The Ladadika (Λαδάδικα) area of Thessaloniki, one of the most prominent and lively areas of the city is located opposite to the port of Thessaloniki. This area is a must if you are a foodie since it offers a variety of traditional restaurants.

If you'd like to try out Thessaloniki's take on the "Fish and Chips" you should visit "Ta Bakaliarakia tou Aristou" (Τα μπακαλιαράκια του Αρίστου). We can also recommend visiting "the Kourmpeti" (Το Κουρμπέτι), a cosy little tavern that serves traditional Greek food and beverages with a modern twist and good company all around. If you really want to feel like a local and looking for something to eat after a drinking night-out, you ought to visit "Laikon" (Λαϊκόν). There are lots of bars around and even an Irish pub called "The Dubliner". If you are looking for something a bit more fancy, you simply have to go towards the sea and into the port of Thessaloniki where you can find "Kitchen Bar", a bar/restaurant with fancy food and drinks with a seating option next to the sea.

Ladadika

Platia Aristotelous (Πλατεία Αριστοτέλους), named after the famous Greek philosopher, is a lengthy square that stretches from Egnatia street down to the waterfront of Thessaloniki. Over the years it's become a meeting point as for many it's designating the centre of the city of Thessaloniki.

If you're looking for the authentic "gyros" you cannot miss the "O Gyros tis Aristotelous" (Ο Γύρος της Αριστοτέλους) at the top section of this square. Moving further down, you can spot souvenir shops, a police station, fast food restaurants, toy shops, banks and bakeries, this square has got it all! At its most prominent section right before the waterfront, you can find a smaller concrete square and within it the statue of Aristotle. To the right and left of this square there are many cafes and restaurants also American ones like "TGI Fridays" and "Starbucks". "Savvikos" (Σαββίκος) is also a very prominent fast food chain that has its roots back in 1947 and specializes in grilled meats. And of course you cannot miss the amazing ice-cream and desserts of "Freggio". There is also the option to enjoy a fancy cocktail on the roof garden of "Electra palace Thessaloniki hotel".

Platia Aristotelous

Tsimiski street

Tsimiski street is probably the most famous street in Thessaloniki as it's the biggest commercial street of the city. It stretches for about 1.6km and has businesses of the fashion industry among many other things. You cannot miss this street if you want to feel like a true Thessalonian!

Starting from Aristotelous square and moving south along Tsimiski street, on your left side you can spot the "Emporiko Kentro Plateia" (Εμπορικό κέντρο Πλατεία), a small shopping mall that also includes a cinema. Continuing on the same direction but on the other side of the street, you will find famous fashion brands like "Stradivarius", "H&M", "ZARA"," BOSS" and a well-known fashion mall chain called "attica". Continuing on the same direction, on your left side you will come across two more streets that are worth visiting. The first one is "Agias sofias street" with its name given to it by the Holy Church of Hagia Sophia that resides at its northern-most point and the second one is the "Iktinou street", parallel to it but one block ahead. Both of them as well as the alleys that link them are pedestrian streets and they are offering a wide variety of brunch restaurants and cafes with outside seating options. We can highly recommend visiting the patisserie "Blé Taste Gallery" on Agias Sofias street and the "Cin Cin" brunch restaurant on Iktinou street. Continuing down that direction and onto the "Pavlou mela" and "Paleon Patron Germanou" streets you have more amazing brunch/lunch options with the fancy "Ergon Agora" or the more hip "Funky Monkey SKG".

Platia Navarinou (Πλατεία Ναυαρίνου), is yet another prominent square of Thessaloniki. Usually a place where school and university students hang out, this is as close to "alternative" as you can get in the city centre.

To get here you can continue going south from Platia Aristotelous on Tsimiski street. Moving up the square you will immediately feel the "student" vibe, seeing all the different shops that exist here. From piercing and tattoo studios, stamped t-shirt and accessories shops to an assortment of smaller fast food shops offering pizza, gyros, crepes, waffles, salad and juices and even an odd-flavour ice-cream shop and a 30cm hotdog stand. We can highly recommend the "To vrasto psinetai" (Το βραστό ψήνεται) for tasty yet cheap meat sandwiches or the "Valentino Crepes" for crepes and waffles. If you're more of a healthy eater, look nowhere else than the "Greek natural".

Platia Navarinou

Leoforos Nikis

Leoforos Nikis (Λεωφόρος Νίκης), is the street that stretches along the waterfront of Thessaloniki. If the good weather urges you to go around Thessaloniki on foot, following this street is one of the best ways to do it, having the sea on your side.

You can start your journey on the southern end of Aristotelous square, right after the statue of Aristotle. Here you have a choice: either cross the street and walk by the seaside or stay on the inner side of this street and walk next to the restaurants and bars that are located there. The most common route that people take starts at this point and goes up till the "Thessaloniki Concert Hall" (and even further if you can). If you choose to follow it, you will initially come across a lot of restaurants and bars, some of them on the more expensive side like "Tribeca", "Garçon Brasserie" or "Pepper Thessaloniki". If you are not hungry you can still sit at any cafe/bar and enjoy a 100% Thessalonian "Freddo espresso coffee" with a view of the sea. The "White Tower" (Λευκός Πύργος) that can be seen in the distance, is another "can't miss", as it's the "trademark" of Thessaloniki and we strongly recommend visiting it and the small museum inside it.

Mitropoleos street

Inbetween and parallel to Tsimiski and Leoforos Nikis streets you will find "Mitropoleos street" (Μητροπόλεως). Named after the Holy Metropolis, it stretches from the Ladadika area till the White Tower of Thessaloniki.

One of the most important places on this street (and some would say in all of Thessaloniki) is the traditional pie shop "Bougatsa Giannis" (Μπουγάτσα Γιάννης - yes we share the same name), where you can enjoy the best version (for many) of this cullinary heritage of Northern Greece, the Bougatsa! And right on the next corner, on the street "Filikis Eterias" you will find a very hip cafe called "EFHMERIDA SKG" (Εφημερίδα - meaning newspaper) a place where many young people gather frequently to enjoy a delicious "Freddo Espresso".

Explore Thessaloniki

If you plan to stay in Thessaloniki for a longer period, have a look below for a few "can't-miss" experiences and tips!

Most commonly called "Kamara" (Καμάρα - meaning arch), is yet another popular meeting place in Thessaloniki's city centre. This arch along with the "Rotunda" church a bit further up, are part of the UNESCO world heritage list for the Byzantine monuments as they are both early 4th century AD monuments.

To get to both one can simply walk "up" from Platia Navarinou and cross the big "Egnatia street". This whole area is reflecting the same "alternative" motif of the Platia Navarinou, with many of the shops being focused on younger people. Along with Platia Navarinou these areas can seem a bit dodgy when the sun is down as people are drinking and smoking outside, however both areas are very dear to us as we spent the majority of our teenage and university years in some cafe or pub that's located here. We suggest you start walking up from the Kamara to the Rotunda and then to the alleys on the right side as well. There is a good selection of places to sit for a drink/coffee as well as shops that serve cheap but tasty pizza slices.

Arch of Galerius (Kamara)

There's two things that come to mind when Thessaloniki is mentioned: The White Tower and "Halkidiki". While it incorporates a large area in the mainland, it's mostly famous for its three "legs" in the south, regions that are surrounded by the sea and are "the pride" of northern Greeks as they are largely considered by them as the #1 destination for summer holidays.

If you have a car and planning a beach getaway you have a few options depending on how far you want to travel. If you are in for a day trip, we can recommend visiting the southwestern-most "leg". In "Afytos" there is a great fish tavern right on the seashore called "Ta Glarakia". "Pefkochori" attracts a lot of tourists due to its nightlife so it might be a bit crowded but it combines nice beaches and beach bars and you can find fresh fish at any tavern every day. Also make sure to stop at "Lemonis bakery" for some extra tasty sweet/savoury traditional greek pastries. "Glarokavos" is another option and just around 10 minutes away from Pefkochori, it also offers more seating space on its beach and beach bars. Finally, the "Navagos beach bar Paliouri" is another 15 minues away but it's worth the effort due to the nice food and drinks that are offered here as well as the crystal clear waters of the sea.

If you're prepared for a longer trip you may also visit the middle "leg" of Halkidiki. Here, we would recommend definitely visiting the beaches "Vourvourou" or "Kavourotrypes" as they usually have the clearest light-blue-coloured waters. Just make sure to pack a beach umbrella and sand mats/chairs to sit on as it's highly likely that all the beach bars will be full. If you plan on staying the night or are not worried about the long road back to Thessaloniki, you may even visit "Sarti" which is yet another big summer destination with a large beach area and a good variety of restaurant or cafe/bar options.

Halkidiki

There are so many things to see in Thessaloniki but we simply cannot cover them all here. However we will happily provide more insights for locations and experiences if you plan a bigger stay, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us!

We hope you enjoy your time in Thessaloniki and we're looking forward to welcoming you!