Things to Do in Thessaloniki: My City Guide

Thessaloniki is the Greek city I cannot stay away from. Athens gets the history headlines and the islands get the sun, but this northern port on the Thermaic Gulf has its own kind of soul, built from a 2,300 year mix of Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, and every trader who ever docked here. I come back for the food and the spirit of it. Here is what I do.

Walk the Waterfront Promenade

The new promenade runs for miles along the waterfront, and it is the social heart of the city. I start at the sculpture garden near the concert hall and walk north past the cafes, the old warehouses, and the statue of Alexander the Great. In the evening every bench is filled with families and students. It is the easiest, loveliest way to get your bearings on the first day.

Climb the White Tower

The White Tower stands at the southern edge of the promenade, the symbol of the city. For a few euros I ride up to the top and look out over the gulf and the rooftops of the old town. The tower is a museum now, tracing the city’s Ottoman and Byzantine history, and the top floor has the best panoramic view in Thessaloniki. I go on a clear day and it is worth every step.

Climb to the Upper Town, the Ano Poli

Behind the city, up the hillside, the Ano Poli is the old Ottoman quarter, a tangle of narrow lanes, wooden houses, and tiny squares that escaped the great fire of 1917. I walk up the cobbled streets and have a coffee at one of the courtyard cafes. The view down over the whole city to the sea is my favourite in Thessaloniki, and the neighbourhood feels a hundred years away from the waterfront below.

Wander the Ancient Agora and Forum

Right in the middle of town, below street level, sits the ancient Roman forum, a set of excavated ruins that most people walk straight past. I like to stand on the modern street and look down into the old marketplace, where you can make out the bath complex and the open square. A small museum beside it holds the finds. It grounds you in just how old this city really is.

See the Rotunda and Its Mosaics

The Rotunda began as a Roman monument, became a church, then a mosque, and now sits as one of the most impressive buildings in the city. I go inside for the mosaics, the surviving golden images that cover the upper walls and dome, glowing even in the dim interior. It is a few minutes from the main street, and the scale of the place always surprises me.

Browse the Modiano and Kapani Markets

Food shopping is a sport in Thessaloniki, and the city centre markets are where I play it. At Modiano, a covered arcade, and Kapani, an open vegetable market, I wander the stalls of olives, cheeses, fresh fish, and dried herbs. I pick up olives and a wedge of local cheese for a snack and watch the cooks and housewives bargaining. It is loud, colourful, and completely alive.

Eat Your Way Through the Waterfront Taverns

Thessaloniki is arguably the Greek food capital, and I take that seriously. The Ladadika district, the old port quarter, is packed with tavernas serving meze, so I order a spread of small plates and share. I never skip the grilled octopus or the local cheeses. The habit of the city is to arrive hungry and leave hours later, full and laughing, and I have embraced it fully.

Drink Coffee Like a Local

Coffee is the daily ritual here, and I have learned to do it properly. I order a frappe, the iced instant coffee that Greeks turned into an institution, and sit at a cafe along the promenade for an hour, doing nothing but watching people pass. It is not a quick takeaway culture. Nobody rushes you. If you want to feel like a Thessaloniki local, this is the secret.

Take the Day Trip to the Beaches and Mouth of the City

Easily reached from the city, the beaches north of Thessaloniki along the coast offer a change of pace with sunbeds, tavernas, and clear water. I take a short bus ride out on a hot day and spend the afternoon swimming and eating grilled fish by the shore. It is an easy escape that keeps the holiday feeling going without leaving the city’s orbit.

End the Night in a Rebetiko Bar

Thessaloniki keeps its musical past alive, and no visit is complete without hearing rebetiko, the blues of the Greek underworld that became the country’s folk music. Small bars around the old town and Ladadika host live sessions into the small hours. I sit in a corner with an ouzo and let the bouzouki take over. It is the city at its most honest and most moving, and I never want it to end.