By air
Thessaloniki (SKG), ~15 km
Europe · Greece
Thessaloniki, Greece
Byzantine churches and a food-loving waterfront
Getting there
Best time to visit
April to June and September to October — mild
Don't miss
The White Tower
The Rotunda
The Arch of Galerius
Aristotelous Square
Things to do
The waterfront walk
The White Tower
The Rotunda
Bougatsa for breakfast
Where to eat
What to pack
Comfortable shoes
A quieter corner
Ano Poli, the upper town
Questions travellers ask
What's the food scene like in Thessaloniki?
It's a city with a food-loving waterfront. Start with bougatsa for breakfast, grab a koulouri, and have meze at the Modiano market.
What are the main sights in Thessaloniki?
The White Tower, the Rotunda, the Arch of Galerius and Aristotelous Square. Link them up with the waterfront walk.
What's Ano Poli in Thessaloniki?
It's the upper town — a hidden corner worth exploring in comfortable shoes.
When's a good time to go to Thessaloniki?
April to June or September to October, when it's mild. Thessaloniki (SKG) airport is about 15 km away.
About Thessaloniki
- Coastal
Where it is
Thessaloniki is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia, curving around the Thermaic Gulf at the north-western corner of the Aegean Sea, with the old upper town climbing the hills behind the waterfront.
History
King Cassander of Macedon founded the city in 315 BC and named it after his wife Thessalonike, a half-sister of Alexander the Great. It prospered on the Roman Via Egnatia and flourished under Byzantium, and under Ottoman rule, from 1430 to 1912, Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain made it a great Jewish centre, until the community was almost destroyed in the Holocaust.
People
Thessalonians speak Greek, and the city's food carries Byzantine, Ottoman, Sephardic and Asia Minor influences, from bougatsa to koulouri sesame rings. Aristotle University, the largest in Greece, fills it with students, and the feast of its patron saint, Demetrius, on 26 October is the city's great holiday.
Known for
- The White Tower and the waterfront
- The Rotunda and the Arch of Galerius
- Byzantine churches such as Hagios Demetrios
- Bougatsa pastry for breakfast
- Ano Poli, the old upper town
Did you know?
In Byzantine times Thessaloniki was the empire's second city, and Greeks still call it the Symprotevousa, the co-capital.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.