Last July we attended a friend’s wedding ceremony at Thessaloniki’s atmospheric Saint Gregory Palamas Holy Metropolitan Church. It was our first visit to this historic city in the north of Greece, so we were keen to have good look around in our limited time there.
Thessaloniki is Greece’s second city, with a population of around a million. It has been at the heart of great empires for centuries, so it is full of historic sites. It’s a very walkable city, with a lot to offer the visitor. Since our visit, the city’s new Metro system has opened, making it even easier to get around.
When we look for accommodation in a city we haven’t visited before, we always aim to stay near the centre. In the case of Thessaloniki, this means the area around Aristotelous Square, a wide-open seafront plaza lined with shops, hotels, bars and restaurants which is a natural gathering point for locals and tourists alike.
We had booked a room at The Modernist, a charming boutique hotel, with very helpful staff, on Ermou Street. This is just around the corner from Aristotelous Square, so that’s where we headed after checking-in to our hotel. We had arrived from London in the evening and found the square a lively spot, full of people – a mix of locals and tourists all enjoying the cool(ish) evening breeze coming from the Thermaic Gulf.
We needed to find somewhere to eat. In 2021, Thessaloniki was designated by UNESCO as Greece’s first city of gastronomy, so you’re really spoiled for choice here. The city’s dining hotspot is the Ladadika district, which is just a 5-minute walk from Aristotelous Square. Ladadika has dozens of restaurants, and at most of them you can eat outside or inside. On a warm July evening the whole area was humming. We had a great meal at a Cretan restaurant called “Charoupi” (Doxis 4). This had been recommended to us by the hotel concierge.
We were up early the next morning for a rooftop breakfast at our hotel, before taking a walk along Thessaloniki’s seafront to the White Tower, which seems to be the city’s most emblematic building. It’s certainly among the most photographed sites in Thessaloniki.
A little further along the seafront you come to a stunning art installation – The Umbrellas by Zongolopoulos. The umbrellas are 13 metres tall and slightly tilted. When photographed at sunrise or sunset in particular they really are an Instagrammer’s delight.
We walked on past an open-air book fair and soon came across the Monument of Alexander the Great. This is a 20-foot-tall bronze statue of Alexander the Great riding his horse Bucephalus.
Our next stop was a visit to the Museum of Byzantine Culture on Stratou Avenue, which is just a short walk from the seafront. Admission to this well-organised and impressive museum costs €8. Inside you’ll find 11 galleries which transport you back to the world of Byzantium.
Walking around Thessaloniki in Greece’s hot July sun is quite tiring, so after some lunch and a spot of people-watching at the Aristotel (on Aristotelous Square) we headed back to our hotel for a shower and an afternoon nap. Suitably refreshed, we decided to head up (by taxi) to Ano Poli (Old Town or Upper Town) and have a walk around this historic area. It’s very picturesque, with cobblestone alleys and traditional houses. From the Trigonio Tower you get spectacular views over the city below and the sea. Five of Thessaloniki’s UNESCO World Heritage monuments are to be found in Ano Poli. Some of these are quite well-hidden and sadly we didn’t have time to see them all.
The walk back down to the centre is quite an easy one. It’s not too long and you pass a few interesting historic sites on the way, including the massive Rotonda, which is Thessaloniki’s oldest intact building, and the Arch of Galerius, also known as Kamara.
As night fell, we headed over to Ladadika again and dined at “Loupino” (Katouni 4), another brilliant recommendation from the hotel concierge. The food here was very good, and the place was heaving – booking is essential.
Next morning, with just a few hours left to look around Thessaloniki before the wedding ceremony and the big party in the evening, we took another stroll around the city centre. This was an opportunity to eat a sweet bougatsa from a bakery and to buy a few food items to take back home with us – olive oil, herbs, pistachios and Macedonian halva.
As we walked around Thessaloniki, we often caught sight of “Karpouzi Men”, who drive from neighbourhood to neighbourhood selling water-melons from their trucks.
Thessaloniki is well worth a visit. It’s a city with a relaxed vibe, lots of history, interesting art and culture, and great food. We wish we could have stayed longer and visited some of the local wineries – three of the best are just a short drive to the south-west of the city. What’s not to like?
The wedding ceremony, which took place in Thessaloniki’s Saint Gregory Palamas Holy Metropolitan Church, was spectacular.
