The region of Thessaloniki is home to Greece’s second city in population and its cultural capital, Thessaloniki which is also called Salonica. The whole region is an important commercial centre and the city of Thessaloniki is the leading city of Macedonia with fine hotels, chic restaurants with exquisite local cuisine, hip nightlife and a great dose of culture in concerts, art shows and events.
 

Thessaloniki was named in honor of a woman who herself had been named to commemorate a military victory, that of her father, Philip II, over a tribe in Thessaly. The city’s ideal location on the Thermaic Gulf and the east–west Via Egnatia, plus its proximity to the Axios River valley corridor leading north into the Balkans, all helped turn it into a leading commercial centre. Under Roman Emperor Galerius in the early 4th century AD, Thessaloniki became the eastern imperial capital, and later Byzantium’s second city. However the city suffered from attacks by Goths, Slavs, Saracens and Latin Crusaders. In 1430, Thessaloniki was captured by the Ottomans and in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Sephardic Jewish exiles fleeing the Spanish Inquisition transformed Thessaloniki, in one of the most important Jewish cities in Europe. Although much of Greece was liberated after the 1821 War of Independence, Thessaloniki and Macedonia remained Ottoman. The World Wars were decisive for Thessaloniki. A great fire in August 1917 burned down most of the city. Most of Thessaloniki’s Jewish population was deported when Greece was occupied by the Nazis.

The region of Thessaloniki is situated in the Central Macedonia and its neighbouring regions are Imathia to the southwest, Pella to the west, Kilkis to the north, Serres to the east and Chalkidiki to the south. The region of Thessaloniki spans an area of 3.683 sq. km. and a total population of 1.104.460 inhabitants. The capital city of the region is the port city of Thessaloniki or Salonica on Thermaikos Gulf and is the most important commercial centre in northern Greece. The region is rich in water supplies with Lake Koronia and Lake Volvi, and three rivers, Axios, Loudias and Gallikos. The Delta of Axios river is a wetland of particular importance, protected by the Ramsar Convention.

The hip atmosphere of the city of Thessaloniki is created by the enduring symbols of its glorious history: the White Tower on the waterfront, the Byzantine walls, the 4th century Church of Agios Dimitrios, the enormous Roman Rotonda, the Arch of Galerius in Kamara. The city of Thessaloniki is a destination packed with life and should be on every traveler’s itinerary.

Tourist police in Thessaloniki: +30 2310 554871
Police in Thessaloniki: +30 2310 388000
Hospital in Thessaloniki: +30 2310 993111
Macedonia Airport: +30 2310 473212
Port Authorities in Thessaloniki: +30 2310 531645
Bus services of Thessaloniki region: +30 2310 500111
Railway of Thessaloniki: +30 2310 598120