Is Thessaloniki Worth Visiting?, Thessaloniki, Greece

Is Thessaloniki worth visiting? Well, if you love good food, enjoy history, love shopping and great nightlife, then yes, Thessaloniki is well worth visiting.

Thessaloniki is Greece’s second-largest city and is located in Central Macedonia on the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea.

Much of the original city centre was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1917. However, there are still plenty of fascinating archaeological sites from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods dotted around the city.

But for me, the absolute highlight was the food. UNESCO even designated Thessaloniki as a city of gastronomy in November 2021, so I’m not the only one who loved the food.

In a nutshell, Thessaloniki is a great city for foodies, history buffs, shopaholics, and lovers of nightlife.

Initially surrounded by heavy walls, the tower was built in 1535 and used as a prison during the Ottoman occupation of Greece.

Many prisoners were tortured and executed here, giving the tower its then nickname: “The Tower of Blood” or “The Red Tower”. In 1890, after a prisoner repainted the tower in white in exchange for his freedom, it was renamed “the White Tower”. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).