Polluted and Industrial, but there's some hidden historical gems (Thessaloniki)

Member Name: SapphireSunflowr

Product:	Thessaloniki
Date:	04/02/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Roman arcitecture, religious and historical sites of note

Disadvantages: Pollution, traffic, crowds, industrial arcitecture

More in the news recently for riots than its sights, Thessaloniki is a major greek city that I visited in the high summer of 2007.

We arrived by train from Istanbul, disembarking in the early hours of the morning. Thank goodness our hotel - Hotel Rex - was literally across the road, it's neon sign flashing next to that of an adult theatre... The actual hotel was very dingy, even dirty, but as we had chosen it for it's location and price we had expected this. The bathroom was shared and pretty grubby, and the shower cubicle leaked. Our room was so hot, and the provided fan was decidedly dodgy, so we were glad we only had the two nights there.

With our single day, we set out to explore the town. The first thing to note was the overwhelming pollution and traffic - the roads were pretty chaotic, and with the heat it was quite suppressive. It's not somewhere I'd recommend as a chosen destination - we were here on a rest stop on the way to Corfu - as it certainly couldn't be considered relaxing! A short walk along the water's edge was pleasant, and offered some respite from the heat, but the views across the water were of cranes and industrial works. We didn't eat out in Thessaloniki to preserve funds, but found the supermarket more than met our needs for bread, cheese and salami!#

Now, despite all the above Thessaloniki does throw up some historical sights of interest that are well worth seeing. They include the White Tower, the Arch and the Church of Aghios Georgios but most notable for me were the excavations of a Roman market, in incredible condition and of great interest to those interested in Roman culture.

All in all, well worth a stopover here for day to see the sights, but I have no plans to return and wouldn't advise a trip to Thessaloniki alone.

Summary: If you can stop over here for a day do, but not a destination of choice.