Bus from LJUBLJANA to THESSALONIKI

Ljubljana is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. The city, with an area of 163.8 square kilometers, is situated in the Ljubljana Basin in Central Slovenia, between the Alps and the Karst. The origin of the city's name is unclear. In the Middle Ages, both the river and the town were also known by the German name Laibach. This name was in official use as an endonym until 1918, and it remains frequent as a German exonym, both in common speech and official use. The city is called in Italian Lubiana and in Latin: Labacum or Aemona.

During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the area. Ljubljana itself was first mentioned in the first half of the 12th century. It was under Habsburg rule from the Middle Ages until the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. In the 15th century, Ljubljana became recognized for its art, particularly painting and sculpture. The Roman Rite Catholic Diocese of Ljubljana was established in 1461 and the Church of St. Nicholas became the diocesan cathedral. From 1809 to 1813, during the Napoleonic interlude, Ljubljana (under the name Laybach) was the capital of the Illyrian Provinces. In 1813, the city became Austrian again and from 1815 to 1849 was the administrative center of the Kingdom of Illyria in the Austrian Empire. In 1821, it hosted the Congress of Laibach, which fixed European political borders for years to come.

In 1918, following the end of World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the region joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. After World War II, Ljubljana became the capital of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It retained this status until Slovenia became independent in 1991.

Ljubljana is famous for its parks and gardens. Tivoli City Park (Mestni park Tivoli) is the largest park in Ljubljana. It was designed in 1813 by the French engineer Jean Blanchard and now covers approximately 5 km2. The Ljubljana Botanical Garden (Ljubljanski botanični vrt) covers 2.40 hectares next to the junction of the Gruber Canal and the Ljubljanica, south of the Old Town. It is the central Slovenian botanical garden and the oldest cultural, scientific, and educational organisation in the country.

Thessaloniki is called the second capital by the Greeks, since it is not only the second largest city of Greece after Athens, but also the capital of Northern Greece and Macedonia. It is beautifully situated by the sea, and there are also many interesting places in the city and its surrounding areas that you can visit. Thessaloniki is home also of some of the most famous sport unions and football clubs like PAOK, Aris and Heracles. The university of Thessaloniki is the second largest of Greece therefore the city is has a large number of students from all over Greece. Every year during the International Thessaloniki Expo is held the festival of Greek music and the film festival of Thessaloniki. The city has many industries that most of them located at the area of Sindos. 

Thessaloniki is a great place to spend some time in all year around, and even though it is a very big city, it is not as polluted as Athens. The fresh sea breeze is almost always there, and taking a walk in its harbour you get a nice view of the town and the sea.

Thessaloniki was the sister of Alexander the Great. She was married to a man named Kassandros, and it was also he who founded the city in 315BC. Before that, there was a much older settlement here called Therme.

Although largely rebuilt in modern style, Thessaloníki still retains its famous white Byzantine walls, the 15th-century White Tower, and a Venetian citadel. The city is famous for its many fine churches, notably those of St. Sophia (modeled after its namesake in İstanbul and including fine mosaics), of St. George, and of St. Demetrius. The ruins of the triumphal arch of Emperor Constantine are there, in addition to Aristotle Univ.