Dodge cherry sellers in the street, smell spices in the air and enjoy waterfront breezes in Thessaloniki (thess-ah-lo-nee-kih), also known as Salonica. The second city of Byzantium and of modern Greece boasts countless Byzantine churches, a smattering of Roman ruins, engaging museums, shopping to rival Athens, fine restaurants and a lively cafe scene and nightlife.
Check out the seafront White Tower (Lefkos Pyrgos) and wander hammams (Turkish baths), Ottoman and Roman sites like Galerius' Rotunda , and churches such as the enormous, revered 5th-century Church of Agios Dimitrios with its crypt containing the relics of the city's patron saint.
The award-winning Museum of Byzantine Culture beautifully displays splendid sculptures, mosaics, icons and other intriguing artefacts. TheArchaeological Museum showcases prehistoric, ancient Macedonian and Hellenistic finds.
The compelling Thessaloniki Centre of Contemporary Art and hip Thessaloniki Museum of Photography , beside the port, are worth a look.
AIR
Makedonia International Airport (www.thessalonikiairport.com) is 16km southeast of the centre and served by local bus 78 (€2, one hour, from 5am to 10pm with a few night buses ; www.oasth.gr). Taxis cost €25 or more (20 minutes). Olympic Air, Aegean Airlines and Astra Airlines fly throughout Greece; many airlines fly internationally.
BOAT
Weekly ferries go to, among others, Limnos (€20, eight hours), Lesvos (€30, 14 hours), Chios (€32, 19 hours) and Samos (€40, 20 hours). Check port area travel agencies like Karacharisis Travel & Shipping Agency (b_karachari@tincewind_techpath.gr ; Navarhou Koundourioti 8; h8am-8.30pm) and www.openseas.gr.
BUS
The main KTEL bus station (www.ktelmacedonia.gr ; Giannitson 244), 3.7km west of the centre, services Athens (€42, 6¼ hours, 11 daily), Ioannina (€32, 4¾ hours, six daily) and other destinations. For Athens only you can also get on buses near the train station atMonastiriou Bus Station (http://ktelthes.gr;Monastiriou 67). Buses to the Halkidiki Peninsula leave from the Halkidiki bus terminal ( www.ktel-chalkidikis.gr; 9km Thessaloniki–Halkidiki road).
KTEL serves Sofia, and small bus companies, across from the courthouse (Dikastirion), serve international destinations like Skopje, Sofia and Bucharest. Try Simeonidis Tours (www.simeonidistours.gr).Crazy Holidays ( www.crazy-holidays.gr ; Aristotelous 10, 1st fl) also serves İstanbul.
TRAIN
The train station (www.trainose.gr ; Monastiriou) serves Athens (regular/IC €36/48, 6¾/5½ hours, seven/10 daily) and other domestic destinations. International trains go to Skopje and Sofia, and beyond.
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