Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is Greece's second city, built along the waterfront of the Thermaic Gulf. The cruise port is at the western end of the main promenade, and the White Tower, a 15th-century Ottoman fortification that is now the city's symbol, is a short walk along the waterfront. The upper town (Ano Poli) has surviving Byzantine walls, wooden-balconied Ottoman houses, and narrow streets that climb the hillside. The city's Roman and Byzantine layers are visible throughout: the Rotunda, originally a Roman mausoleum, became a church and then a mosque and still has fragments of its original mosaics. The Archaeological Museum covers Macedonian gold and artifacts from the tombs of Philip II's era. Thessaloniki is considered Greece's food capital, and the restaurants along Ladadika and the waterfront serve bougatsa (custard-filled pastry), gyros, and grilled seafood. The covered Modiano Market, recently renovated, has food stalls and produce vendors. The currency is the euro.