As far as cities on the water go, Thessaloniki is not quaint. Instead, tucked into its own turquoise gulf in the North Aegean sea, this is a hardy patchwork of a port city, filled to the brim with assorted 20th-century and Byzantine architecture (and a little of everything in between). Rather than postcard perfection, it positively oozes character – complete with graffiti, traditional bouzouki music, and a thriving art scene.
An edgy enclave of northern Greek culture, the city is poles apart from the whitewashed island towns we conjure up when we picture travel-brochure Greece; instead, it carries its spirit through galleries and wine bars, mixed Orthodox, Ottoman, Sephardic Jewish and Balkan heritage, and entirely holds its own as Athens’ quirky little sibling.
