the route is every 30-40 minutes, depending on the month and the price of the ticket, with its validity for 24 hours costs 13 euros for adults and 8 euros for children from five to 14 years old , while a family package is available for 30 euros. Passengers on the company’s open-top red buses have the option of Hop On-Hop Off, which means that anyone can get off at any of the stops they wish to admire the city’s main attractions up close.
“Take advantage of the hop on-hop off option that we offer to all our passengers and get on as many times and from any stop as you want! Without any additional charge, you can get off and enjoy the attraction you are interested in by taking pictures and learning more about the specific point, while you can continue your tour with the next route”, Mrs. Toulkeridou invites tourists and visitors to the city.
“The red buses are the means of transport for the city’s visitors, as they themselves tell us, and it fills us with joy that we meet their expectations,” notes Ms. Toulkeridou.
