General

• The unemployed and students within the E.U. have free access to most attractions/museums of the city. Show the required proof at the entrance.
• It may be true that Thessalonikians are not all fluent in English, but they are certainly willing to attend to you in every way.
• Take a carriage ride, starting at the White Tower.
• Sit on the wooden platform at the seafront with some wine and good company.
• In almost every business, card payments are accepted (Debit and Credit).

 

 
Weather

• It is a particularly bright city, since the sun is present almost 300 days a year!
• Humidity makes its presence noticeable, resulting in some biting cold in the winter and a sultry atmosphere in the summer.

 
 
Transportation

Notice: In the city (as in the whole of Greece) people have the habit of crossing red lights. Check twice before crossing the street!

• The most economical means of transport is the bus.

 
Airport

• Bus line X1 transports you to the heart of the city at a 2€ ticket cost (Buses every 20-25’).
• For an even more inexpensive solution, use bus line 79. With a transfer ticker (1.20€) you reach the terminal (IKEA) where there are lots of buses that can take you to the city center.
• In order to avoid the high parking rates of the airport, leave your car FOR FREE at the safe parking lot of IKEA and from there you can get to the airport in 5’ via bus line No79, at a cost of only 1€!

 
Bus

• The cost of a standard ticket is 1€ and reduced ticket is 0,50€.
• There are tickets for single trips or two, three and four trips within 70, 90 and 120 minutes respectively.
• Use the Cultural Route bus line (No 50) for a full tour around the city, at a 2€ ticket cost.
• In order to get around at low cost after midnight, use bus line N78. It passes along Egnatia Street every 30 minutes.
• During rush hours, on holidays or weekends prefer to embark at the departure terminal (or as close to it as possible).
• Do not use them without a ticket. There are inspectors going around and fines are sharp.
• You can get tickets from ticket booths and kiosks (not all of them).
• You can get tickets inside the buses, through the automatic ticket vendors for a small surcharge. Notice: they do not give change.
• Children under the age of six (6) do not need to pay for tickets.
• Pets are not allowed, unless they are in a kennel of 70 x 40 x 50cm.
• Guide dogs are allowed without a muzzle and kennel, as long as they are leashed.
• Owners or keepers of dogs that travel accompanied by their pet are obliged to always carry the animal’s medical record booklet or passport.
• Only foldable bicycles are allowed, in a case with a maximum size of 33 x 66 x 80cm.
• Carry-ons and suitcases of sizes up to 100 x 60 x 25cm are allowed, but not on the seats.

 
Car

• Parking is free around the city center.
• Do not park on Tsimiski Street and Nikis Boulevard (seafront). The municipal police write tickets to any illegal parking.
• The parking of TIEC-HELEXPO is the cheapest you can find in the city center.
• Blue lines are for residents in their area and the white lines are for Visitors with a price corresponding to the parking time.
• Visitor parking spaces are subject to a controlled parking regime from 08:00 in the morning to 21:00 in the evening on weekdays and from 09:00 in the morning until 16:00 in the afternoon each Saturday. The maximum parking time is 4 hours per building block and the cost is 1.70€ per hour. Apart from the aforementioned hours, as well as every Sunday and every public holiday day, parking on them is free.
• Download the THESi by ParkPal to find the points of time sale.
• There are no gas stations inside the city center.
• During rush hours or rainy days traffic can be insufferable.

 
Taxi

• There is a surcharge for any luggage heavier than 10kg.
• Standard fare lasts from 05:00 in the morning to 24:00 and double fare from 24:00 to 05:00 in the morning.
• Drivers in Greece usually go higher than the speed limit. If this makes you uncomfortable, ask the driver to slow dow.

 
 
Sights

 
Noesis

• Start at the Planetarium, Cosmotheater, Simulator and finish with the Technology Museum, in order to avoid large crowds.
• Combine your visit with a pleasant coffee break, with Thermaikos bay at your feet.
• Avoid visiting during summer months. The foul smell of the animals and manure (from the American Farm School) is suffocating.
• On Sundays there are children’s parties held with a free entrance and food for the little ones.

 
Kapani

• You must be aware of your personal belongings, as there are a few pickpockets around.

 
War Museum

• Start with the two halls of the first floor (the right one and then the left), continue at the basement (Sofia Vembo collection), the ground floor (awards and decorations collection) and finally visit the courtyard.

 
Archaeological Museum

• Secure your belongings in the specially designed lockers, without any extra cost.

 
Navarinou Square

• Avoid the square in the evening hours, as it becomes a dangerous walkway.

 
Mediterranean Cosmos

• Parking is free, if you get at the mall after 20:00 Monday-Saturday, while it is free all day on Sundays.
• SOS Tip: You can get inside through the parking lot of Masoutis supermarket without paying for a ticket, but through purchasing one product from the supermarket you will have access for two hours (even if you only buy a bottle of water for 0.20€).

 
Nea Krini Seafront

• There are a lot of paths along the way that lead from the street to the beach and vice versa.
• The best café to sit and enjoy the seafront is on number 12 of N.Plastira Street.

 
Cultural Route (Bus line No50)

• You can get a ticket from inside the bus without any extra charge.
• Prefer to sit at the back seats so you have a better field of vision.
• Take the ride during the afternoon so you avoid large tourist crowds.

 
Hop on Hop off

• Prefer the seats on the left side of the top floor, so you avoid getting slapped in the face by tree branches!
• Unemployed and students in the E.U. get a 2€ discount, on the condition than they do not get out and back in.

 
 
Food

• If you would like to go out to a tavern or a night club (especially on weekends) you should make reservations.
• On Saturday night, wander around the cobblestone Katouni street. Eat and have fun in the area.
• It’s best to give tips directly to the waiter and not leave it on the table.
• Eateries have continuous schedules and close late at night (after 00:00).
• On all sides of the city there are fast food restaurants/sandwich shops for the night owls (open until early in the morning).
• Most taverns on Friday and Saturday night have live music, making for an upbeat atmosphere.
• During the Christmas holidays, visit the “Makedonia” mall and drink a cup of coffee next to the huge tree decorating its square.

 
Stores

• Operating hours: 09:00 to 14:30 and 17:00 to 21:00 Tuesday, Thursday and Friday / 09:00 to 14:30 Monday and Wednesday. Saturday 09:00 to 20:00.
• Department stores and malls open every day 09:00 to 21:00.
• Sundays closed, except for a few particular ones throughout the year.

Tourist Traps / Dangers

• If you are visiting with a group, do not book a food package. They take you to second class restaurants with low quality food and high prices.
• In a lot of restaurants they have the bad habit of NOT bringing receipts or if they do, they might be from a previous order.
• There are shops that offer low quality drinks. If you become aware of something like that, ask for a replacement immediately.
• Be aware of your items in the means of public transport during rush hours. There are professional pickpockets that get stuck on you on the pretense that there is no space and steal money and valuable items.
• Never leave your phone on the side of the table. Various supposed street sellers distract you and remove it in a professional way.
• At the White Tower and the seafront in general there are people that sell supposedly original sunglasses and perfumes in low prices. There are also some people that sell stolen phones. Be careful, you might get in trouble.
• In the city center there are quite a few beggars, who claim to have some kind of health issue. Most of them are completely healthy and they do this as a profession.
• Do not wander around places that are not sufficiently lit late at night (Thessaloniki is not considered to be a safe city).
• The street in front of the Universities becomes quite dangerous during the night, as there are more than a few people lurking, in order to steal valuable items and get lost in the campus, where they have asylum! (Avoid the passage.)
• You must be very cautious with the phone scam. They show you an original phone and while you are looking for money to pay, they put a bar of soap or a plastic phone in the box, instead of the original one.
• Taxi drivers have the bad habit of taking more people on the same ride. If you choose to travel with somebody else, ask the driver to pay for half the ride and not the whole of it.
• Many taxi drivers, if they realize that you are not from the city, will circle around the area for awhile until you reach your destination. (Advice: Load the route on your Smartphone beforehand.)