1. Stroll the Waterfront & Visit the White Tower

Thessaloniki’s 5-kilometer promenade is one of the most scenic walks in Greece. It leads you past cafes, public art (like the famous umbrella sculpture), and eventually to the White Tower — the city’s most iconic landmark. Climb to the top for sweeping views of the Thermaic Gulf.

2. Discover the Charm of Ano Poli (Upper Town)

Climb the cobblestone streets of the Old Town to explore Thessaloniki’s Ottoman and Byzantine past. Visit the Heptapyrgion Fortress and admire panoramic city views from the Byzantine Walls. The area is filled with traditional houses, small chapels, and quiet charm.

3. Eat Like a Local: From Bougatsa to Ladadika

Thessaloniki is Greece’s culinary capital. Start your day with sweet or savory bougatsa at a local bakery. Explore the Modiano and Kapani markets for street food and local products. By night, head to the lively Ladadika district for meze, seafood, and modern Greek fusion.

4. Dive into History: Roman & Byzantine Treasures

From the Roman Rotunda and Galerius Arch to the UNESCO-listed Byzantine churches like Agios Dimitrios, the city’s layers of history are everywhere. Unlike Athens, Thessaloniki’s history feels lived-in and continuous.

5. Experience Art, Music, and the Festival Scene

Home to Greece’s largest university, Thessaloniki thrives with creativity. Enjoy contemporary art at MOMus, catch a film at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival (November), or explore indie music venues hidden in its backstreets.

Why Visit Thessaloniki?

• Only 35 minutes flight from Athens or accessible by train
• More relaxed and walkable than larger capitals
• Ideal for a weekend break or cultural city escape
• Excellent food, vibrant nightlife, and authentic urban energy

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re sipping espresso by the sea, getting lost in alleys of the Upper Town, or sharing a table of meze with locals, Thessaloniki offers a travel experience that’s as warm as it is real. In 2025, let Greece’s second city steal your heart — slowly and completely.

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See the Top 10:

Pai huang gua (Smacked Cucumber)

Smacked cucumber is a traditional Asian dish that’s especially popular in Tibet as a snack for picnicking. The dish is usually made with a combination of cucumbers, garlic, sesame oil, black vinegar, and soy sauce.

The cucumber is peeled and smacked with a rolling pin so that it’s bruised and starting to break apart. It’s sliced into chunks and mixed with the rest of the ingredients. The ingredients are tossed well and then served on a large plate.

The cucumber is smacked because it will absorb the flavors of garlic, oil, vinegar, and soy sauce even better and it will have a more intense flavor.

Tzatziki

Tzatziki is a Greek concoction made from yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and numerous herbs and spices such as dill, mint, or parsley. It is usually served as a sauce accompanying many meat dishes, as a simple dip, or an appetizer.

Its name is derived from the Turkish word cacik, denoting a very similar dip, although some suspect that tzatziki was derived from the Indian raita dip.

Tzatziki is always served cold, and it is especially popular to serve it with dishes such as gyros and souvlaki. Often, it is served with pita bread as part of the first course of a big meal.

With its huge popularity, and the fact that it is one of the best summer dips, it is not strange that there are many regional variations of tzatziki, in countries such as Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Serbia.

In third place is the Mexican Aguachile (a type of ceviche that in its most classic version consists of fresh raw shrimp, cucumber, red onion, lime juice and chili in water, which gives the dish its name).

Next is the Polish Mizeria salad which consists of thinly sliced ​​cucumbers that are seasoned with salt and pepper and then mixed with creamy sour cream or yogurt. The main part of mizeria is a handful of freshly cut dill, one of the favorite herbs used in Polish cuisine.

The top five is completed by the Turkish Cacık , which is very similar to the Greek tzatziki.

Found in various forms throughout cuisines of Southeast Europe and the Middle East, cacık is a refreshing Turkish dip made with strained or diluted yogurt mixed with finely chopped cucumbers and minced garlic.

It is traditionally flavored with olive oil, dill weed, mint, either lemon juice or vinegar, and sometimes even oregano, thyme, sumac, and paprika. Cacık is served chilled and it is used for virtually everything from various appetizers to main dishes.

It pairs especially well with classic Turkish meat fare such as köfte and kebabs of all kinds. As a side dish, cacık is typically enjoyed in place of a salad, diluted with water and eaten with a spoon, like soup.

by PAUL ANTONOPOULOS

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This is a critical success, according to the municipal Authority, and at the same time, a justification of the planning implemented by the Municipality of Heraklion, in cooperation with all relevant bodies, to establish itself as a sustainable gastronomic destination.

For 2023, Heraklion is one of the seven cities from around the world recognised as Creative Cities of Gastronomy by UNESCO. This distinction was the result of the cooperation of the executives of the Greek National Committee for UNESCO, the Municipality of Heraklion and the Development Organization “Heraklion MAE”.

As the mayor of Heraklion, Vassilis Lambrinos, emphasised: “The recognition of Heraklion as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy comes as a reward for our choice to place the gastronomy and agro-food of our country at the centre of our tourism policy and confirms the prominence of Cretan cuisine and local products and producers can and should be a key axis in the strategy for strengthening the tourist brand of Heraklion.”

According to the deputy mayor of Development Planning – Digital Transformation – Integrated Rural Development and Tourism, Giorgos Sisamakis: “Heraklion is a multidimensional place with a history and continuous cultural presence of 5,000 years that plans and implements urban development actions in terms of sustainability and resilience.

“Our declaration by UNESCO as a city of gastronomy and our participation in the ‘Creative Cities’ network is a special honour for us. We are committed to consistently continuing the effort to introduce the uniqueness of Cretan cuisine and the Cretan way of life to the whole world, strengthening the touristic identity of Heraklion and our intangible cultural heritage.

“I would like to warmly thank the president of the Greek National Committee for UNESCO, Mrs. Aikaterini Tzitzikosta, and the staff of the Committee, who, from the beginning of the drafting of the file, stood by us with key suggestions and advice so that a competitive nomination could be submitted, but also the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the first city to participate in the network, for its support.”

Regarding the inclusion of Heraklion, the president of the Greek National Committee, Ekaterini Tzitzikosta, said: “The candidacy of Heraklion stood out as it was a multifaceted proposal, with a national and international dimension, but also with a modern sustainable view of gastronomy which is a priority of UNESCO“.

In December, an event will be held in Heraklion to present the city’s inclusion in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

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The Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH), which launched the project a decade ago, has teamed up with Marketing Greece to create content to be featured in Discover Greece, as well as for the launch of a special campaign and promotion through Marketing Greece’s social media, newsletter and posts.

The aim is to promote Greek breakfast habits and culture through recipes and products and to bring together the primary sector with the tourism industry and integrate local food products into the traveler experience.

“The ‘Greek Breakfast’ initiative is moving into the new era, upgraded and improved on all levels, with planned actions so that it remains relevant and dynamic, while meeting the needs of its members,” said Aris Soulounias, HCH vice president and head of the initiative.

“The value of gastronomy and its contribution to the identity of the Greek tourist product is a given,” said Marketing Greece CEO Ioanna Dretta, adding that through Greek gastronomy, travelers can gain immediate insight into the authentic way of life.

Earlier this year, hoteliers on Chios, Karpathos and Kasos joined the “Greek Breakfast” program showcasing local Greek products through breakfast menus.

The “Greek Breakfast” is the inspiration of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels to connect the gastronomical wealth of the country with the Greek hotel guest experience.

The “Greek Breakfast” promotes the regional culinary heritage of Greece in a program formulated to highlight local specialties and products.

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Specifically, the pizzeria is called “Raffaele” and has three stores in Thessaloniki. The store is a magnet for those who are in or visiting Greece’s second largest city since the pizza it makes weighs seven kilograms and has a diameter of one metre.

But this is not the only reason why it has gone viral, since it has also put a challenge on social media.
Specifically, the challenge is that if a group of four people eat the massive pizza, they get 100 euros.

Do you think you and your friends can beat it? Join now and claim 3 €100 gift vouchers to eat even more!

The challenge will take place in all 3 of their stores, where 3 teams of 4 people will compete with each. The team that makes the best time in each store wins a €100 gift certificate to try their entire menu.

The pizza has a perimeter of 3.2 metres and is baked in an oven especially made for it. A group of 15 people can eat it with relative comfort and it needs to be pre-ordered for its preparation.

The manager of the business and the initiator of the idea, Nikos Karageorgos, spoke to Thestival and said that the occasion for this huge pizza was the company’s birthday in combination with the lifting of restrictions due to the pandemic.

“On the occasion of the completion of seven years since the day the business opened, I said to do something special and different. It came about as an idea for a celebration in stores. I wanted to do something unusual,” he said.

The lifting of measures against the spread of the coronavirus in catering establishments seems to have played a decisive role in the creation of this delicious idea.

“We wanted now that things are better to get closer to our friends again. That’s why I thought of such a large pizza for many people. People like extravagance in food, they want to be impressed, and this is achieved,” noted Karageorgos.

https://greekcitytimes.com/

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The ice cream bar, which just started selling in stores a few weeks ago, is grapefruit-flavored and contains .7 percent oriental raisin tree fruit juice. The fruit juice has been used in Asian hangover remedies in the past as it supposedly helps the liver process alcohol and can help detoxify the body in general.

See this magical dream come true at  College Candy…

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