Thessaloniki's street parking runs on a four-hour clock: white bays cost €1.70 an hour, weekdays 08:00–21:00 and Saturday 09:00–16:00, and then the car has to move. Park in the wrong bay and the police can take your number plates.
I'd leave the car free at Nea Elvetia, the metro terminus, and ride in for €0.60. Driving into the centre anyway? The port car park by the ferry terminal is €2 an hour.
Parking in Thessaloniki: White bays, four hours, and a port car park at €2
1. Pay the white bays with ParkPal
Visitor bays are the ones marked in white. The city system, THESi, charges €1.70 an hour, Monday to Friday 08:00–21:00 and Saturday 09:00–16:00. Pay in the ParkPal app, by Scan & Pay from the QR code on the sign, or with a prepaid card. The app bills by the minute. I found no SMS payment.
2. Move the car after four hours
Four hours is the limit per block; after that the car must go to another zone. Wardens check plates with handheld scanners. Not paying or overstaying is a €30 fine under the national road code, according to a March 2026 Greek motoring report.
3. Stay out of blue and yellow bays
Blue lines are residents' bays and yellow lines are for loading. A resident's bay costs €30 plus a 10-day licence suspension, and that's where the plates come in.
4. Park at the port for €2 an hour
The port authority, ThPA, runs two public car parks by Ladadika: P1 by the passenger terminal on Axios Street (245 spaces) and P2 at Gate 6 on Kountourioti (433 spaces). Both open 24 hours. Daytime is €2 an hour for the first three hours, €1.50 for the fourth, then €1, and the first 15 minutes are free. A 09:00–17:00 day comes to €11.50. From 21:00 to 06:30 the charge stops at €5.
5. Sleep the car under City Hall
AutoParking sits on three levels under City Hall at Vasileos Georgiou A' 1, staffed 24/7, about 500 m from the White Tower. It's €3.80 for the first hour, €1.20 for hours two and three, €1.30 after that, and €17.90 for 24 hours. Do the sum: twelve hours already reach €17.90, so a long day and a full night cost the same.
There's no low-emission zone here and no plate-number ring; that's an Athens rule. For a day trip I'd use P1; for a night, City Hall.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| P1 Passenger Terminal (port, ThPA)Axios Street, 50 m from the port's main gate, by Ladadika; 245 spaces, open 24 hours | Daytime (06:30–21:00): first 15 minutes free, €2 an hour for hours 1–3, €1.50 the 4th, then €1. 09:00–17:00 = €11.50. Night (21:00–06:30) capped at €5. | Not published. |
| P2 Gate 6 (port, ThPA)Kountourioti Street at port Gate 6; 433 spaces, open 24 hours | Same port tariff as P1: €2 an hour for the first three hours, €1.50 the 4th, then €1; night capped at €5. | Not published. |
| AutoParking, under City HallVasileos Georgiou A' 1, three underground levels below City Hall, about 500 m from the White Tower; staffed 24/7 | €3.80 the first hour (€2 for 30 minutes), €1.20 an hour for hours 2–3, €1.30 for hours 4–12; 24 hours €17.90. Cash or card. | Not published. |
| Thessaloniki Parking (HPPC)Between Navarchou Kountourioti, Navmachias Limnou and Polytechniou, near the port; 850 spaces on eight levels | Not published by the operator. | Not published. |
| Nea Elvetia metro car park (municipal)At the eastern terminus of metro Line 1, along Papanastasiou; opened 30 April 2025 | Free, 400 spaces. Overnight rules not published. | Not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Nea Elvetia metro car park (free) | Free | 400 free municipal spaces at the Line 1 terminus. Overnight rules are not published, so I treat it as day parking. Metro single €0.60. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | P1 Passenger Terminal (port, ThPA) | €4 | Daytime rates; first 15 minutes free; night capped at €5 |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, THESi white visitor bays | €3.40 | Four hours at most per block, then move to another zone. Pay in ParkPal, by QR code or at a sales point. Not paying or overstaying is €30 under the national code, per the press. |
| A full day (10 h) | Nea Elvetia metro car park (free) | Free | 400 free municipal spaces at the Line 1 terminus. Overnight rules are not published, so I treat it as day parking. Metro single €0.60. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | P1 Passenger Terminal (port, ThPA) | €13.50 | Daytime rates; first 15 minutes free; night capped at €5 |
| 24 hours | AutoParking, under City Hall | €17.90 | From 12 hours the price stops at €17.90 |
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Towed in Thessaloniki: Plates off, car on a truck, and a call to Margaropoulou
1. Expect to lose plates, not get clamped
When an offence carries a licence suspension and you aren't there, the police remove the number plates; your licence gets them back. In the second half of 2023 Thessaloniki's police took 6,964 plates for parking alone. A disabled bay costs €150 and 60 days without licence or plates, and the car is towed.
2. Know when the truck comes
Under the road code in force since 13 September 2025, an illegally parked car gets a fresh ticket every three hours and is towed after the second. Block a bus stop or a disabled ramp and it goes at once.
3. Ring the duty officer first
The Traffic Police do the towing, and they publish no pound address. Call the Traffic Subdirectorate duty officer on 2310 566 200, at Margaropoulou 26. A 2020 Voria report puts the guarded yard near the regional government building. For English, ring the Tourist Police on 1571.
4. Budget about €100 before the fine
The police publish no fee either. Karfitsa reports about €80 for the tow, plus €1.95 a kilometre and €11.50 a day in storage, all before VAT. One night is €91.50 before distance and tax, and the parking fine comes on top. Voria says payment is electronic only. Bring passport, licence and rental papers.
Plates are the real deterrent here. Without them the car isn't going anywhere, towed or not.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- The Traffic Police (Τροχαία) tow. Under the road code in force since 13 September 2025 an illegally parked car gets a new ticket every three hours and is towed after the second; blocking a bus or a disabled ramp means immediate removal. Offences that carry a licence suspension can also cost you the number plates
- Phone
- Traffic Subdirectorate duty officer, Margaropoulou 26: 2310 566 200
Traffic Subdirectorate, traffic violations desk: 2310 566 211
Tourist Police — Greek, English, French, German: 1571
Emergency: 100 - Collect it at
- No pound address is published. Ring the duty officer, who works from Margaropoulou 26; a 2020 Voria report puts the guarded yard near the regional government building.
- Hours
- The duty officer line is the 24-hour contact the police list; the tow trucks work around the clock in shifts, according to Voria. Collection hours are not published.
- What it costs
- Not published by the police. Karfitsa reports about €80 for the tow, €1.95 a kilometre and €11.50 a day storage, before VAT; Voria (2020) also gives about €80, paid electronically only. Plus the fine.
- Bring
- Passport, driving licence (it is what gets removed plates back), the registration or rental papers and a card. For a hire car, ring the rental company too.
EV charging in Thessaloniki: Eight Superchargers on the Moudania road, and a 225-point plan
1. Check the ministry's charger map
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport keeps a national register of public chargers, with a map and app. It lists operators and hours, not prices, so read the screen before you plug in.
2. Go to the Supercharger for speed
Tesla's site at km 11 of the Nea Moudania road, south-east of the city, has 8 stalls up to 250 kW. It's open 24/7 and to other cars with CCS.
3. Don't count on the city's 225 points
The municipality has a plan for 225 charging points with 444 bays, at City Hall, the New Waterfront and metro stations over about three years. I found no live city network or tariff. Two hotels list chargers: Porto Palace has two, at extra cost, and the Hyatt Regency has charging on site.
I'd arrive with enough charge and top up at the hotel.
Where to charge
- National charge-point register (Ministry of Infrastructure) — Map and app covering every public charger in Greece, including Thessaloniki. Lists operators, hours and contacts but no prices, so read the charger's screen before you plug in
- Tesla Supercharger — 8 stalls — km 11, Thessaloniki–Nea Moudania road, south-east of the city. Up to 250 kW, open 24/7, open to other EVs with CCS; price shown in the Tesla app
- Porto Palace Hotel — 2 chargers — 26is Oktovriou 65, port district. Two chargers for European EVs at an extra cost, per the hotel's FAQ; price not published
Free parking in Thessaloniki: Nea Elvetia's 400 free bays and a quiet Sunday
1. Park free at Nea Elvetia
The city opened a 400-space free car park at Nea Elvetia metro, the eastern end of Line 1, on 30 April 2025. A metro single is €0.60, and Line 1 runs straight to Agia Sofia and Venizelou. Overnight rules aren't published, so I treat it as day parking.
2. Use white bays on Sundays and evenings
White bays are free after 21:00 on weekdays, after 16:00 on Saturday, and all day on Sundays and public holidays.
3. Book a hotel with its own car park
Porto Palace, in the port district, says on its own site that its 300-space outdoor car park is free for guests. The Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki, out on the airport road, lists more than 500 free spaces.
If you remember one thing: four hours, then move. Every price above was checked on 3 October 2026; where only the press prints a number, I've said so.
Free or nearly-free spots
Nea Elvetia metro car park
400 free municipal spaces at the Line 1 terminus, opened 30 April 2025. Ride in for €0.60 to Agia Sofia or Venizelou.
White bays on Sundays and evenings
THESi charges Monday to Friday 08:00–21:00 and Saturday 09:00–16:00. Outside those hours, on Sundays and on public holidays the white bays are free.
Port car parks: first 15 minutes
Both public port car parks, P1 and P2, let you out free within 15 minutes, which is enough for a drop-off at the ferry terminal.
Hotels with free parking
- Porto Palace Hotel — 26is Oktovriou 65, 546 28 Thessaloniki Map. Its own FAQ: a 300-space outdoor car park, free for guests. Two EV chargers at extra cost
- Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki — 13 km Thessaloniki–Perea road, 570 01 Thessaloniki Map. Its own page: more than 500 complimentary parking spaces and EV charging on site. Out by the airport road, not in town
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- Thessaloniki has no low-emission zone and no plate-number ring; the alternate-plate Daktylios applies only in central Athens. A foreign car has nothing to register.
- Only white bays are for visitors. Blue lines are residents' bays and yellow lines are loading bays; parking in a resident's bay is €30 and a 10-day licence suspension.
- If you're absent when an offence with a licence suspension is recorded, the police take the number plates and return them when you show your licence. In the second half of 2023 they removed 6,964 plates in Thessaloniki for parking.
- A disabled bay or ramp: €150, 60 days without licence and plates, and an immediate tow. A pavement or square: €150 and a 20-day licence suspension.
- Around 26 and 28 October the centre fills with parking bans for Saint Demetrius and the military parade on Megalou Alexandrou. In 2025 they began on 23 October; the 2026 list was not out on 3 October.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.