I'd say our families were the reason we expanded our Greece tour this time. In the family the question was always "Where are you off to again?".. Later it turned into "Take us along too". That's why a tour with two cars and 7 people was waiting for us. Here is our Thessaloniki travel guide in full detail...
Our earlier trips were a bit more spontaneous, but this time I had to study things better in advance. Travelling as such a big group needs good planning. I always think about transport first: plane tickets were seriously expensive and the bus would have been torture for us. A private car could work, though; I had already written about what you need to do to drive abroad before!
We set off around midnight on Thursday. I had figured that if we didn't get stuck in traffic at customs in İpsala we'd be in Thessaloniki around 08.00, and that's exactly what happened.
Even though we arrived early, parking was a real struggle. We don't run into situations like this even in a metropolis like Istanbul. There are literally no parking spaces! We circled the city for half an hour and couldn't find a single spot. Take my advice: go straight to a paid car park, pay the €9 daily fee and save yourself the trouble. The streets are reserved for residents, and the cars on the street look as if they haven't moved in years, maybe because of the crisis, who knows. Without dwelling on it, let's get to our trip!
The most popular places in Greece near our border are Thessaloniki, Langadas, Asprovalta, Kavala, Xanthi, Komotini and Alexandroupoli/Dedeağaç. We went to all of them and decided it would be better to tell you about each city's sights separately. In this post we'll describe the places to see in Thessaloniki and our experiences in detail. Building the route is up to you!
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THESSALONIKI
Here is another one of those wonderful cities! I'd love to start by saying The-ssa-lo-ni-ki!, but at first the city really disappointed us. Neglected, dirty, no order! On top of that, with the weather at 37 degrees, the first day wasn't going too well. If you can, don't go too far up from the waterfront.Founded by the King of Macedon in the early 300s BC, the city came under Roman rule after the fall of the Kingdom of Macedon. After various occupations it came under Ottoman rule towards the end of the 1300s. The city remained Ottoman until the early 1900s and passed to Greece as the Ottoman Empire broke up.
Shaped through history by different cultures, traditions and natural events, the city is now Greece's second largest and stands out as the country's cultural capital.
It takes its name from Thessalonike, the sister of Alexander the Great; only we Turks call it Selanik.
The city is quite reminiscent of İzmir, but I want to underline that it is very different from İzmir. It's not a city you fall in love with at first sight, and it doesn't have much visual charm. It's a bit concrete-heavy and scruffy. But on weekdays and weekends it is as lively as Istanbul. Lively and crowded...
While the upper parts of the city struggle with poverty and neglect, the waterfront has luxury shops, cars and wealthy people we never came across in Thrace. There I go saying Thrace again :) I think one of the reasons I always feel Greece is close to my own country is the warmer people. After all, I'm partly descended from Greek immigrants.
PLACES TO VISIT IN THESSALONIKI
Because of the city's layout, almost every street leads to the sea. That, plus its buildings that have survived from deep in history and the warm-hearted Greek people, is why it's at the top of the must-visit routes. The best thing about Greece is that all the sights are within walking distance. If you tried to walk to every sight in the city, the route would be 6-7 kilometres. My suggestion: with a brisk walk you can see the city in 1 day. But if you'd rather go at a medium pace and enjoy it, you can see it in 2 days too. The city also has great places to eat and wonderful beaches you can reach quickly whenever you like.
Places to Visit in Thessaloniki click the link to reach the detailed list of places to visit.
For those curious about our other posts from the Greece tour, click the link!
WHERE IS THESSALONIKI?
Thessaloniki is a coastal city in the north-east of the country, in the Eastern Macedonia region. On the Aegean Sea, the city also sits at the head of the Thermaic Gulf.The city is 580 km from Istanbul and 80 km from Kavala.
WHEN TO GO TO THESSALONIKI?
Thessaloniki has a Mediterranean climate. Summers are very hot and dry, while winters get rainy and cold further north, as in Edirne. On the coast, winters are mild. The swimming season starts in early May and lasts until the end of October. June to August is the hottest period. If you want to enjoy the beaches, we insist you go to Thessaloniki in July. For sightseeing and wandering around, we think spring and autumn are ideal.HOW TO GET TO THESSALONIKI?
You can get to Thessaloniki in 3 different ways.Thessaloniki is 580 km from Istanbul, and you can get there in 6-7 hours by car if there's no traffic at the border.
Another option is the buses that leave from Istanbul.
Finally, you can fly to Thessaloniki. Macedonia International Airport, which you reach 1 hour 15 minutes after leaving Istanbul, is 15 km from the city centre.
You can also reach Thessaloniki across the Aegean Sea; there are many ferries to Thessaloniki from various Greek islands.
We chose to go abroad by car. Click for what you need to do to leave the country by car!
** If you decide to drive to Thessaloniki, the route from Istanbul is: Istanbul – Tekirdağ – Malkara – Keşan – İpsala border gate. Then, in Greece, Alexandroupoli (Dedeağaç), then Xanthi, then on towards Kavala, and from there you reach Thessaloniki in a short while. All along this route, on or near your way, there are places like Kavala and Alexandroupoli, places to swim like Thassos and Asprovalta, and the whole huge Halkidiki region.
WHERE TO STAY IN THESSALONIKI?
Unlike Greece's other cities (Kavala, Xanthi, Komotini and Alexandroupoli), Thessaloniki has accommodation options for every taste. Since most places in the city are within walking distance, you can think about it a bit differently from other European cities. If your budget allows, staying around Aristotelous Square is one of the best options.If you have a car, you can do what we did: book a house on Airbnb and enjoy a detached wooden house. We paid €20 per person..
For more information about Airbnb, click the link!
If you want to hang out in Thessaloniki's bars at night, choose one of the hotels in the Ladadika district.
GETTING AROUND THESSALONIKI
First of all, I recommend going to Thessaloniki, or rather Greece, by car. You may just spend a little extra time at the border gate. Other than that, you can be sure it'll be a very enjoyable road trip.Parking in Thessaloniki is a problem in itself. You need to find a spot early in the morning, or you can park in a paid car park.
In Alexandroupoli, Xanthi, Komotini and Kavala, which we mentioned before, we never had to pay for parking. Since it isn't paid like in other European countries, getting around by car is no problem at all. Naturally, as the city gets bigger, life gets more expensive.
Once you've parked, you can explore the city very comfortably on foot. You'll hardly even need public transport. When you do need it, buses can take you anywhere you want. Since there's no tram or metro besides the buses, the other option is a taxi.
Standard bus tickets are valid for about 1 hour. But there are also 1-day, 3-day and 1-week tickets. As in the European system, don't forget to validate your ticket when you get on the bus!
Thessaloniki has 1 international airport. If you decide to fly, you'll land at Macedonia International Airport, 15 kilometres outside the city. It's very easy to reach the city centre by shuttle and bus.
THESSALONIKI CUISINE
Greek cuisine is very varied. So you can find wonderful food without any trouble. Of course, rather than leaving food to the last minute, we had our breakfasts and meals at places I'd picked in advance.Breakfast - Estrella
We went to the café at 9 in the morning as if we were raiding it, so the staff found it a bit odd. Well, we'd been on the road since the night before; it would be a lie to say we weren't getting impatient with the sleepiness and hunger setting in :)
Now to our tiny but just as lovely café: Estrella! We thought it was an ordinary little place, but half an hour later it was packed to the rafters.
With its all-day breakfast & brunch menu it has managed to win everyone's attention. The options include eggs every way, pancakes, burgers, all kinds of pasta and fresh juice.
Be sure to try the bougatsa croissant served with warm cream, the pizza made with Thessaloniki koulouri dough, the Ottoman Burger dedicated to the city's Ottoman period, the drinks made with herbs gathered from different parts of Greece, and Estrella's special third-wave coffee blend. Our favourite was the herb omelette. I'm sure you'll find something to suit your taste too.
Dinner - O Kipos tou Thermaikou
Believe me, I still can't quite read it! :)By the way, we had made the White Tower the last stop of our tour, and at the end of the tour we came straight to this restaurant. The staff are very happy, the waiters are friendly; in short, everyone who works there is happy enough with what they do. May ours be the same! Price-wise, even converted to Turkish lira, the bill isn't much, and you leave the table feeling good. The 7 of us paid €72.
In terms of taste it really satisfied both our families and us. Such big portions with such flavours at such prices; we left the table saying our own tourism businesses should take note :)
Fried courgette, an aubergine tower (quite hard to eat), boiled and baked potatoes, Greek salad and much more. Most of it seems familiar, but of course each has its own different flavour. Ouzo and the wine they call 'half sweet red wine' were our favourites among the drinks on the menu.
As someone who really loves Greek salad, I didn't find the ingredients here very satisfying. But the dressing they added made it very tasty. It was clear there isn't just one Greek salad; this was a different take on it. :)
SHOPPING IN THESSALONIKI
Shopping is one of the most enjoyable things to do right in the city centre. I'm sure this part will interest the ladies more. In this city full of history and fun, you can find shops, markets and malls for every taste.
Thessaloniki's most popular shopping street is Tsimiski Street. On this street in the city centre you can find literally everything. Agias Sofias Street, which crosses it, is a must-see because it's pedestrian-only and has local brands at very good prices. You can also stroll Mitropoleos Street, a slightly more upscale, popular and elite-ish street.
Like us, you can do not just everyday shopping but household shopping too. How? The answer is clear: 'Lidl!' We first discovered this store in Germany; it's similar to stores like Bim and A101 in Turkey. It's very cheap and has very good products. If we weren't embarrassed, we'd go every month and do the household shopping here. Good pasta sauces, great chocolates, biscuits, unusual spices and handy products await you at much lower prices. On our last visit we bought a pedicure foot bath, with a heater and massage function too :) Of course much, much cheaper than in Turkey...
By the way, because of Greece's economic crisis, Greek duty-free shops are also heavily discounted.
USEFUL INFORMATION FOR THESSALONIKI
Thessaloniki is very well located. It has railways connecting it to Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Turkey. So it's also a city people doing Interrail can stop in.Fire: 199 Police: 100 Ambulance 166 Emergency: 112
DO YOU NEED A VISA FOR THESSALONIKI?
Yes, you need a Schengen visa to go to Thessaloniki. Green (special) and grey (service) passports don't need a visa. Burgundy (ordinary) passports do. Schengen Visa application tips: click here! For the documents required for a Schengen visa, see here.CYCLING IN THESSALONIKI
Greece's cycling roads are among the best in the world. Quiet highways, roads that aren't too steep and the pleasure of riding along the coast will make you want to get on a bike.A bike is one of the best ways to get to know a city. Cyclists can combine great exercise with their urge to explore, building routes through little-known roads in Greek cities. Besides Athens, you can find bike lanes (in some municipalities) in many cities such as Thessaloniki, Volos, Karditsa, Trikala, Larissa, Kavala, Nafplion, Lamia and Messolonghi. My İpsala-Alexandroupoli-Enez bike tour from 2016 is at the link.
As for cycling in Thessaloniki: there's a serious climb before you reach the city! After that climb you can breathe a sigh of relief and make a fast descent into town. By the way, on the way into Thessaloniki you have to get on and off a short stretch of motorway. Still worth it!
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