City Guide
Bike Tour
Thessaloniki’s waterfront covers a 3,5 km linear area, starting from the port and extending all the way to the city’s Concert Hall. Its recent redevelopment proves that architecture can transform our everyday lives by improving public spaces. A ride along the waterfront takes you past all the historical chapters of our city, from the time its fortifications protected it from enemies, to the plans made by Ernest Hebrard after the great fire, and finally to its present-day character.
The Port of Thessaloniki is one of the largest in the Aegean Sea, as well as the city’s cultural hub and a social gathering place for young people. It is an ideal spot for a traditional evening stroll with great sunset views.
A significant monument and museum, the tower replaced an old Byzantine fortification that became a notorious prison during the period of Ottoman rule. Substantially remodelled and its exterior was whitewashed after Greece gained control of the city in 1912, the White Tower has since been adopted as the symbol of the city.
Thessaloniki’s new waterfront covers a linear area of relatively limited depth, against the dynamic backdrop of the Thermaic Gulf in which ephemeral and mutable elements are transposed, depending on the time of day and the season. Designed by Nikiforidis-Cuomo Architects, the project received worldwide attention and numerous awards.
Thessaloniki Concert Hall is a centre for the performing arts. The complex has two main buildings: M1, an auditorium that seats 1400; and M2, a more contemporary venue designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, with a number of smaller performance spaces.
