Thessaloniki, Greece; A Hip Alternative to Big Cities

Thessaloniki, Greece is only 7 and 1/2 miles long, but it boasts enough culture, fashion, and entertainment to make it one of Greece’s most sought after travel destinations. Christopher Deliso, writer for GoNOMAD, explores Thessaloniki in his article; Thessaloniki, Greece: Stylish and Cultured, Without the Big-City Hassle.

“Thessaloniki is packed with 2,300 years of history: it was first established by the ancient Macedonian dynasty, and numerous surviving ruins, churches and majestic fortress walls attest to the city’s later Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. Although a devastating fire in 1917 irrevocably changed the city’s layout, the Ano Poli (Upper Town) is still filled with lovely and colorful wood-framed houses clinging to steep and narrow streets.

What the city is most known for among today’s Greeks, however, is its boisterous nightlife and sense of style. Thessaloniki is a dedicated student city and a plethora of eateries, night bars and cafés of all styles and types have sprung up to cater to its chic inhabitants. This center of culture also boasts many museums, cinemas, concerts and special events. Sophisticated shopping and omnipresent Greek sweets also set the city apart.

To really get the Thessaloniki experience, copious amounts of time must be spent enjoying the city’s numerous cafés and eateries. This is not just a question of food and drink, but of feeling the leisurely pace of the Greek lifestyle. Savor an aromatic Helliniko kafes (Greek coffee) in a traditional kafeneio (coffee house) where languid conversation melds with the click of backgammon played by black-bearded descendants of Anatolian Greek Pontians. Sip the adopted national drink, a cool Nescafé Frappé, outdoors on the waterfront, surrounded by the city’s dazzling people in the sun. “

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