Thessaloniki is the second city of Greece and arguably its most rewarding for travellers who love food, history and the way a city actually lives. Spread along the Thermaic Gulf in the north of the country, it has been a Macedonian, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Jewish and modern Greek city in turn, and each layer is still visible on the streets. Where Athens is a city of monuments, Thessaloniki is a city of neighbourhoods: dense, walkable, full of cafes spilling onto pavements and surprises tucked between the tower blocks.

The seafront promenade is the social spine, running from the port past the White Tower, the city's signature monument, up to the Concert Hall in a long, paved walking route lined with cafe boats, sculpture, joggers and slow strollers. Aristotelous Square opens off it as a wide neoclassical plaza, while the streets behind hide the Roman rotunda of Galerius, the Byzantine churches of Agia Sofia and Panagia Chalkeon, and the lively food market of Modiano. Above all this, the Ano Poli, the upper town, climbs the hillside in narrow lanes of Ottoman wooden houses up to the Byzantine walls, the Trigonion tower and panoramic views over the gulf.

The food scene is reason enough to come. From morning bougatsa shops and Pontic-Greek bakeries to seafood mezedopolia and the city's celebrated mageirefta cookhouses, Thessaloniki has long been called the gastronomic capital of Greece. Nightlife runs late, especially in Ladadika, Valaoritou and the trendy Bit Bazaar area. Expect everything from boutique design hotels and rooftop suites to mid-range city centre stays and family-friendly apartments.