Visit ThessalonikiVisit Greece · City guide
The White Tower of Thessaloniki under a blue sky, with people strolling the waterfront promenade
Visit Thessaloniki · Visit Greece

Visit Thessaloniki

Your practical guide to visit Thessaloniki — and the best base to visit Greece in the north. Plan before you land, use it on the ground.

Byzantine alleys, Roman arches, the best food in Greece and a seafront made for sunsets — with Halkidiki's beaches an hour away. This is Thessaloniki, explained simply.

Plan your visit Explore the map
2,300+years of history
15UNESCO monuments
4.5 kmseafront
~1 hto Halkidiki
Start here

Four pages that plan your whole trip

Modelled on the world's best city-guide sites — everything practical, nothing fluffy.

The Rotunda of Galerius, a massive round Roman brick building

See & Do

The White Tower, UNESCO churches, Ano Poli's castles and the museums that hold Macedonia's gold.

Explore the city
Fresh bougatsa pastry with vanilla custard, dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon

Eat & Drink

Bougatsa at dawn, meze with tsipouro at noon, Ladadika at midnight. Greece's food capital, mapped.

Taste Thessaloniki
Venizelou metro station interior with the ancient Byzantine road excavation on display

Getting Around

The brand-new metro, €0.60 tickets, airport buses, taxi numbers and the summer water buses.

Move like a local
Turquoise water and white rocks at Kavourotrypes beach in Halkidiki

Day Trips

Halkidiki's three peninsulas, Vergina, Olympus and Meteora — with exact buses. Beach guide →

Leave the city
Before you land

Planning guides

Answer the questions every visitor Googles — with verified fares and local detail.

Airport → centre

Bus 01X €2, taxi €25 flat, night arrivals — every SKG transfer option.

Transfer guide

Best time to visit

Month-by-month weather, crowds and festivals — when to book.

Season guide

Travelling with kids

Stroller-friendly routes, NOESIS, beaches and a 3-day family plan.

Family guide

Where to stay

Ladadika, centre, Ano Poli — best areas compared with typical hotel prices.

Hotel zones

Nightlife

Ladadika rebetiko, Valaoritou bars — where the night goes after 22:00.

After dark

Trip cost

Daily budgets €50–130 — food, transit, sights and sleep broken down.

Budget guide

White Tower

€6 tickets, opening hours and rooftop views — the city's symbol.

Visitor guide
Complete guide

Plan your visit to Thessaloniki

Everything you need to visit Thessaloniki — and explore northern Greece — in 2026. Verified fares, hours and local tips.

View over Thessaloniki's rooftops and the Thermaic Gulf from the Byzantine walls of Ano Poli
The view from the Byzantine walls, Ano Poli
Thessaloniki in short

Greece's second city — and its most delicious

Founded in 315 BC by King Cassander and named after Alexander the Great's half-sister, Thessaloniki has been a Roman crossroads, the Byzantine Empire's co-capital, a great Ottoman port and the home of a storied Sephardic Jewish community — sometimes all at once.

Today it's a compact, walkable university city of about a million people wrapped around the Thermaic Gulf: fifteen Early Christian and Byzantine monuments are on the UNESCO World Heritage list, Roman ruins surface between café tables, and the evening volta along the waterfront is a ritual older than anyone can remember.

  • Compact: port to White Tower is a 25-minute stroll along the sea.
  • Affordable: public transport from €0.60, memorable dinners under €20.
  • Perfectly placed: beaches, royal tombs and Mount Olympus all within reach.
Meet the neighbourhoods
Unmissable

Six experiences that define the city

The White Tower of Thessaloniki seen from the seafront Landmark

Climb the White Tower

The city's symbol: a 15th-century tower with a spiral history exhibition and a 360° view from the top.

Hours & tickets
Colourful traditional houses along the Byzantine walls in Ano Poli Old Town

Get lost in Ano Poli

The Ottoman-era upper town that survived the 1917 fire — lanes, tavernas and the best sunset walls.

Walk the walls
The Arch of Galerius with its carved Roman reliefs, people walking beneath UNESCO era

Walk the Galerian Rome

Arch, Rotunda and palace — a Roman emperor's ceremonial quarter, still threading the modern grid.

See the ruins
The bronze Derveni Krater with Dionysian reliefs, in the Archaeological Museum Museums

Meet the Gold of Macedon

The Derveni Krater and burial gold at the Archaeological Museum — then Byzantium next door.

Museum guide
The Umbrellas sculpture by George Zongolopoulos silhouetted against the sunset on the seafront Free

Sunset at the Umbrellas

Walk the 4.5 km Nea Paralia promenade to Zongolopoulos' Umbrellas as the gulf turns gold.

Waterfront guide
Restored colourful facades with balconies in the Ladadika district Nightlife

Dine out in Ladadika

The old oil-merchants' quarter is now the city's warmest tangle of tavernas, bars and music.

Where to go
Beyond the city

An hour from beach paradise, ninety minutes from the gods

Thessaloniki is Greece's best base camp. Halkidiki's three peninsulas, Alexander the Great's homeland and Mount Olympus are all day-trip distance — here's exactly how to reach them.

Evening light over the calm bay of Vourvourou in Sithonia, Halkidiki ≈ 1–2 h

Halkidiki

Kassandra's buzz, Sithonia's turquoise coves, Athos' monasteries. Buses from KTEL Chalkidikis, €12–15.

Beach guide
Delicate gold wreath from the royal tombs of Aigai at Vergina ≈ 1.5 h

Vergina — Royal Tombs

Philip II's unlooted tomb and the gold of the Macedonian kings, underground at ancient Aigai.

How to visit
Snow-streaked peaks of Mount Olympus rising above Litochoro ≈ 1.5 h

Mount Olympus & Dion

Walk the Enipeas gorge from Litochoro, then the sacred city of the ancient Macedonians at Dion.

Plan the trip
What's on

Mark your calendar — 2026 highlights

5–13 Sep 2026

90th Thessaloniki International Fair

The centenary TIF-Helexpo fair takes over the city — concerts every night, honoured country Japan.

1–24 Oct 2026

61st Dimitria Festival

A month of theatre, music and art across the city's venues, honouring patron saint Dimitrios.

5–15 Nov 2026

67th Thessaloniki Int'l Film Festival

Greece's biggest film event fills the port warehouses and Olympion on Aristotelous. Book beds early.

March (annual)

Documentary Festival

A world-class doc festival in the same portside venues — spring's cultural anchor.

April (annual)

Alexander the Great Marathon

Run from ancient Pella to the White Tower — or cheer along the seafront finish.

Full events calendar

Emergency: 112

One number, English spoken. Police 100 · Ambulance 166 · Tourist Police 1571.

All emergency numbers →

Transit from €0.60

One ticket covers metro + buses. 24-hour pass €2.50. Airport bus 01X €2.

Getting around →

Airport taxi: €25 flat

Fixed day rate to the centre (€35 at night, 00:00–05:00). Blue-and-white cars, rank at arrivals.

Taxi numbers →

Tap water is fine

Drinkable across the city. Cards accepted almost everywhere; carry small cash for kiosks.

All essentials → · Daily budget →
Plan your trip

Thessaloniki travel questions — answered

Why visit Thessaloniki when visiting Greece?

Visit Thessaloniki for food, Byzantine heritage and a walkable waterfront — then add Halkidiki beaches, Vergina or Olympus. It is the practical gateway to visit Greece in the north: lower prices than Athens, fewer crowds, and day trips most visitors miss. Start with itineraries and Thessaloniki vs Athens.

Is Thessaloniki worth visiting?

Yes — and for different reasons than Athens. UNESCO Byzantine churches, one of Europe's best food scenes, a walkable waterfront, lower prices, and Halkidiki beaches an hour away. Most visitors wish they'd booked one extra night. Start with what to see and where to eat.

How many days do you need in Thessaloniki?

Two full days covers the centre, food and one neighbourhood deep-dive. Three to four days lets you add a Halkidiki beach day or Vergina. See ready-made itineraries for 24 hours, a weekend and four days.

What is the best time to visit Thessaloniki?

Spring (April–June) and autumn (September–October) — warm enough to sit outside, mild for walking, fewer cruise crowds than high summer. July–August is hot but alive with festivals; winter is mild and great for museums and coffee culture. Full month-by-month guide and events in 2026.

How do I get from Thessaloniki airport to the city centre?

Three easy options: 01X airport bus (€2, ~40 min to the White Tower), taxi flat rate €25 day / €35 night (00:00–05:00), or the metro when your hotel is near a station. Full guide: airport to city centre · Getting Around.

What are the best day trips from Thessaloniki?

Halkidiki (beaches), Vergina (royal tombs), Mount Olympus, Meteora and Pella — all reachable by KTEL bus or car. We list exact buses, fares and how long to allow.

Where should I stay in Thessaloniki?

First-timers: Ladadika or city centre near Aristotelous — walkable, restaurants on your doorstep. Budget: Navarinou. Families: Kalamaria. Full breakdown: where to stay guide and neighbourhoods.

How much does a trip to Thessaloniki cost?

Budget travellers: €50–70/day. Mid-range: €90–130/day. Metro from €0.60, taverna dinner €12–25, museums €6–10. See our daily budget guide.

Is Thessaloniki safe for tourists?

Yes — one of Greece's safest large cities. Normal awareness in bar districts at night. Emergency 112 (English spoken). Tourist police 1571. Details on essentials.

“Thessaloniki has the rhythm of a city that never hurries — coffee lasts two hours, dinner starts at ten, and the sea is always at the end of the street.”
— every local, more or less