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Greece has no shortage of destinations for travellers to visit. That much choice leaves travellers with the good kind of problem, deciding which destinations to visit with their limited time. It’s the only reason that people might question whether Thessaloniki is worth visiting, given that it’s a big city and the gateway to the country’s north.
My interest in Thessaloniki began when I kept noticing cheap flights there from elsewhere in Europe. That’s usually a good sign that it’s somewhere interesting to visit, but not always. So, when the chance came to travel across northern Greece, I knew I had to check it out for myself. Even though Kavala was where I started my Greek trip, much of my plans were based around Thessaloniki. Find out my verdict on whether I think Thessaloniki is worth visiting below.
Is Thessaloniki worth visiting?
Let’s cut straight to the answer – yes! Thessaloniki is worth visiting if you’re travelling in Greece, especially if you want to explore the mainland.
When you visit Thessaloniki, you get a destination with deep cultural and historical heritage, vibrant nightlife, diverse scenery, and laidback cafe culture. You can easily spend three days exploring this complex city and feel like you’ve gotten a lot out of it. Thessaloniki may not be your classic Greek beach/island destination, but it doesn’t need to be.
How to get to Thessaloniki
As Greece’s second-largest city and gateway to its north, Thessaloniki is one of the easiest places in Greece to get to. Flights to Thessaloniki Airport operate from across Europe, mostly with budget airlines and Aegean Airlines.
Getting to Thessaloniki by train is another option, with trains rolling in from Athens, Larissa, and Kalambaka (Meteora). It’s nice to experience Greece’s trains, but they’re really not the main way to get about.
Travelling by bus is the most common public transport in Greece and is very useful for visiting Thessaloniki. This is true whether you’re already in northern Greece or coming from neighbouring countries such as Bulgaria, Albania or Turkey. You can find domestic bus routes here at KTEL Macedonia and international ones on this map.
One word of warning when coming by bus. The Thessaloniki KTEL Intercity Bus Station is way out from the city centre, so you’ll need to look at what city buses you can use to reach your accommodation.
Renting a car will give you the most freedom for getting to and from Thessaloniki. But then you have to contend with parking in the city, which seems in low supply, despite the many parking garages.
Where to stay in Thessaloniki
To get the most out of visiting Thessaloniki, you’ll want to think carefully about where you stay. The city offers many accommodation options, even to the point that it can get overwhelming.
Picking an area of the city is a good starting point. The city centre is the most convenient area of the city to stay in, with most options on its western side. Don’t stay too far from Aristotelous Square if you can to make sightseeing easier.
Vardaris and the port may have nice accommodations but they’re not near much, although the port is close to the Ladadika Quarter nightlife.
Travellers who want character and don’t mind the hills should look at Ano Poli, the old upper town area. I walked quite a bit through there and enjoyed its quieter ambience and local feel.
I won’t recommend the loud and outdated hotel I stayed at, but some highly-rated options include:
How to make visiting Thessaloniki easier
Just because I prefer to experience a destination independently at a slow pace doesn’t mean you do. Maybe you don’t have time to research and plan your sightseeing or time to meander about. Perhaps you prefer to learn as you go and like having a guide you can ask questions.
If that’s the case, these tours can make your visit to Thessaloniki easier:
- Customized Private Walking Tour with a Local
- Culinary Treasures with How Greeks Eat
- City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
And there are the many, many day trips you can do from Thessaloniki:
- Full-Day Bus Trip to Meteora
- Day Trip to Dion and Mount Olympus
- Pozar Thermal Baths and Edessa Day Trip
Things to Do in Thessaloniki
If your main concern about whether Thessaloniki is worth visiting is that you don’t know what to do there, worry no more. You can fill a long list with things to do in Thessaloniki, particularly if you’re interested in the city’s culture and history. But the city also offers opportunities to relax and see what life in this port city is like. Here’s what to do in Thessaloniki to make a visit worthwhile.
Walk the waterfront promenade
Let’s start with something simple – a walk along the city’s waterfront. That may not sound too exciting, but it’s something that so many people visiting Thessaloniki do.
Starting at the Old Port of Thessaloniki, the waterfront promenade stretches in a straight line over a kilometre to the White Tower. It then turns south and just keeps going. You can walk as little as much as you like here without worrying about cars.
The main thing to look at here is the White Tower off ahead of you and the coast disappearing into the distance. But look away from the water and you’ll see some of the most interesting architecture in Thessaloniki. Yes, you have the eclectic architecture around Aristotelous Square, but also older buildings facing the water here with art nouveau features.
Head farther around past the White Tower and you find monuments and sculptures such as The Umbrellas Sculpture by Zongolopoulos. To me, this seemed little more than a place for an Instagram photo, but maybe you’ll appreciate it more.
Visit Thessaloniki museums
Thanks to its size and significant history, Thessaloniki is a major cultural hub for northern Greece. Attractions showcase that history throughout the city centre, but the city’s museums offer visitors the most detailed insight into its past.
Many, but not all, of Thessaloniki’s museums orbit the White Tower south of the city centre. The two big ones are the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki and the Museum of Byzantine Civilization, both of which I visited during my trip.
Other local museums include the Museum of Illusions Thessaloniki, the War Museum of Thessaloniki, the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Olympic Museum of Thessaloniki.
The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is an excellent museum of ancient Macedonia. You’ll see a lot here, but the Medallion of Athena and the Derveni Krater are ancient masterpieces. Over at the Museum of Byzantine Civilization, you’ll find a larger selection of early Christian artefacts, such as icons, but also large mosaics.
See the Thessaloniki towers and fortifications
The White Tower is easily the most famous landmark in Thessaloniki. The round tower watches over the waterfront and its roof provides the most famous viewpoint in the city. But explore a little wider and you’ll learn about the rest of Thessaloniki’s medieval landmarks.
Just turn your attention to Ano Poli and you’ll see what I mean. Down by the Holy Church of the Holy Apostles, walls emerge from the ground and run up the hill right around the neighbourhood’s northern edge. These are the Western Walls of Thessalonica and while they’ve seen better days, the city has rightly left them in place.
At the eastern end of the walls sits the Trigoniou (Chain) Tower. Although it’s much shorter than the White Tower, I’d argue it offers a superior view. From the Trigoniou Tower, you see right over the city and can appreciate just how built-up Thessaloniki is.
Above all of this on the Acropolis of Thessaloniki sits the Heptapyrgion of Thessaloniki fortress. Take the bus up, because even walking from the Trigoniou Tower was a steep walk in summer. It’s another place to get city views, but you can also learn about its past and days as a prison. What I liked here was the fields behind the acropolis walls, allowing you to follow the walls around casually.
Admire ancient ruins
Athens is rightly famous for its ancient sites; it’s why the capital was the first place in Greece I went to years ago. But Thessaloniki also does well in that department, with more than a few ancient sites to visit.
The Rotunda of Thessaloniki is no doubt the city’s most notable. While I thought it was a church built during the Byzantine Empire, it was built in the 4th century before the empire began. One theory is that it was a mausoleum for Constantine the Great, i.e. the founder of Constantinople and the first Christian Roman Emperor.
You can still see ancient mosaics across sections of its ceiling. These mosaics are a key reason Thessaloniki’s ancient attractions are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Just down from the Rotunda along what was a processional road stands the Arch of Galerius. Its history is connected to the Rotunda as these two would have been originally joined. The main reason to visit the arch is to see the carved marble reliefs that still hold up well.
Visitors looking for more ancient sites will find the Roman Forum of Thessaloniki and the Palace of Galerius in the city centre. Both archaeological sites look like so many other old ruins that you see in Italy or Greece, with signs that explain their specific pasts.
Count Thessaloniki churches
Ruins aren’t the only thing that Thessaloniki has of in great supply. It can feel like around every corner there’s another large, old church in front of you.
These churches of Thessaloniki are the other reason why the city’s ancient landmarks are now UNESCO sites. Many churches are examples of classical architectural church types and influenced southeastern Europe’s religious art.
The two to visit, whether you’re short on time or interest, are the Holy Church of Saint Sophia and the Holy Church of Saint Demetrius. Don’t be fooled by the restored look of the Holy Church of Saint Demetrius; the basilica was built in the 7th century.
Even if you choose not to visit any more churches, you will encounter them while sightseeing. The Church of Panagia Chalkeon is another UNESCO landmark, as is the Vlatadon Monastery, which I gave up trying to visit when I saw a huge extended family of people very dressed up outside. Another small one I came across was the Holy Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, tucked between apartment buildings.
Find local street art
It may not be something you immediately associate with Greece, but some Greek cities have great street art. You find street art around Athens that I think adds another dimension to the ancient city. Well, the same is true of Thessaloniki.
On Tsimiski Street, you have the above piece which towers up the side of a building. Over on Dimitriou Gounari Street, you have the interesting artistic pieces below. These street art pieces, plus the many others around the city, add some youthfulness and colour to the city.
Chill at cafes in Thessaloniki
Because I allowed extra time in Thessaloniki to avoid rushing around, I had two quiet days mostly hanging out in cafes. And the cafe scene in Thessaloniki became one of my favourite things about the city.
Whereas the Ladadika Quarter is very much the city’s nightlife area, there isn’t just one place for cafes in Thessaloniki. You find pockets of cafes around the city centre, including in the blocks southeast of Aristotelous Square close to the waterfront and near Navarinou Square. One cafe/bar I quite liked in this part of the city was Apallou, despite it being a little showy.
The other pocket of Thessaloniki cafes that felt more my speed was behind the Alcazar. On a back alley there, you’ll find a row of cafes. The Caravan Cafe is a really popular place in this area, but I liked the big leather armchairs and outdoor tables of Niki Coffee Bar seen above.
Those looking for a place to chill out with a view should consider places along the waterfront or head to Skyline Bar Thessaloniki, a bar up in the OTE tower.
If you’ve been, would you say that Thessaloniki is worth visiting? Which of the reasons to visit most makes you want to go? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
