IVF in Athens or Thessaloniki: what really makes a difference for a patient coming from abroad?

This is a question I’m often asked, and I’ll start by clarifying one thing: I work in Thessaloniki. For twenty-four years, I co-ordinated the treatment programmes for patients from abroad at an IVF clinic there, and it is the city I know best. I will therefore endeavour to be fair to Athens, which has real strengths. When it comes to IVF in Athens or Thessaloniki, the short answer is this: the city affects the logistics, not the rules.

Both cities apply the same law, under the supervision of the same national authority. Athens has three times as many licensed clinics and a much busier airport; Thessaloniki is smaller, with a recently built metro system. But a good clinic in the ‘wrong’ city is better than an average clinic in the ‘right’ one.

The same law and the same authority throughout Greece

Assisted reproduction is governed by national legislation, Law 3305/2005, as amended in 2022, amongst other changes. The eligibility criteria are therefore the same in Athens, Thessaloniki and elsewhere: for example, the age limit of 54 for women, with mandatory authorisation from the National Authority for women aged between 50 and 54 (see the age limit in Greece). Each assisted reproduction unit may only operate with a licence, granted following an inspection by the National Authority for Medically Assisted Reproduction (ΕΑΙΥΑ), regardless of the city.

A practical consequence, often misunderstood: in Greece, the Authority’s code of practice prohibits clinics from publicly disclosing their success rates or the number of treatment cycles, apart from in scientific publications, and from making any comparisons between clinics. You should therefore not find, on the clinics’ websites, any figures suggesting that one city has a higher success rate than another. You must request the results from each clinic, along with their exact definitions: see how to interpret a success rate.

How many accredited IVF clinics are there in Athens and Thessaloniki?

The National Authority’s public list, updated on 3 April 2026 and accessed in October 2026, lists 47 accredited assisted reproductive technology (ART) units in Greece. Here is their breakdown, as classified in the list:

In both cities, the list also includes units located in public or university hospitals. You can check a clinic for yourself at the official list of accredited units; the method is explained in how to check whether a clinic is accredited.

More clinics mean more choice: different teams and laboratories, different approaches. It also means more work when it comes to comparing them. Nine clinics mean fewer choices, but a number that can realistically be examined one by one.

Arrival: two very different airports

Athens is by far the best connected. Its international airport handled 34.0 million passengers in 2025, with flights to 164 destinations in 55 countries. Thessaloniki Airport handled 7,982,798 passengers according to provisional figures from its operator, of which approximately 5.4 million were on international flights.

In practical terms, you are more likely to find a direct flight from your city to Athens. For Thessaloniki, check the available flights for the exact dates of your treatment, as you will not always be able to choose the date.

• In Athens, metro line 3 connects the airport to the city centre: the journey to Syntagma Square takes around 40 minutes, with a train every 36 minutes according to the operator’s 2026 timetable, which may change during engineering works. Commuter trains and express buses, including the X95 to Syntagma, complement the service.
• In Thessaloniki, the metro does not run to the airport. Buses connect the airport to the city centre and the railway station (routes 01X and 01N), whilst others serve the Nea Elvetia (line 2X) and Mikra (line 3X) metro stations.

In both cities, ask the clinic or your accommodation for the easiest way to get around on the day of your arrival, especially if you’re arriving late.

Getting around the city

Athens is a metropolis: the Attica region had a population of 3,814,064 according to the 2021 census. The Thessaloniki regional unit had a population of 1,092,919. In a large urban area, the distance between your hotel and the IVF clinic can quickly take up a lot of your day: check the actual journey time, at the time of your appointments, before booking.

Thessaloniki’s metro opened on 30 November 2024: 13 stations over 9.6 kilometres, running from the new railway station to Nea Elvetia. Since 27 August 2026, a branch line with five stations has also been serving the south-east of the metropolitan area, extending as far as Kalamaria and Mikra. This makes follow-up appointments much more convenient. On the day of the egg retrieval, however, please organise your return journey in advance and follow the clinic’s instructions, whichever city you are in.

What remains the same from one city to another

• The length of your stay, which depends on the treatment protocol rather than the city: generally two to four days for a transfer using donor eggs, two to three days for a frozen embryo transfer, eight to twelve days for IVF using your own eggs, or two short stays. Further details can be found in how many days to stay in Greece.
• Remote monitoring: most ultrasound scans and blood tests can be carried out at home, with the results sent to the clinic.
• Documents and consent forms, as required by national law.
• The cost of treatment: I have no reliable source indicating that one city is, generally speaking, cheaper than another. Compare written quotes, clinic by clinic, for the same services.

My honest opinion of each city

Athens is a good choice if you want the widest choice of clinics, if a direct flight to Athens saves you a connecting flight, or if you have other reasons for being in the capital. Thessaloniki is a good choice if you prefer a smaller city, where it is often easy to find accommodation near the treatment clinic. The reasons why I work there are explained in why Thessaloniki, and the cost of a stay in the budget for a stay in Thessaloniki.

I am more familiar with the clinics in Thessaloniki than those in Athens, and I prefer to say so. This is not a reason to steer you towards my city if a clinic in Athens is a better fit for your case.

The real criterion: the clinic, not the city

Once you have checked the legal requirements, what determines your chances of success and your comfort is the clinic itself: its accreditation, its laboratory, the doctor who will be treating you, the clarity of the quote, and the way the team responds to you once you have returned home. The questions to ask can be found in choosing a clinic abroad. First, narrow down your options based on these criteria, then check which town or city the clinics you’ve shortlisted are located in: the logistics can then be sorted out, whichever way you decide to go.

If you’re torn between two clinics – whether in the same city or not – and would like us to look at your situation together, please write to me.

Frequently asked questions

Source: https://fertilitegrece.com/en/blog/athens-or-thessaloniki-ivf/ — Triada Baloukoudis, IVF patient coordination in Greece. General information, not medical or legal advice. Printed on

Triada Baloukoudis
Independent IVF patient coordinator in Thessaloniki, with 24 years of experience supporting patients travelling from abroad. More · Contact · Facebook