Flight time
3h 20m
Best season
April–June & September–October
Budget
Budget to mid-range
Best for
Food, Byzantine heritage, nightlife, authenticity
Overview
Why Thessaloniki for a city break?
Thessaloniki is Greece's second city and, by most accounts, its most interesting — a multi-layered city of Byzantine churches, Ottoman mosques, Roman monuments and an extraordinary food culture that Greeks themselves regard as the finest in the country. Where Athens has the Acropolis, Thessaloniki has 15 centuries of Byzantine history: the White Tower on the waterfront, the Rotunda (a 4th-century Roman mausoleum, later a Byzantine church, later an Ottoman mosque), and 15 Byzantine churches that collectively received UNESCO World Heritage status in 1988.
From London and several UK airports it's around three hours twenty minutes — direct flights from London Heathrow and Gatwick, with good connections from Manchester and Edinburgh. Thessaloniki Macedonia Airport is 16km from the city (bus X1, €2, 45 minutes, or taxi €25). The city is significantly cheaper than Athens and far less visited by international tourists — a complete meal with wine at one of the city's excellent restaurants costs around £15-20, and the hotels are excellent value. Go in April to June or September to October: the summer heat can be extreme, but the outdoor food culture on the Ladadika waterfront is excellent in warm weather.
Where to stay & explore
Thessaloniki's best neighbourhoods
Ladadika
The former oil merchant district by the harbour — the finest concentration of bars and restaurants in the city, in beautiful 19th-century stone buildings. The best evening atmosphere in Thessaloniki.
Ano Poli (Upper Town)
The Byzantine old town on the hill above the modern city — the surviving city walls, Ottoman houses, the finest views over the bay, and the most atmospheric streets in Thessaloniki.
Valaoritou & the city centre
The regenerating central district — the finest new restaurant scene, the best coffee culture and the most vibrant nightlife in mainland Greece.
Things to do
What to see in Thessaloniki
1
Byzantine Churches (UNESCO World Heritage)
Fifteen Byzantine churches collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site — the Rotunda (a 4th-century Roman monument converted into a church with extraordinary 5th-century mosaics), the Agia Sofia (modelled on Hagia Sophia in Constantinople), the Agios Demetrios (the city's patron saint, with Byzantine mosaics surviving from the 7th century), and Osios David (with the finest 5th-century mosaic in Greece, hidden in a monastery off the tourist trail). A walking circuit of the main churches takes a full day.
2
Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
One of the finest archaeological museums in Greece — the gold burial treasures of the Macedonian kings (Philip II, Alexander the Great's father, was buried nearby at Vergina), the bronze krater used at Macedonian symposia, and an extraordinary collection of Hellenistic and Roman material. The Vergina gold (actual objects from the royal tombs) is the centrepiece. Book online; half a day is right.
3
Ano Poli & the Byzantine Walls
The upper town retains its Byzantine character more fully than anywhere else in Thessaloniki — the surviving walls, the Ottoman yali houses, the Tower of Trigoniou (the finest viewpoint over the city and the bay), and streets of 19th-century architecture largely untouched by modernisation. Walk up through the Kapani market neighbourhood and the Vlali square; take a taxi back down.
4
The food markets: Modiano & Kapani
The two covered markets at the heart of the city — Modiano (an elegant 1920s market building) and Kapani (older, rougher, more interesting) together house the finest food shopping in northern Greece. The Thessaloniki cheese selection (the finest in Greece — graviera, manouri, kefalotyri), the cured meats, the fresh fish from the Thermaic Gulf and the exceptional honey from the surrounding mountains are all here. Go in the morning; eat at the market's cafés and stalls.
Food & drink
Where to eat in Thessaloniki
Extravaganza
Modern Greek / creative
The most creative restaurant in Thessaloniki — chef Giannis Baxevanis's cooking takes the extraordinary produce of northern Greece (truffles from Edessa, mushrooms from Pieria, fish from the Thermaic Gulf) and applies a technical precision uncommon in Greek fine dining. Book ahead; the finest meal in the city.
Bit Bazaar
Meze bars / Ladadika
The best introduction to Thessaloniki's food culture — the Bit Bazaar courtyard in Ladadika, surrounded by meze bars and tavernas where sharing plates of grilled octopus, taramosalata, saganaki, stuffed peppers and fresh bread arrive continuously. Order everything; drink the local Naoussa Xinomavro wine. The correct way to eat in Thessaloniki.
Ergon Agora
Deli & restaurant / market concept
The finest food concept in Thessaloniki — a combined market, deli and restaurant selling the best food products from across Greece (exceptional olive oils, aged feta, mountain honey, wild herbs) alongside a menu of modern Greek cooking using the market's own produce. The brunch is the finest in the city.
Itinerary
3 days in Thessaloniki — a suggested itinerary
Day 1
Waterfront, the Rotunda, Ladadika meze evening
Bus X1 from the airport to the city centre (€2, 45 minutes). Walk to the waterfront — the Nea Paralia (new waterfront) stretches 3.5km along the bay, with the White Tower at its centre (a 15th-century Ottoman tower that is the symbol of the city; climb it for the bay view). The Thessaloniki Concert Hall terrace café for a first Greek coffee. Walk inland to the Rotunda — the 4th-century Roman monument is the oldest building in the city and the mosaics inside (partially surviving) are extraordinary. The Archaeological Museum is adjacent. Lunch at the Modiano or Kapani market food stalls. Ergon Agora for provisions. Ladadika neighbourhood for dinner: the Bit Bazaar courtyard, meze bars, Naoussa wine until late.
Day 2
Byzantine churches, Ano Poli, archaeological museum
The Byzantine churches walking circuit — start at Agios Demetrios (the most important church in Thessaloniki, with 7th-century mosaics in the crypt), continue to Agia Sofia (the dome mosaic is extraordinary), then to Osios David in Ano Poli (the hidden monastery with the finest 5th-century mosaic in Greece — ask locally for directions, it's not signposted). Climb through Ano Poli to the Trigoniou Tower for the view. Lunch at one of the Ano Poli neighbourhood kafeneions. Archaeological Museum in the afternoon — the Vergina gold, the Derveni krater (the finest bronze vessel from antiquity). Evening: the Valaoritou district for the newer restaurant and bar scene.
Day 3
Vergina day trip or a long market morning, one last bougatsa
Vergina, 75km west of Thessaloniki (KTEL bus from the main bus station, 1.5 hours) — the royal tombs of the Macedonian kings, including the intact burial chamber of Philip II (Alexander the Great's father), with the gold larnax (funerary chest) and the gold oak wreath crown. The most extraordinary archaeological site in northern Greece. Return by afternoon. Alternatively: a slow morning in the Kapani market, then the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki (the city had a majority Sephardic Jewish population before the Holocaust — the museum tells this story with great care) in the city centre, and a final lunch of bougatsa (a custard or cheese-filled pastry, the most distinctive food of Thessaloniki) at one of the bougatsa shops on Ermou Street — Thessaloniki Bougatsa at Antigonidon or Serraikon are the traditional choices.
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