Thessalonika Hotels

Typically Balkan, the vibrant port of Thessaloniki is filled with Roman, Byzantine and Turkish monuments. Expect colourful markets, open-air dining, a large student population, and doleful rembetika music, a type of blues composed by Greek refugees who fled Anatolia in 1922.

Thessaloniki centres on Platia Aristotelous, an elegant, pedestrian square, rimmed with cafés and opening onto the sea. The covered market, Modhiano, and several UNESCO-listed Byzantine churches, notably Agia Sofia, are close by. A 20-minute walk along the seafront promenade, Leoforos Nikis, leads to the Archaeological Museum, just beyond the White Tower.

Stylish Thessalonians shop in the upmarket clothing and accessories stores lining the streets of Tsimiski, Proxenou Koromila and Pavlou Mela, near the White Tower. Cheaper clothes and shoes can be purchased on Egnatia. Go food shopping in the Modhiano covered market, and visit the Turkish-style Bezesteni for jewellery shops.

The pine-forested slopes of Seih-Sou (also known as Kedrinos Lofos), north-east of the centre, offer greenery and stunning views, plus several cafés, the open-air Forest Theatre, and a zoo. In town, locals relax at the open-air waterside cafés lining Thessaloniki's seafront promenade, Leoforos Nikis, and east of the centre, in Aretsou, overlooking the marina.

In summer, big rock concerts take place in the modern, open-air Earth Theatre (aka Damari or Gis Theatre), and theatrical performances are staged in the nearby open-air Forest Theatre, both on the hillside north of the centre. Come winter, actors relocate to the Royal Theatre, near the White Tower. On the seafront, east of the centre, the modern Megaron Mousikis (Concert Hall) hosts concerts, opera and ballet.

Zesty Anatolian spices flavour local cuisine: think soutzoukakia (meatballs in tomato and cumin sauce). For a good spread, order a selection of meze (small dishes of savoury specialities) accompanied by tsipoura (aniseed-flavoured spirit, similar to ouzo). Eat out in Athonos or Bit Pazar in the centre, Kastro on the hill behind town, or Nea Krini on the coast.

For a view back to town across the water, take a boat ride around the harbour. Each evening through summer, boats depart from the quay near the White Tower, making a circular route around the gulf. Drinks are available on board.