-
Does anyone have any hotel recommendations for Thessaloniki (in July) please?
Any other “must sees” and restaurant advice also gratefully received. (On restaurants, my ideal would be somewhere like Aleria in Athens – IMO Michelin quality without the prices!)
Somewhere at Halkidiki if you are looking for beachy.
ON Residence is a lovely hotel on the waterfront of Thessaloniki and has a wonderful restaurant on its lower level. The restaurant has recently been restored but was ‘the’ place to see and be seen in Thessaloniki for the last 90 years or so and they have kept some of the old traditions like the white jackets of the staff. Food quality extremely high, excellent service and a beautiful room. Also very affordable for the quality.
The traditional tavernas are very popular in Thessaloniki – not Michelin star but genuine food and music; locals eat at the good ones too. Grec and Loupino are very good. If you like something upmarket and seafood, 7 Thalasses is wonderful.
For Thessaloniki, it depends a bit how much time you have. A good starting place is perhaps to get dropped off in a taxi up at the Heptapyrgio and while the museum there isn’t very interesting, you can see the Trigonio, the gate but principally it’s interesting for the surrounding area of the city and the views from there are good. You can then walk down to the rotunda, and through the old town to the Arch of Galerius and the palace excavations. Also the Saint Demetrios cathedral. There are two very good museums Archaeological and Byzantine Culture if you have a bit more time. The White Tower is the symbol of the city – a bit further away, on the coast near Ladadika a sort of (well) restored warehouse district full of restaurants. The fish market is also very impressive and surrounded by restaurants.
In terms of hotels, we like the Electra Palace – you can get good deals booking directly but July will be busy, and although I don’t know it personally, I’m told the fairly well located Caravan B&B is good.
From airport to city centre
Taxi (make sure you know the price beforehand to avoid rogue drivers) or Airport bus which has a 30 minute frequency (although will be far less comfortable).Hotels
5* Electra Palace (in the city centre – within walking distance to everything – or Makedonia Palace which is first in the seafront (the view is unparalleled) and roughly 15-20 minute walk at most from the centre.Places to eat (not in order of places to go to, rather how they came to mind while writing)
Lupino
Iberico (for quality steaks)
7 seas (Thalasses)
Kritikos restaurant
Paparouna
Mamalouka
Navona for italian food
Clochard
Grada Nuevo
Multiple places in Ladadika, although they will give you a less elegant experience most likely. If you fancy a quick gyros with chips, then there are plenty of places around, although my favourite is Solomonidis (there is one in Aristotelous square close to Electra Palace).Ice cream in Ble, Terkenlis or Konstantinidis
Places to go for a drink in summer
Kitchen bar in the evening in the port
Electra Palace rooftop bar
Le Coq tail mix bar
Loads of cafes/small bars at Leoforos Nikis where you can take a seat and enjoy a drink.You can walk in Nea Paralia which is the revamped seafront of Thessaloniki (from White Tower up to the Music hall) in the evening. Make sure you have an ice cream or some water with you as it is a long distance and cafes are not as frequent.
Places to visit
Kastra/Ano Poli district although there are lots of steps and uphill walking
Places that were already mentioned above and the Roman market
Church of Agia Sofia in the city centre
Church of Agios Dimitrios (underground tunnels which are not accesible connect it to the little churches in Ano Poli)Friendly advice: Be very careful around Rotonda area, make sure you do not have any expensive items visible when around there…
Thessaloniki is not a place that you would dip your toes in the sea, Halkidiki is the place to go for that purpose. If you need any info on Halkidiki, please do not hesitate to ask!Thank you all.
@Richie Not really after beach. Have enough of that planned for this year already!
@JenT I like the look of the ON Residence. I’m not after Michelin star food every day, so Grec and Loupino recommendations are useful. 7 Thalasses also looks nice, but I can’t find any details of the menu anywhere.
@JDB thanks for the details of the sights. I’m looking at a short trip of between 4 and 7 days.
@PIL thanks for, well, everything!@BH as you are there for a bit longer than I imagined, a visit to the royal tombs and museum at Vergina (about an hour away) is well worth it if you are interested in history. Having visited Bulgaria and North Macedonia last year who both claim Philip II and his son Alexander the Great as theirs, the Greeks will tell a third story!
Absolutely Vergina if you fancy going anywhere outside of city along with Pella. As with the debate about to whom Macedonia belongs to, no comments I am biased!
@BH No problem, I spent 25 years there and visit frequently. The waterfront is the best aspect overall. If you have enough time though, visiting Panorama and more specifically Villa Luna there (coffee/drinks), is also worth the extra miles. The views are also perfect!Some excellent information!
We have just had two 2 night stays at 2 different hotels there – the first hotel, the Electra Palace was by far the best but there was nothing really wrong with the Excelsior (a small Luxury Hotel member) just that it was disappointing after the Electra Palace.
At the Electra Palace we had a room with a balcony on the 5th floor overlooking the square – it was fun to sit out there with a glass of retsina and watch the goings on. One evening the VW Beetle Club had a meet in the square which was fun. Breakfast on the 7th floor was excellent. We had drinks up there in the evening – there is also a small pool.
By contrast tge public areas at the Excelsior were disappointing with only a small lobby area and the breakfast room on the mezzanine level.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
