A city we went to with high expectations but didn't quite find what we were looking for. First, the streets are genuinely filthy. It's astonishing. Athens was far cleaner by comparison.
Food & Drink
Second, we tried Palati, one of the highest-rated restaurants for the taverna experience. The live music was decent enough, but the food was honestly not very good. In general, seafood across Greece was both much cheaper and much better than in Turkey. That price advantage is still somewhat comparable despite the exchange rate shock, but the quality here was lacking. It might have just been an off night for us.
What to See
My biggest disappointment was honestly the Ataturk Museum. On an emotional and spiritual level, it's an incredibly moving place, nothing to say about that. But as a museum, the content is very weak. Shoes displayed as Ataturk's own have 1990 labels inside them. Mistakes like this are unbecoming of such an important site. Parking around the museum is an absolute nightmare. You need to start looking for spots much farther away.
Tips & Advice
It might make sense as a stop on the way to other destinations, but if you come specifically just to visit Thessaloniki, you may leave unsatisfied. Plan accordingly.
Greece's second-largest city, which I had the chance to visit for the second time as part of a cruise trip.
The cruise port is absolutely terrible. No signage, no proper building to speak of. You step off and just stand there like a lost chicken. For such a busy port, having facilities this bad is a joke. You have to walk aimlessly for about 30 minutes to find the exit, you'd think they could at least put in a shortcut.
Getting There
For a day trip, the hop-on hop-off bus seems like a reasonable option. We hadn't visited the Ano Poli area on our previous trip since it's farther from the center, and it turns out that side is lovely too. The Yedikule Fortress is old but nice to see from the outside, and the city views from up there are great. However, the hop-on hop-off narration and routes were both awful. Only get it if you need it purely as public transport; the guided commentary is nonexistent.
What to See
- Agios Dimitrios Church and the surrounding historic structures are beautiful. Thessaloniki is a genuinely ancient city with an abundance of historical sites to explore.