Here’s another one of those cities. You know, there are cities that gossip about “there is nothing much to see, just spare a few hours”, we are talking about them.. You talk to a friend, he has been to Thessaloniki before, and he insists that you take a short time there, that the city is “good from Izmir” and he loses all your enthusiasm.. (We are talking about the concern why İzmir is depressing so that its listeners should not come immediately, it will not give the feeling of being abroad) Bring that friend here! Let’s talk to him, let’s find out where he made them up, then let’s move on to Thessaloniki Travel Guide stage.
Okay, now let’s keep our calm and tell you a little bit about Thessaloniki.. Yes, it is a small city, yes, the uncle of Izmir, it is quite reminiscent in places, okay, my Ata was born there, this information is already available to all of us.. True, it is not one of the cities where you will fall in love at first sight, you know, it does not have a great visual appeal, a thin concrete pile prevails in many parts, of course the streets leading to the sea and some specific points can compensate for this situation.. However, besides all this, we are talking about a very sweet city, which is always lively regardless of weekdays or weekends, where there are wonderfully friendly people, where you can eat delicious food, and where you can swim in many places nearby.. Even if you go in winter, it doesn’t matter if it’s a museum, if it’s nightlife, if you’re looking for nightlife, if you’re looking for places to enjoy, they’re all available.. Moreover, it takes much less time to reach here from the European side to the Anatolian side on a typical Istanbul day; up to 1 hour. When this is the case, it becomes easy to love Thessaloniki, and we are sure that when you go, you will say, “Brother, how did I not come here until now?”. Say hello to your friend who says “There is nothing in Thessaloniki, yeaaaeaeaaa” on your return.
*Before we start, thank you to Anda from Thessaloniki Hotels Association and Constantina, Georgios and Eleni from Thessaloniki Tourism Office. we owe a debt!
You have two options to reach Thessaloniki; plane or car. As you know, things are very easy by plane, because it takes about 1 hour to reach Thessaloniki from Istanbul.. You sit on the plane, I wonder if they will give you food in such a short time, at least if they give you a sandwich or something, the pilot says, “We are starting to descend for the landing cabin crew fhfkashd” (you know, some of them are not understood, we did the last part for him) and the events develop very quickly.. However, if you go by car, it can have many advantages.. As a walking (not normally, trips) blog, we would of course not recommend driving around the city, but having a car can help you a lot when going places near Thessaloniki.
Reaching Thessaloniki by Car
Sir, if you’ve done something crazy and decided to go to Greece by car, first of all, we’d like to spoil you by telling you that you’re not that crazy.. ‘Cause everybody does it, it’s perfectly normal. Getting from Istanbul to Thessaloniki is easier and closer than going to many destinations in Turkey.. So don’t think of yourself as trying to do something weird.
*Before you go to Thessaloniki by car, you need to obtain some documents in order to cross the border with your car.. The process of obtaining these documents is not very difficult, but it can be a bit costly and as a result, you may have to deal with the renewal work as the document you receive is valid for only 1 year.. When you enter this process, there are two documents you need to obtain from Turing;
*If your vehicle is not in your name, you need to get a notarized power of attorney from the owner of the vehicle, keep this in mind.
*When you decide to go to Thessaloniki by car, the route you will follow from Istanbul is: Istanbul – Tekirdağ – Malkara – Keşan – İpsala Border Gate. Then you can go to Alexandroupoli i.e. Alexandroupoli, from there to Xanthi and from there to Kavala in Greece, and you can reach Thessaloniki in a short time.. Along this route, there are points such as Kavala and Alexandroupoli on or near your way, as well as places where you can swim such as Thassos, Asprovalta and a huge Halkidiki region.. You can stop by these places and maybe even go from one accommodation to another, it is entirely up to your time and preference.
*If you download the offline map application called Ulmon, which gives us great convenience while following this whole route, things will become much easier for you.. By marking the places you want from there, you can track which way you will go, how far is left to your destination, and even what to visit around you along the way.. Long Live Ulmon!
*If you are renting a car in Greece no need for an international driver’s license for most companies. However, there may be some exceptional cases.. For example, the company we hired was involved in this issue for some reason, they made an unnecessary insistence on us to issue an international driver’s license instead of a Turkish one, and they said it was a “company policy”.. Since one of us has an American driver’s license, we saved the issue, if you rent from here, keep that in mind.
Thessaloniki Travel Guide: Is Thessaloniki Expensive?
There is a small-scale problem in Thessaloniki, even in Greece, and that is the effect of the crisis on the tax increase.. Since the VAT rate is up to 24%, the prices have skyrocketed in Thessaloniki, although it is not a very touristic city.. If we said it flew, don’t think as crazy as the Scandinavian countries, of course, but we can say that it has approached Milan standards.. Of course, both the public and the tourists complain about this situation.. That’s why I’m going to the small city, it’s good not to think that this place is definitely very cheap.. To give a few examples, considering the possible expenditures you may make there;
Water: 0, 50 Euro (Small water in kiosks, kiosks and markets)
Appetizer-focused, alcoholic, 2-person table: 30 Euros and above
Beer: 3 – 3.5 Euros
Cocktail: Around 7 – 9 Euros
Coffee: 2.5 – 3.5 Euros (Latte, Freddo, Frappe etc.)
Thessaloniki Travel Guide: Accommodation in Thessaloniki
The biggest advantage of Thessaloniki being a small city is that no matter where you stay, you will not feel far from anywhere.. Therefore, you can choose the place where you will stay according to your budget.. However, if we give a suggestion on the subject, we can say that you should not stay around Ano Polis.. Because we do not want to face accusations such as “you know, we could stay anywhere, liars” at some point, since it is located on a hill and in an area with lots of slopes.. If you want a more specific suggestion, we stayed at Hotel Olympia and we can say that we are very satisfied in terms of location, attention and hygiene.. It is possible to walk to many points from the hotel, you are close to the lively parts of the city at night, and the employees are friendly people who do not make faces while helping you in many matters.
* At this point, it might be a good idea to tell you about Artıway.. You may have probably come across it before, but let’s not withhold what we know anyway.. Artıway is a system that allows you to cash back some of your spending on the websites you shop on the Internet.. We have been using it for many years, especially when we are dealing with hotels (from sites such as booking and hotels.com), car rental.. Regardless of the travel area, you may want to take a look at Artıway, especially if you shop frequently, as it covers many brands in many different categories such as Trendyol, Nike, Teknosa, The Body Shop, Media Markt, Gratis, Koçtaş.. If you want to become a member, you can solve this issue via this link.. (A bonus like 10 TL is added to your account when you become a member via the link)
Thessaloniki Travel Guide: Places to Visit in Thessaloniki
The list of places to visit in Thessaloniki to many big cities A short list can be compared. But of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t spend your days in the city and enjoy it a lot.. As a matter of fact, this is exactly the type of travel we love! Even if you don’t have many days in the city, you have places to visit, and you also have time to get lost in the streets of the city, try its restaurants, cafes, and get to know its people.. Now, let’s take a look at the places to visit in Thessaloniki:
White Tower
White Tower is literally Thessaloniki’ in icon. Where is a photo of Thessaloniki, where is a brochure about Thessaloniki, there is the White Tower. The history of the tower 15. It dates back to the 19th century and is located on the famous coastline of Thessaloniki in all its glory.. There is no consensus on the exact date of its construction, and according to some, there is even a thought that the tower was built by Mimar Sinan, who knows… The tower, which was once used as a prison, was also known as the “Bloody Tower”, it we heard it from the locals too.
Atatürk’s House
The main reason why we are aware of the existence of Thessaloniki since the age of 6-7 is obviously you. You may also remember: “Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in Thessaloniki in 1881”. Yes, our ancestor was born in Thessaloniki and his house can still be visited today.. Located at Apostolou Pavlou Street, number 17, the house consists of three floors and you can visit each floor free of charge.. On each floor, there are explanations and video works where you can learn about Atatürk’s life and what he did.. In addition to this, a model of how the interior of the house looked more or less in the past was created based on the conditions at that time on the ground floor.. It is also possible to see a wax statue of Atatürk when you go upstairs.. Right in front of it is the room where he was born.
There is a situation that many people complain about Atatürk’s House, which is that the items inside were removed a while ago.. While we met Muhammet Bey, one of the consulate staff, we did not want to pass without asking him about it.. He also said that the pre-existing items did not belong to Atatürk or his family, they were only items placed considering the conditions of that period, so they rearranged the interior of the house to give more information about Atatürk and took its current form.. That’s the explanation for the situation, sir.
Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
Is it possible not to see anything in the name of archeology in any city in Greek territory? Of course, there is also an archaeological museum in Thessaloniki.. The museum includes artifacts from excavations in Northern Greece and is divided into different themes such as “Prehistoric Period”, “Towards the Birth of Cities”.. Although it is not a very big museum, they have created a very successful museum, we think you can spend at least 1 hour here.. Also, since everything in the museum has an English explanation, you don’t feel like “looking at the pottery blankly”, it is quite productive.. By the way, don’t miss watching the 6-minute video work in the introduction, it almost summarizes 1000 years and then it becomes much more meaningful to visit the museum.
-Entry fee is 8 Euros.. 4 euros for students. Student ID required.
-Open every day from 8:00 to 20:00.
-Address: 6 Manoli Andrikou Street
Aristotelous Square
As the people of the country who are sick with the disease, we will define this square as Taksim Square, of course, if everything does not resemble a point from Turkey.. Aristotelous Square, which is literally the heart of the city and is considered one of the largest squares in Greece, can also be considered one of the most beautiful places in Thessaloniki, which is not visually spectacular and attractive.. Once you let yourself down from this square, you reach the sea, which in our opinion is the most beautiful aspect of Thessaloniki, every road leads to the sea!
-One of the most famous spots of the square Hotel Electra. If you stay here, there is a pool at the top.. No, brother, if you say that you will do something else instead of paying him, you can at least have breakfast on the terrace or sit for a cup of tea or coffee, the view is magnificent.
Saint Dimitrios Church
This church, which you can also hear by the name of Hagios Demetrios, is the most important church of Thessaloniki.. Since it was built in the Byzantine period, the church, which reflects the architecture of that period, has been standing for many years due to many natural disasters, fires, etc.. survived the event and managed to survive until today.. Even though our people went and tried to loot and destroy the church during the Ottoman period, thankfully they survived that too.. Currently free to visit and open for worship. You’d better be careful when you’re going alone, otherwise if your arms are too wide, you may not be allowed in.
-Open every day from 8:00 to 22:00.
Church of Agia Sofia
While we are talking about churches, it is not possible to miss Agia Sofia Church. Yes, the name sounds familiar, right? If you see him, he will look familiar too, and you will say, “I liken it to a place, but…”. Let us tell you what you would liken it to; to our Hagia Sophia. Why? Because in terms of architecture, it was built on the model of Hagia Sophia! Today it is considered one of the most important churches in Greece and of course is on the UNESCO list.. You have to be careful about your clothes when entering here.. Or you can enter very quickly like us and wander in and get confused, but of course this is not a valid and logical technique.. (what should we do, it was so hot)
Ladadika Region
Feeling that you are really in Greece when you are in Thessaloniki, hearing Fedon pieces left and right, If you want to hit the bottom of the appetizers and fall into a touristic environment, there is only one place you need to go: Ladadika Region.. Known as a market area when Thessaloniki was under Ottoman rule, Ladadika is actually one of the places that best reflects how Thessaloniki used to look.. You will see cafes, restaurants, taverns, whatever God has given you all together in this area, 5-6 minutes away from Aristotle’s Square.. Moreover, it is quite pleasant to wander around here, as some points are closed to traffic and it is very lively, especially in the evening.. Do not pass by considering the restaurants in this area as touristic, because even the locals love it here, and while they spend a lot of time in this region, it is not our place to mark it as a “tourist trap area”, sir, there is no such thing!
*Ladadika’ We mentioned here about where and what you will eat, and we look forward to seeing you there.
Ano Poli
Ano Poli is the “upper city” of Thessaloniki overlooking the sea. side. It is not so easy to go, see, climb, descend, because you have to grapple with serious slopes.. For this reason, if you intend to explore that area and you do not have a car, you must either take a taxi or take one of the buses numbered 22/23.. No bro, that doesn’t apply to me. Of course, we wouldn’t know if you say that you are a person who has run 4234 km to pass my friends in Nike Running and got the red color.
After all this effort, what do you encounter in Ano Poli? Houses from the Ottoman period and typical Ottoman architectural examples, Heptaprygion (also known as Seven Towers), that is the castle and walls built for protection during the Byzantine period, and of course Trigoniou Tower awaits you on the hills.
Rotonda
Rotonda, one of the Roman Empire era structures, is one of the oldest religious buildings in the city. another. It is even considered to be the first religious building of the city in most sources.. The building, which was built by Emperor Galerius in 306 and later turned into a church and even a mosque during the Ottoman period (there is a minaret still standing next to it), has undergone all kinds of religious processes.. This cylindrical building, which may remind you of the Pantheon in Rome, is being tried to be officially turned into a church again, as we heard.. Today, rituals are still performed in it, but it is not officially accepted as a church.
Open from 09:00 to 17:00. Closed Monday.
-Address: Agiou Georgiou Square
-While you’re around, you can also take a look at the nearby Arc of Galerius. In addition to its historical nature for the people of Thessaloniki, it also has the feature of meeting in front of Burger King at the time, it is the meeting point of everyone.
Cinema Museum
It is impossible for us to be aware that there is a cinema museum in a city and not stop without visiting it.. That’s why we didn’t forgive those in Thessaloniki.. When you follow the coastline of the city (not towards the White Tower, but on the opposite side) you come across a harbor area with warehouses and large buildings.. Although this area looks quite industrial, it is actually an area where many young people hang out, there are some bars and 1-2 museums.. It will probably develop and become more popular in the coming days… Here is the Cinema Museum, one of the 1-2 museums we mentioned.. Greek cinema starts from its experimental days and goes back to what it has today.. Since this is also the Cinematheque, you can both coincide with various movie screenings and see the largest cinema-oriented library in Greece.
-Address: Warehouse A
-Monday, Tuesday, Open Wednesday 09:00 – 15:00, Thursday until 16:00, Friday 22:00, closed on weekends. (What the hell is this a mess of hours?)
-Entrance is 2 Euros.
-The Photography Museum is located right next to the Cinema Museum, we couldn’t afford to spend our time, it’s stuck with us, you go. , don’t tell us, we’re jealous…
*The most popular streets of the city can be listed as Tsimiski , but Egnatia, Ermou, Mitropoleos. These streets are close to each other, the streets where you can see many popular shops, restaurants, cafes, bars and the busiest points of the city.. Whether you want to or not, you’re going to come across this place, but we decided not to pass by without mentioning them.
*We are the Modern Art Museum and Contemporary Art Museum in Thessaloniki. Although we were aware of them, we did not visit. Those who know us a little know our interest in the subject, but when we heard a lot of sentences such as “they are not in a good situation yet, we don’t need to spare time” from people and locals whose opinions we trust, we decided to skip these places and spend time for other points.. We can say that the ropes broke especially when we heard the comment of dear Emre Eminoğlu “from the public education center exhibition”. If you happen to visit one of these two museums, we are curious about your comments, let us know.
*Again, let’s not forget to mention two of the quota of museums that we have not been to and may be of interest to you. >Museum of Byzantine Culture and Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki.
*“Umbrellas” designed by the famous Greek artist Giorgos Zogolopoulos, who is over 100 years old Don’t forget to see the artwork! Umbrellas located on the coastline and impossible to miss, 46. It is a work of art that was also exhibited as part of the Venice Biennale and, as you can guess, is unrelated to the colorful umbrella movement they put on the street on the right and left.. It must be loved by the locals as well, as it has become one of the symbols of the city.
Thessaloniki Travel Guide: Street Art in Thessaloniki
A diary in Thessaloniki It is not a city, we say there is a lot to do here, but we do not say it for nothing.. We think you are a real traveler, especially if you have different interests, and if you do not consider seeing a city as just passing 3-5 streets of the city and seeing a few historical buildings, checking in from right to left! Well then, this part is for real travelers.
If you are following us on Instagram, you are already aware of our interest in street art.. When we did a little research before going to Thessaloniki, we realized that there were interesting mural works in the city and of course we decided not to leave the city without seeing them.. Especially after the crisis and problems in the neighbor, people started to look for new ways to express their experiences, and street art was one of these methods.. Besides the ridiculous scribblings of PAOK supporters, most of the articles you will see while you are lost in the streets of the city are political.. But apart from these, you can come across some very good works.. Since such works can change periodically, it may be a good idea to do a research before going, so we didn’t want to give any direction as if this work exists.