Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki is in Macedonia, and is with ~1 Mio. inhabitants the second biggest city in Greece.
Get in
By train
By nighttrain from Athens (Larissa station), about 6 h. Costs 31€, or about 50 if you want a sleeping compartment to yourself. Daily trains from Athens 4h 15 min (intercity express trains), 6h(normal trains) cost about 50 euros first class. There is also a night train (vagon lit) from [Istanbul], departure every day at 20.00. It arrives 08.00 next morning and costs 48e.
To/From Skopje, Macedonia - direct link: Skopje to Thessaloniki train is 20€ RT with young person discount, 20% more without. Train leaves for Thessaloniki at 3:10am or 4:00pm. Note in Macedonian language, Thessaloniki is "Solun." (So-loon). Thessaloniki to Skopje train leaves at 9am or 7pm. Both trains are about 4 hours.
By plane
Thessaloniki has an International airport connected to Athens,Milan,Zurich,Dusseldorf,Munich,Moscow,London. Flight from Athens costs (one way) about 80 euros. There are several flights to Aegean and Ionian islands.
By car
From Athens about 5 hours(Highway) From Istanbul about 8 hours From Belgrade about 7 hours
Get around
If your goal is to get out to the airport, hop on bus 78. It runs along the road with the train station and a ticket is 0.50€ but make sure you have exact change to feed the machine. It's about a 25 minute ride. You can take this same bus back from the airport. Note the bus doesn't run after 11pm, and isn't among the more frequent busses.
Museums and Galleries
At the beginning of Tsimiski street there is a special area in the center of Thessaloniki where you can find many museums:
- Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum
- the Byzantine museum
- State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki
Also
- - Thessaloniki museum of Photography
- - Museum of Cinematography in Thessaloniki
- - Thessaloniki technology Park
See
Only the northernmost Byzantine walls of the city are still standing, the exception being what has now become the city's symbol - the White Tower, on of the original fortified towers and the only one on the seafront. The rest of the walls are in the picturesque old town (Upper Town) which offers a view over the bay. Take a walk along the enormous seafront promenade (about 12 km altogether) with views of the amphitheatrically-built city. See the Archaeological Museum and the award-winning Museum of Byzantine Culture. The international film festival is held in November,the international trade fair in September.
On no account miss the byzantine churches(St Demetrios, c. 200 AD and Agia Sophia, 600 AD, and the lovely smaller ones in the upper town), which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. One of them, the Rotonda, started life as a Roman building and is almost as old as the Pantheon in Rome.
Eat
For a morning or late-night snack, try Bougatsa pies: cream (sweet) or cheese (savoury) filling
Meat eaters can try out soutzoukakia: minced meat pellets either grilled (at the central market or rotisseries) or in tomato and cumin sauce.
Go for a meal in one of the many downtown ouzo restaurants (ouzeri) - some very good ones are Agora, Odos Aristotelous, Vrotos, and Bit-Pazar - and accompany your drink with a whole battery of small dishes - by far the best way to eat in Salonica. There are also some good similar Cretan restaurants: Myrsini and Apo Dyo Horia. Here, order raki rather than ouzo or tsipouro.
If you see "boiled vegetables' on the menu in wintertime, go ahead and order them- you'll be amazed at how good they taste.
Another typical winter salad is politiki, a combination of shredded cabbage and pickles.
Best winter dessert: baked quince
For those of you with adventurous tastes: go to Tsarouhas,preferably after a hard night's drinking, for a "patsas" (tripe) soup - a delicious way to prevent a hangover.
Restaurants mentioned: Agora - off Ionos Dragoumi Bit-Pazar: Prosfygikis Agoras (between Olympou, Venizelou and Filippou) Vrotos: off Athonos (which is also full of restaurants, but not as good) Odos Aristotelous on the street of the same name - most Salonicans know it as the "lepen" Myrsini: behind the theatre of the Etairia Makedonikon Spoudon (Macedonian Studies) Apo Dyo Horia: off Navarinou square (site of Galerius's palace).
For something more quick, you can taste the special crepes from many different places at Gounari street, next to Navarinou square. Also "Goody's" is the greek fast food restaurant chain. You will find classic hamburgers, pasta, salads, etc.
Many tavers you can find also in Ladadika neighbourhood, or in Athonos square (near Aristotelous and Egnatia street)
Drink
Retsina In winter: Tsipouro, a distilled spirit similar to, but usually better than, ouzo Northern Greek wines produced by Gerovassileiou, Babatzim and Yannis Boutaris
Sleep
Hotels:
City, 4 star
Luxembourg 3 star
Kinissi Palace 4 star
Olympia Hotel 3 star
Tobacco Hotel in Aghiou Dimitriou street (formerly a tobacco warehouse), a boutique hotel
Queen Olga Hotel, east thessaloniki
Kapsis Hotel
Park Hotel: Great place, everything is new there. Firm beds, very clean. Good breakfast buffet and reasonable prices. Nice location, 15 minute walk to Ocean.
"Rex Hotel:" Cheap Hotel Opposite the train station towards the center. Only a 5 minute walk from train station. Not great, but adequate. Two-bedroom in peak season was 35€.
Get out
You won't wonder where to get a drink in a town with this many bars! Thessaloniki is by far the liveliest city in Northern Greece- maybe even the whole country as most Most of the bars at the old seafront(Nikis ave.) and around, many of the tavernas are either downtown or in the old city(kastra). If you want to check out what the whole bouzoukia scene is all about, try Mamounia, at Vilka. You can find also a lot of night clubs, bars and restaurants in Ladadika, the neighbourhood with the old warehouses next to the port. The area where you will find many students is around Kamara, next to the University of the town with many small and simple cafe and bars.
If you will be in town during summer, you have to visit for a coffee or drink the small boats. You can find them right next to the White Tower and most of them every 2-3h are making a small trip (20-30') in the Gold of Thessaloniki.
External links
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