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Thessaloniki
Second-largest city in Greece

Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is the capital and largest city of the administrative region of Central Macedonia, and the second-largest city in Greece.

Plan a trip to Thessaloniki→From Kavala

It is the largest city of Northern Greece, with over 300,000 in the city proper and slightly over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, the capital of the geographic region of Macedonia, and the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace. It is also known in Greek as i Symprotévousa, literally "the co-capital", a reference to its historical status as the "co-reigning" city of the Byzantine Empire alongside Constantinople.

Get in

Getting to Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is an important rail hub within Greece and it is quite easy to travel here by passenger trains. Hellenic Train operates up to six daily trains from Athens via Larissa. The journey used to take 4 hours, but after a huge flood that destroyed the central part of the line in 2023, it now takes around 5 hours.

See

Worth seeing

The northernmost

  1. 01
    Byzantine Walls of the city and parts
  2. 02
    Arch of Galerius
  3. 03
    Palace of Galerius
  4. 04
    Roman Forum

    Excavations and an interesting museum underneath.

  5. 05
    Rotunda

    Started life as a Roman temple of Zeus, built by Caesar Galerius, and is almost as old as the Pantheon in Rome.

  6. 06
    Saint Demetrios

    Constructed in the mid-7th century on the ruins of a Roman bath complex, in honor of Demetrius, a Roman officer who was imprisoned and martyred here in 303 AD.

Do

Things to do

Cultural Route public bus tour (Line 50). OASTH launched a special “Cultural Route” to make the rich historical and cultural heritage of Thessaloniki more accessible. The bus departs from the White Tower for a 50-minute tour around the city's main historical and cultural monuments.

  1. 01
    Thessaloniki Concert Hall
  2. 02
    Waterland

    Free bus service starting at the city centre.

  3. 03
    Nautilia Yachting

    Skiathou 2, fax: +30 231 055 8192, info@nautilia-yachting.com.

  4. 04
    Thessaloniki International Fair

    September.

Eat

Where to eat

Greeks consider Thessaloniki a gourmet city - but bear in mind that this refers to the excellent local specialities and cheap-and-cheerful ouzo taverns rather than to haute cuisine or a range of foreign restaurants. The latter are best avoided in Thessaloniki. Try a crepe in one of the numerous crepe shops patronised by the student population at Gounari St, near Navarinou Sq. There are plenty of shops selling gyros.

  1. 01
    Evi Evan

    A nice small place near the ancient market of Thessaloniki.

  2. 02
    Verges Lagies

    Reminiscent of old taverns from the 80s with very helpful staff and respect for the customer.

  3. 03
    Pizza Chris

    One of the nicest pizzas in Thessaloniki.

  4. 04
    Tarantoúla

    This is the best place to enjoy vegan mezze in Thessaloniki.

  5. 05
    Nostimo - The Art In Taste

    Very tasty homemade food with lots of vegetables from their garden.

How locals move

Getting around Thessaloniki the local way

  • Get inSkopje – A number of local travel agencies in Skopje also arrange transport to Thessaloniki daily by car or minibus.
  • Get inApart from those, the majority of flights are charter and seasonal flights by holiday specialists.
  • Go nextYou can visit the island on a day trip but its definitively worth to spent more days.
  • Go nextThere are ferry boats from Kavala harbor and Keramoti.

From Wikivoyage: Thessaloniki, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.