The following is according to "The_Man_in_Seat_61"

"Greece cut off as all its international trains cancelled from 2011.

Due to its dire economic situation, the Greek government is implementing major cuts in the state-owned train service.

The very scenic main line Piraeus - Athens - Larissa - Thessaloniki line and (when completed) the new standard gauge line Athens - Korinthos - Patras both remain, but many branch lines close, including those to Olympia, Argos & Kalamata in the Peloponnese.

Most significantly, all international trains to and from Greece, meaning those linking Thessaloniki with Sofia, Belgrade, Bucharest and Istanbul are cancelled until further notice as from January 2011, effectively cutting Greece off from the rest of the European rail network. So much for being part of Europe, let alone part of the EU!

It will still be possible to take a train to Venice, Ancona or Bari then a ferry to Greece, but the overland rauil route looks to be cut, after over 100 years.

The cuts to international trains are described as 'until further notice' so there's a glimmer of hope that they may one day be reinstated and Greece once more linked to the rest of Europe. But don't hold your breath, the nightmare is here..."

We're in Budapest now. We took an Olympic Air flight to Vienna, then a short train to Budapest which worked out perfectly.

Budapest is cold and we keep thinking back to the beautiful and warm weather we had in Athens. However, Budapest is presenting me with wonderful wintry scenes for shooting.

@ DalaiLlama: The sites you mentioned are great, but a site which also finds some very cheap prices for flights and hotels is http://www.travelmarket.com/. So I recommend to check prices on this one too.

I'm planning a trip to Europe for 2013 and thought when my river cruise ended in Budapest I could take a train to Athens. Thanks to those that posted about Greece shutting down the railroads at the border. I'm saddened to hear it but know now I'll have to fly instead. What a shame, I really enjoy rail travel.

When trains used to run between Greece and the rest of Europe, i did the trip Athens- Vienna and Athens- Munich quite a few times.

The train passed through Zagreb-Vincovci-Belgrade-Nis-Skopje to the Greek border.
I can assure you that the part after Belgrade isn't scenic at all, but very very monotonous......
The scenic part is in Greece and especially between Thessaloniki and Athens.so maybe you could fly from Budapest to Thessaloniki, and then train to Athens.

Thessaloniki is worth a visit anyway, i am sure you will like it :)