Thessaloniki

Visitors come for more than two thousand years of layered history, from Roman arches to Ottoman baths, for a student city's cafés and nightlife, and for a rich local food culture shaped by many communities. The city is also a base for Mount Olympus, the royal tombs of Vergina and the beaches of Halkidiki. It suits food lovers, history fans, couples and anyone looking for a Greek city break all year round. Vacation rentals are mostly apartments in the centre, by the sea or in the hillside lanes of Ano Poli.

Where to stay in Thessaloniki

The city centre, around Aristotelous Square and the waterfront, puts the White Tower, museums, markets and churches within walking distance, and it is the simplest base for a first visit. Ladadika, the old warehouse quarter by the port, is full of tavernas and bars, which makes it fun for nightlife but loud for light sleepers. The streets around the Rotunda and the Arch of Galerius, near the universities, have a young, café-filled feel.

Ano Poli, the Upper Town, escaped the great fire of 1917 and keeps steep lanes, old houses and views over the gulf; it is quiet and atmospheric but hilly. East along the new waterfront promenade, residential streets offer more space and a seaside stroll into town. Further south-east, Kalamaria, a seaside municipality settled by refugees from Asia Minor after 1922, suits families and longer stays and is linked to the centre by the metro.

Byzantine and Roman Thessaloniki

When the Roman Empire was divided under the tetrarchy, Thessaloniki became the seat of the emperor Galerius, who built a palace, a hippodrome, a triumphal arch and a round mausoleum. The arch, known locally as the Kamara, still spans the main road, and the Rotunda, later a church and a mosque, stands just above it. Through the Byzantine centuries the city was second only to Constantinople in wealth and size.

UNESCO lists fifteen monuments from this period, including the city walls and churches such as Hagios Demetrios, first built in the 5th century and dedicated to the city's patron saint, and Hagia Sophia. In Ano Poli, the Heptapyrgion fortress and long stretches of wall look down over the city. The Archaeological Museum, founded in 1962, holds major finds from ancient Macedonia, including gold work, and the Museum of Byzantine Culture traces the city's Christian past.

History of a crossroads city

Thessaloniki was founded around 315 BC by King Cassander of Macedon, who named it after his wife Thessalonike, a half-sister of Alexander the Great. After the Byzantine era it fell to the Ottomans in 1430 following a long siege. For centuries the city was home to a large Jewish community, many descended from exiles from Spain, alongside Greeks, Turks and others; Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of modern Turkey, was born here in 1881.

The Greek army entered the city on 8 November 1912, the feast of Saint Demetrius. On 18 August 1917 a fire destroyed most of the old centre, which was rebuilt on a new plan around Aristotelous Square. During the German occupation, deportations of the city's Jews to Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen began on 15 March 1943, and the community was almost entirely destroyed. Its history is remembered today in memorials and museums across the city.

Food, markets and city life

Food is central to everyday life in Thessaloniki. Bougatsa, a breakfast pastry filled with custard or with cheese or meat, is a local favourite, and the covered Modiano and Kapani markets near Aristotelous Square are good places to shop for a rental kitchen, with fish, olives, spices and sweets. Tavernas and ouzeri fill Ladadika and the lanes around Agia Sofia Square.

With large universities, including Aristotle University, the city is young and stays out late, especially in summer. The waterfront promenade is where locals walk in the evening, from the port past the White Tower, a former Ottoman fortification that now holds a museum of the city's history, to the new parks along the shore. Annual events such as the Thessaloniki International Fair and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival bring extra visitors, so check dates before booking.

Getting there, the metro and day trips

Thessaloniki Airport Makedonia (SKG) lies about 13 km south-east of the city at Thermi, with buses and taxis into the centre. The central railway station, at the western edge of the centre, has trains to Athens, about 500 km south. The Thessaloniki Metro opened its first line on 30 November 2024 and an extension to Kalamaria, run as Line 2, in August 2026, making it much easier to cross the city; buses fill the gaps. A car is not needed in town but is useful for trips.

Mount Olympus, Greece's highest mountain at about 2,918 m, became the country's first national park in 1938, and the usual starting point, Litochoro, is about 100 km away. Vergina, the site of ancient Aigai, the first capital of Macedon, has the royal tombs found in 1977 and is a UNESCO site. To the south-east, the three peninsulas of Halkidiki, Kassandra, Sithonia and Athos, have the region's favourite summer beaches.

Weather and when to visit

Thessaloniki's climate is transitional, mixing semi-arid, Mediterranean and humid subtropical influences. Summers are hot and fairly dry, and sea breezes from the gulf help on the waterfront. Winters are cool, with cold nights; snow falls in most winters but rarely lasts more than a few days.

Spring, from April to June, and autumn, from September to October, are the most pleasant times to explore on foot. July and August are hot, and many residents head to Halkidiki, so the city is quieter while the beaches are busier. Because Thessaloniki is a working city with universities and year-round life, it makes a good winter break too, with museums, markets and tavernas open as usual. If you want to combine the city with swimming, plan for June to September and stay a few nights on the coast.