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One Day, Four Ways in Thessaloniki 

25/1/2015

 

Taking the train to Thessaloniki? Give the city a few hours and it will win your heart.

Street art in Thessaloniki, Greece.
There's a lot of graffiti in Thessaloniki - and amazing street art too.
A little bit European, a little bit Mediterranean, a little bit Balkan - Thessaloniki has always been a hub of politics, history, religion, commerce, and transportation for the region. As Greece's second largest city and northern hub, Thessaloniki has been a critical port for centuries, even millennia. And as Greece slowly reestablishes its international rail routes,  it now seems that all trains, ships, and even boats and planes lead into Thessaloniki. 

But in spite of all the international travelers that pass through its train station (and airport, bus station, or port), few are making the most of their layover and taking the time to explore the city. Few travelers take the time to leave the station and explore the city -and it's time that changed. 
City centre, Thessaloniki, Greece
Two men take a break in front of an orange tree not far from the main markets.
Maybe there's not many visitors because Thessaloniki - like so many port cities - can make a bit of a gritty first impression. But in just an hour or two, you can see so much beauty and it's well worth putting your bag in a locker and hitting the streets to explore.  And if you can spare a full day, you'll find Thessaloniki will easily win your heart.

2 hours or less: Check out Europe's longest boardwalk.

Thessaloniki's waterfront and boardwalk
Kilometers of boardwalk are waiting to be explored.
Traditional fishing boat in Thessaloniki
Plenty of small fishing boats were floating in the harbour.
If you're tight on time and have just a few hours to spare, stash your bag at the train station lockers and walk the short distance to the Thessaloniki waterfront. There you'll find the city's famous White Tower, but I think it's much more interesting to walk along the newly refurbished boardwalk - the longest in all of Europe. The ancient tower, the tiny fishing boats, the seaside cafes, the graffiti covered apartment buildings, the distant skyline of the industrial port - this is Thessaloniki in a nutshell.  A walk along the water is the perfect way to recharge after a long train ride.

4 hours: Explore the markets.

Fresh olives in the marketplace
Fresh, un-marinated olives sit in bins in the market.
Thessaloniki meat market.
Entering the meat market - I walked through this area very quickly, given my fiasco in Athens!
Olives, Thessaloniki market
Assorted marinated olives
Dried flowers for tea and cooking in Thessaloniki market.
Dried flowers for cooking and teas
Thessaloniki is justifiably proud of its diverse food scene, which has strong Italian and Balkan influences. The adjacent Modiano and Kapani markets offer great sightseeing, people watching, and eating experiences. There are shops and stalls for produce, meat, fish, cheese, spices, olives, herbs, teas, flowers, drinks, and more. There's also lots of little tavernas and bars where you can grab a quick bite. The markets are a great place to visit and stock up on goodies before carrying on with your international train trip.

6 hours: Add in some ruins.

Byzantine ruins in Thessaloniki
Every excavation in the city leads to something new.
Byzantine monuments in Thessaloniki
A UNESCO listed Byzantine church.
UNESCO monuments in Thessaloniki
An old gate leading to an even older church.
Roman ruins in Thessaloniki
The remains of a Roman ruin in the city centre.
If you have half a day to spend in Thessaloniki, combine a visit to the markets with a tour of the city's ancient ruins. Thessaloniki has the world's largest number of UNESCO Byzantine monuments in the world and a large amount of Roman ruins as well. Thessaloniki Walking Tours does fantastic English speaking guided tours of both the markets and the city's historical sites and you can combine both in a private tour. Their guidance was invaluable for me, as Greek and Roman history isn't my strong suit, and their information put everything into context for me.

A full day: See the city's creative side.

O Olive olive oil in Thessaloniki
Olive oil from Crete is sold at O Olive, part of the Handpeak tours.
Eleni Chasioti designs Thessaloniki Handpeak tours
Vintage shoes are a great window display at Eleni Chasioti designs.
Thessaloniki was hit especially hard by the Greek economic crisis and, as a university city, it faced the added burden of a 'brain drain', as its best and brightest were lured away. But Thessaloniki is a city of survivors and there in an incredible youthful, creative energy that is turning things around. No where is this more evident than with Handpeak. 

Handpeak is an organization to support and promote local, independent, creative businesses. You can either pick up a map (online or at the tourism board)  to do your own self-guided walking tour of Handpeak businesses, or you may contact them directly to arrange a tour. I visited workshops, recording studios, photography galleries, and custom bike shops, but my favourite places were O Olive, which sells artisan olive oil from Crete alongside handcrafted jewelry. It is a place where you can get all your holiday shopping done at once! I also really loved the tiny couture fashion studio of Eleni Chasioti, who creates beautiful, vintage inspired pieces. 
Eleni Chasioti design Thessaloniki
I fell in love with Eleni Chasioti's charming tiny office in a little nook of her design studio - her desk holds a vintage sowing machine under the lid!
 As a writer, I was so energized and inspired by the Handpeak businesses. It made me want to run home and make my own office more creative and beautiful and productive! There was such incredible pride in everything they did and such an amazing energy of making things happen. And as a traveler, it was a privilege to meet so many locals and see the heartfelt work that is turning around Thessaloniki's economic outlook, one beautiful bespoke piece at a time. If you ever say that you want to 'travel like a local', make a Handpeak tour a priority for your Thessaloniki visit - you won't regret it. 

Take the time for Thessaloniki

Cafe in Thessaloniki
I'd love to convince everyone to spend much, much more than just a few hours in Thessaloniki. It's a fantastic city and also makes a great base for exploring Northern Greece. But it's not always possible to spend as much time as you'd like in every single destination and I'm hoping that this guide will give you at least a taste of city I've grown to love. If you can arrange your train tickets so you have at least a few hours -or ideally a full day - in Thessaloniki, it will be well, well worth your time.

Picture
What's your favourite city to enjoy a layover? How were you able to make the most of your short visit?

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My visit to Thessaloniki was sponsored by the city's tourism board and Visit Greece in conjunction with the TBEX conference and we thank them for their support.

paula schuck link
26/1/2015 08:25:31 am

Quite honestly I have always wanted to visit Greece. The market looks fun and I enjoyed how you described it. I really think it would be funny to visit and try to pronounce half the names of half the cities of they are as long as this one. I love Love Calgary for layovers. It's got one of my favourite airports too.

Vanessa
26/1/2015 09:24:20 am

We've had so many great layovers at different cities over the world - Istanbul, New York, San Francisco, Singapore. But they were all airports and I had never thought about train layovers until Thessaloniki. It's such a great city and I hope more people will take the time to stop there.

Jenn link
26/1/2015 08:47:58 am

What a beautiful country! I would love to visit there one day! So much history and art! Its breath taking!

Vanessa
26/1/2015 09:25:04 am

I hope you get there some day. There's so much to see in do in Greece beyond just the islands.

Jen link
26/1/2015 09:23:05 am

I would love to see those ruins but even a trip through the market would be fun

Vanessa
26/1/2015 09:25:42 am

The market was great and we had a fantastic time sampling everything (except the olives. Olives are the devil). :-)

Jennifer link
29/1/2015 04:50:48 pm

Love the angle you chose. Great "hommage" to T'iki! ;)

Vanessa
30/1/2015 12:21:54 am

Isn't it an awesome city? I wanted to present it in a way so that even the shortest of short term visitors could still enjoy it.

Richelle link
7/2/2015 04:26:28 am

mmm the market food looks great! Especially all of those olives!

Vanessa
7/2/2015 06:07:54 am

Oh Richelle, this means we cannot be friends- I actually HATE olives! But they make for fantastic photos and, from what my olive loving friends reported, the olives there were very very tasty.

Howard @ Backroad Planet link
7/2/2015 06:46:46 am

I have never visited Greece, Vanessa, but hope to some day. The thing I love about this post is how you reveal amazing locations in a city that is often overlooked. I believe it is much the same in any city. You can uncover hidden history and cuisine and adventure if you take the time to look. So glad you took the time! Love the olives, by the way . . . .

Vanessa
7/2/2015 08:09:15 am

Another olive lover! Boooooo! But you are correct, there are so many overlooked cities all over the world that are left out of the limelight by their more famous neighbours.

sarah link
7/2/2015 07:40:50 am

We only had about 36 hours in Thessaloniki but we managed to fit in a couple of great meals and a walk along the boardwalk. It was enough to make us want to go back and stay longer.

Vanessa
7/2/2015 08:10:50 am

36 hours is more than a lot of people - it's so great that you got to experience some of the area's fantastic food

Vicky and Buddy link
7/2/2015 09:57:16 am

I've always wanted to go to Greece, but Thessaloniki was never even on my radar. Now I know! Hopefully I can go before it is overrun with tourists ;)

Vanessa
7/2/2015 10:48:49 am

I agree. It seems like the bulk of visitors currently go there for very, very specific things (like to see the Byzantine ruins). There doesn't seem to be many people there who just want to take in the city as a whole.

Nicole Brewer link
7/2/2015 04:48:27 pm

This looks Fantastic! I need to add Greece to the list and soon.

Vanessa
8/2/2015 04:18:21 am

Absolutely - Greece tops our list of countries we were most pleasantly surprised with. We weren't sure what to expect and everything about it made us so, so happy.

Isabella link
8/2/2015 02:22:14 am

This is definitely the heaven (I am self-confessed olives addict ; ) ) !!!

Vanessa
8/2/2015 04:19:17 am

Now I'm doubting if writing this post was a good thing - I see it is now a default gathering spot for the olive lovers of the world!

Alli link
8/2/2015 03:33:19 am

Whoa! Look at all those olives! I'm an olive nut! ;) Exploring through the markets is actually my very favourite thing to do when in a new place!

Vanessa
8/2/2015 04:39:23 am

You olive lovers are too much!


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