Votre guide complet de Thessalonique
Que faire, où manger, où va la nuit.
Monuments byzantins, restaurants qui valent la file d'attente, hôtels que nous réserverions à nouveau et où finit la nuit — un guide complet et affirmé pour une escapade en ville de 2 à 4 jours, recherché à pied et mis à jour chaque saison.
Kapani & Modiano Market Food Tour
Thessaloniki earns its title as the food capital of Greece in its century-old covered markets, and a local guide is the fastest way to taste your way through them. You will weave between the stalls of Kapani and the restored Modiano, sampling olives, cheeses, smoked fish, sweets and a shot of tsipouro along the way. Expect plenty of stories about the city's Ottoman, Sephardic and refugee food heritage between bites.
Thermaic Gulf Sunset Cruise
Seeing Thessaloniki from the water at dusk reframes the whole city, with the waterfront, the White Tower and Mount Olympus glowing across the bay. These cruises set out into the Thermaic Gulf as the light fades, often with a drink in hand and sometimes a chance to swim in the calm evening water. It is one of the most relaxed ways to end a day in the city.
Mount Olympus Enipeas Gorge Hike
For walkers who want more than a viewpoint, the Enipeas Gorge cuts through the heart of Mount Olympus past pools, wooden bridges and the cave church of Saint Dionysus. Guided hikes from Thessaloniki bring you to the trailhead and lead you along the river through dense forest, with the higher refuges as an option for the more ambitious. The reward is some of the most dramatic scenery in mainland Greece.
À la uneWhite Tower
The White Tower is the emblem of Thessaloniki — a 34-metre cylindrical bastion on the waterfront that now holds a museum of the city's history across its spiralling six floors.
Church of Agios Dimitrios
The five-aisled basilica of Saint Demetrius, patron of Thessaloniki, built over the Roman baths where he was martyred and home to rare 7th-century mosaics and an atmospheric crypt.
Hagia Sophia of Thessaloniki
A squat, powerful 8th-century domed church modelled on its namesake in Constantinople, with a luminous mosaic of the Ascension in the dome.
Météores
Des monastères en équilibre sur des tours de grès — l'excursion d'une journée la plus spectaculaire de Grèce.
Vergina
Les tombes royales de Macédoine — l'or de Philippe II enfoui sous une colline pendant 2 300 ans.
Chalcidique
Trois péninsules de plages bordées de pins ; Kassandra pour l'animation, Sithonia pour le calme.
Iliopetra
Creative Greek-MediterraneanThe city's most talked-about kitchen of the moment, hidden down a quiet upper-town alley near the Turkish consulate. Chef Giorgos Zannakis writes the menu fresh each day around whatever the morning market gives up, sending out precise, playful Greek-Mediterranean plates — vine-leaf 'sushi' draped with seabass, sea-fennel tarts scattered with edible flowers, fish cooked just-so in bright sauces. The room is tiny and the kitchen open, so you watch the cooking happen; book ahead, because word is well out.
★ 4.9 · €€€ · Eschilou 5, upper old town
Laziza
Middle Eastern street foodA pared-back Middle Eastern street-food window on Agias Sofias, all white tile and a yellow trim, dealing in the Levantine flavours the rest of the centre mostly skips — sesame-crusted falafel, spiced meats and chicken, fattoush, grilled halloumi and proper tahini and garlic sauces, in wraps or loaded trays. One of the highest-rated bites in the city, and deservedly busy at lunch.
★ 4.9 · € · Agias Sofias 58, city centre
Choureál
Choux pastry and profiteroleA modern dessert destination devoted to choux pastry — profiteroles, éclairs and cream-filled choux lined up in a long glass case, served in a smart wood-panelled room a block back from the waterfront. It has built one of the biggest sweet-tooth followings in the city for its takes on the Greek profiterole, so expect a queue at peak times.
★ 4.8 · €€ · Paleon Patron Germanou 9, city centre
Kanoula
Greek tavernaA perennially packed neighbourhood taverna in the upper old town, and one of the highest-rated places to eat in the whole city — the kind of unfussy spot locals quietly send you to. The cooking is honest, generous home-style Greek: slow-braised beef over silky puree, prawns in a tomato-feta sauce, baked feta with honey and sesame, and a properly dressed village salad, all at fair prices. The room is small and cosy and the service warm; come early or book, because it fills most nights.
★ 4.8 · €€ · Taskou Papageorgiou 4, upper old town
Salento
Wood-fired Italian street foodA tiny wood-fired street-food counter on Venizelou dealing in the flatbreads of Salento, the heel of Italy's boot — dough baked in a wood oven, then split and stuffed to order with slow-cooked fillings and pulled cheese. It has built one of the biggest followings of any place in the centre on the strength of doing one thing extremely well. Grab one hot in paper and eat it on the street.
★ 4.8 · € · Eleftheriou Venizelou 76, city centre
Après la Tombée de la Nuit
Thessalonique est une ville universitaire de 150 000 étudiants. Personne ne dîne avant neuf heures et personne ne rentre avant trois heures.
Guide de la vie nocturne →Valaoritou
Bars dans d'anciens entrepôts de textile ; le quartier des nuits tardives.
Ladadika
Pavé, coloré, touristique-mais-amusant ; du dîner aux verres.
Kalapothaki
Rangée de cocktails près du front de mer ; tenue plus habillée, meilleure glace.
ON Residence
A polished member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World on the seafront, ON Residence offers a shared lounge, a rooftop terrace and a restaurant-bar with gulf views. Contemporary rooms and an adults-leaning atmosphere make it popular with couples.
Thess Residences
A four-storey building of around twenty-five serviced holiday apartments in a fast-rising central neighbourhood, all a short walk from the city's best-loved landmarks. Fully equipped kitchens and contemporary furnishings make them ideal for families and remote workers.
Little Big House
Tucked into the quiet, cobbled lanes of the Upper Town, this much-loved guesthouse offers a calm refuge with a terrace looking over the rooftops toward the gulf. The relaxed, social atmosphere and home-from-home feel make it a favourite for travellers wanting the real Ano Poli.
The Perfect 3 Days in Thessaloniki (First-Timer Itinerary)
A practical 3-day Thessaloniki itinerary: Roman and Byzantine landmarks, the food markets, Ano Poli, nightlife, and a day trip — what to see and when.
5 min de lecture
Thessaloniki Food Guide: What & Where to Eat
The complete Thessaloniki food guide — what to eat in Greece's food capital and where: markets, souvlaki, seafood, sweets, meze and the best restaurants.
5 min de lecture
Best Day Trips from Thessaloniki (Ranked)
The best day trips from Thessaloniki: Meteora, Halkidiki beaches, Mount Olympus, the royal tombs of Vergina, Pella and Edessa, with distances and how to go.
7 min de lecture
Is Thessaloniki Worth Visiting? An Honest Take
Is Thessaloniki worth visiting? A frank look at Greece's second city — its food, Byzantine history, and beaches — and who should skip it for Athens.
5 min de lecture
Best Time to Visit Thessaloniki: Month by Month
The best time to visit Thessaloniki — why late spring and early autumn win, what each season is really like, festival dates, and the cheapest months to go.
7 min de lecture
Where Locals Actually Eat in Thessaloniki
The best restaurants in Thessaloniki, picked by what locals order — meze and tsipouro, modern Greek tables, bougatsa and souvlaki, and where to skip.
13 min de lecture
Avant de Partir
Les questions que tout premier visiteur nous pose.
Oui. Thessalonique condense 2 300 ans d'histoire romaine, byzantine et ottomane dans une ville en bord de mer facile à parcourir à pied, associée à ce que beaucoup de Grecs considèrent comme la meilleure scène gastronomique du pays et à une vie nocturne étudiante animée — le tout avec bien moins de foule qu'Athènes.
Deux à trois jours couvrent les principaux monuments, la cuisine et le front de mer de la ville. Ajoutez-en un ou deux de plus pour des excursions aux Météores, à Vergina, au mont Olympe ou vers les plages de la Chalcidique.
L'aéroport de Thessalonique (SKG, Makedonia) se trouve à environ 13 km au sud-est du centre avec des vols directs dans toute l'Europe. Des trains fréquents et des bus interurbains KTEL la relient aussi à Athènes (environ 4,5 à 5,5 heures) et au reste des Balkans.
Mai–Juin et Septembre–Octobre offrent un temps chaud, une mer où se baigner et moins de foule. L'été est chaud et animé ; l'hiver est doux et idéal pour les musées, les tavernes et la culture des cafés de la ville.
Thessalonique est l'une des grandes villes les plus sûres d'Europe, avec une faible criminalité violente et une ambiance détendue de jour comme de nuit — la plupart des visiteurs parcourent le centre et le front de mer en toute tranquillité après la tombée de la nuit. La prudence habituelle face aux pickpockets s'applique dans les marchés bondés, dans les bus pleins et dans la vie nocturne bondée de Valaoritou.
Non — elle est nettement moins chère qu'Athènes ou les îles grecques. La street food comme la bougatsa ou un gyros coûte un ou deux euros, un dîner de mezze partagé avec du tsipouro revient à environ €15–25 par personne, et les hôtels et musées offrent un bon rapport qualité-prix toute l'année.
Le White Tower, les églises byzantines classées à l'UNESCO, la Rotonde et l'Arc de Galère, la bougatsa et la street food, la vieille ville d'Ano Poli, une longue promenade en bord de mer, et le fait d'être la capitale gastronomique et nocturne de la Grèce.
Commencez ici
Première fois à Thessalonique ?
Trois lectures qui répondent à la plupart des questions de planification avant de réserver quoi que ce soit.