Thessaloniki Travel Guide

Thessaloniki is Greece's second city, in the north of the country. It is an ancient port, overlooking the Aegean Sea, on the trade route between the Mediterranean and the Balkans. Thessaloniki is also Greece's biggest university town with a thriving café life.

Largely a 20th century city due to a terrible fire in 1917 and an earthquake in 1978, the city retains its medieval character in parts. Ladadika, the former commercial district, has bars, tavernas and trendy shops lining its cobbled streets. Meanwhile the Ano Poli quarter, with its narrow streets and pretty gardens, gives the best idea of Thessaloniki in medieval times.

Nikis Street is the waterfront promenade where cafes face the sea. At the far end the White Tower is the city's best known landmark containing one of Thessaloniki's many museums, along with the Jewish Museum and Archaeological Museum. Renowned for its ouzerias (ouzo bars), the city's cuisine is acclaimed. South of the city stretches the Chalkidiki peninsula with its fine, uncrowded beaches and the 20 important monasteries of Mount Athos.