In the event you’re planning a household metropolis break in Greece, you’re extra possible to have a look at Athens than the nation’s second metropolis – however with loads of nice issues to do in Thessaloniki with youngsters, it’s properly price visiting.
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The start line for a go to to Halkidiki, it’s simple to mix a while within the metropolis with a break by the seashores of Halkidiki’s peninsula – the Kassandra peninsula is likely one of the best to achieve, though the second prong, Sithonia has a lot to tempt households as properly.
Smaller than Athens’ usually sprawling centre, it’s simple to discover Thessaloniki with youngsters as properly – outdoors the most well liked summer time months, it’s very walkable with a stunning waterfront, shady sq. and the type of chilled-out buzz you’d count on from a college metropolis. Right here’s what to place in your wishlist.
Thessaloniki Waterfront
The waterfront is essentially the most family-friendly space of Thessaloniki and the proper spot for a day stroll with youngsters of all ages.
The energetic embankment space is lined with loads of cafés, snack bars, and ice cream parlours. Avenue performers add to the colourful ambiance, whereas little ones can burn off some vitality at one of many many public gardens and playgrounds.
It’s also possible to rent a bicycle from the BikeIT stall subsequent to Makedonia Palace Resort and cycle alongside the lengthy stretch of waterfront. The rental firm has a fantastic vary of grownup and kids’s bikes, mini go-karts, child’s scooters, and multi-person buggies out there to hire by the hour.
Or for those who’re travelling with older youngsters and like a guided expertise, this e-bike tour of Thessaloniki takes you across the metropolis in addition to the waterfront space.
Arabella Cruise (Pirate Ship)
Whereas down on the waterfront, don’t miss the prospect to move out onto the water on Arabella, a standard wood naval ship that runs quick 30 minute cruises across the gulf.
The boat is kitted out like a real-life pirate ship, with skeletons and cranium and crossbones, and is manned by a crew of pleasant costumed pirates. The boat experience is free so long as you purchase a drink from the on-board bar (smooth drinks out there for youths).
The sooner cruises are higher for households because the night departures can get slightly rowdy – it’s a floating bar in spite of everything!
You’ll discover different boat excursions leaving from the identical space close to the White Tower, whether or not you merely wish to try the weird boats, or examine the totally different Thessaloniki boat journeys on supply
Hop on hop off bus
In the event you’re visiting Thessaloniki with youthful youngsters, or trying to keep away from strolling within the warmth of the summer time, a hop-on hop-off bus tour of Thessaloniki is a good choice, with a few selections to choose from.
Metropolis Sightseeing has one-day tickets, so you may also use it to get across the metropolis, in addition to taking in a few of the key sights, together with the White Tower, in addition to a few of its church buildings. The bus additionally stops on the Archaeological Museum plus the Ano Poli fortress, the port and extra.
There’s an audio information and buses run each half-hour (besides throughout the center of winter), ranging from The White Tower. In the event you get off at Aristotelous Sq., hold an eye fixed out for the statue of Aristotle – rubbing his toe will apparently carry you luck in exams!
Or the Thessaloniki Sightseeing bus passes another key websites (additionally beginning on the White Tower) with audio commentary, and 7 extra stops alongside the way in which. Runs each half-hour.
Meals strolling tour of Thessaloniki
Get a style of genuine Greece on a meals strolling tour of Thessaloniki, stopping at native markets in addition to extra unmissable spots by way of the town.
See one of many oldest conventional espresso homes in Greece, you may style a standard Greek breakfast of bougatsa (cream-filled pastry sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon) and exploring Louloudadika, plus there’s the prospect to see herbs and spices in addition to meat and cheese on sale.
In the event you’d love to do extra cooking and consuming than exploring and tasting, strive a cooking and eating expertise with a Greek household, making tzatziki (easy however all the time much more scrumptious home made) and moussaka, in addition to salad and dessert. There’s additionally a dance lesson to be taught some conventional Greek dance, plus native Greek tapas with wine, or native creations together with ouzo, tsipouro and retsina.
Spend a day at a close-by seashore
Being a coastal metropolis, there are many nice seashores near Thessaloniki the place you may get pleasure from a soothing day of sea, solar, and sand.
Most seashores within the area are family-friendly, with lengthy stretches of golden sand, calm shallow waters, and loads of facilities.
Perea and Agia Triada are two of the closest seashores to Thessaloniki. Each are properly organised, with no scarcity of sunbeds, eating places, and bars alongside the coast.
Potamos is an even bigger and prettier choice to the south, with a number of house to unfold out on the extensive stretch of sand. Or for those who’re prepared to journey slightly additional, Asprovalta Seaside is a picturesque seashore to the east of Thessaloniki that’s excellent for a seashore day.
You’ll discover buses which run alongside the coast, particularly throughout peak season, or count on to pay round 35 Euros + every means for a taxi.
NOESIS Science Heart and Know-how Museum
Positioned within the outer Termi district, NOESIS Science Heart and Know-how Museum makes a fantastic time out in Thessaloniki for households with youngsters who love science.
The thrilling science centre encompasses a digital planetarium, an enormous 3D cosmotheatre, and movement simulators (youngsters 7+ solely). Wi-fi headphones can help you watch their vary of instructional movies in English and Greek.
There’s additionally a unbelievable family-friendly museum with a number of everlasting and non permanent exhibitions, together with a complete space devoted to historic Greek expertise.
A spotlight for youths needs to be the museum’s technopark, which has over 40 interactive exhibitions and hands-on science experiments to have interaction youthful minds.
Dino Park Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki’s Dino Park is a big 4-acre instructional park on the outskirts of the town the place you may stroll amongst life-sized fashions of dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. Excellent for dino-obsessed little ones!
It’s not solely dinosaurs you’ll discover right here although. Children can even uncover extinct mammals from Greece’s historical past, be taught concerning the Ice Age on the Mammoths Museum, and even assist excavate a prehistoric cave to uncover the story of human evolution.
Throughout the complicated, you’ll additionally discover the weird Human Physique Museum, the place you may journey by way of the physique of a pregnant lady (properly, a large mannequin of 1) to find out about biology and anatomy. You’ll want to purchase a joint ticket to go to each sights.
On prime of all of this, the massive park additionally has a restaurant, swimming pool, child’s playground, and botanical gardens to get pleasure from.
Skip this: In the event you’ve bought youngsters who love animals, you is likely to be tempted to identify some extra fashionable creatures at Thessaloniki Zoo. Nevertheless, it’s turn into very run down over current years, with the present inhabitants restricted to goats and some birds – undoubtedly not price visiting.
Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is likely one of the largest museums within the nation, with hundreds of historic artefacts and displays showcasing the historical past of Northern Greece (beforehand Historical Macedonia).
The exhibitions supply a glimpse into the lives of our historic ancestors, with all the things from pottery and mosaics to funerary altars and wonderful 2,000+ yr outdated Macedonian tombs.
The museum could also be slightly boring for young children, however it’s a enjoyable and academic method to spend a few hours with older youngsters and youths.
The shows are translated into English and the data is easy and simple to digest. Touchscreen shows, interactive movies, and multimedia video games additionally assist carry historical past to life.
Youngsters’s Museum of Thessaloniki
The Youngsters’s Museum of Thessaloniki is a enjoyable and interactive museum designed particularly for youths between 4-12 years.
The small museum focuses on the subject of childhood all through time. It encompasses a conventional classroom stuffed with faculty gadgets from the previous, together with outdated desks, textbooks, typewriters, and faculty luggage. There’s additionally a group of historic toys, dolls, and board video games.
The displays encourage youngsters to be taught by way of play, with hands-on actions, instructional video games, and role-play. The museum additionally runs storytelling classes and kids’s workshops, however sadly, these are solely in Greek.
The White Tower
The image of Thessaloniki, you’ll spot the White Tower looming like a chess piece on the finish of the town’s waterfront, so it’s simple to mix with a stroll by the water or a cruise aboard the pirate ship.
However the inside of the tower, which has beforehand been a fortress and jail, has now been transformed right into a museum telling the historical past of Thessaloniki, with displays on every ground protecting totally different points of the town.
There aren’t any indicators in English however there’s free WiFi and QR codes to entry an audio information as you go – realistically, I’d say it’s higher for older youngsters as we discovered the audio information to be informative however not desperately entertaining. In the event you take heed to the entire thing, it takes some time to get by way of the go to too.
Some shows are fairly self-explanatory although, and there are some nice views (and welcome breeze!) from the highest stage of the tower, with slightly cafe as properly. Entry prices 6 Euros for adults, free for youths who’re EU residents and half-price for youngsters from nations outdoors the EU.
Waterland
In the event you’re visiting Thessaloniki throughout the scorching summer time months and wish someplace for the entire household to chill down, be certain that to take a look at Waterland, the largest waterpark in Greece.
Positioned near Thessaloniki airport, the massive aquapark has a fantastic vary of swimming pools, slides, and enjoyable water actions for all ages.
Toddlers and young children will love the devoted kids’s pool and enjoyable Pirates Island, whereas these searching for one thing extra adventurous can cruise alongside the Loopy River, attain dizzying speeds on the Simvoli Slides, and tackle Europe’s largest wave pool.
While you’re able to chill out, you’ll discover loads of solar loungers scattered all through the park, excellent for absorbing the solar. A number of eating places and cafes supply meals and snacks to maintain you sustained all through the day.
Magic Park
One other enjoyable place to go to in Thessaloniki with youngsters is the Magic Park, a family-friendly amusement park within the south of the town.
The park has loads of enjoyable fairground rides, together with carousels, bumper automobiles, a log flume, a ghost practice, and a 25-meter-tall Ferris Wheel. There’s a devoted play space for infants and toddlers, whereas teenagers can get pleasure from a extra adrenaline-pumping expertise on the massive curler coaster or 4G swing.
With traditional amusement video games like hook the duck, ring toss, and horse races too, there’s one thing for all the household.
To go to the park, you’ll want to purchase a day ticket which incorporates limitless rides on all sights (aside from the ability video games).
Ziogas Western Metropolis
Positioned round a 40 minute drive from the town centre, Ziogas Western Metropolis makes a fantastic household time out from Thessaloniki. The weird attraction encompasses a makeshift Wild West city the place youngsters can be taught to be cowboys for the day.
The ranch’s important exercise is horse driving, with choices starting from a brief 10-20 minute experience across the city to an all-day trek by way of the realm’s beautuful countryside (earlier driving expertise required for this). Smaller ponies can be found for youthful kids.
Within the city itself, you may also get pleasure from a small petting zoo, archery and capturing ranges, a number of scenic climbing routes, and an genuine western-style saloon.
For extra tips about household journeys to Greece, try my information to Greece with youngsters
Selfie Museum
The Thessaloniki Selfie Museum payments itself as the primary Selfie Funhouse in Greece, and it’s a fantastic place to spend a enjoyable hour and are available away with some hilarious photograph souvenirs.
There are 30 totally different installations, together with the prospect to dive right into a ball pit with 5,000 white balls, lose your self in an infinity mirror museum, dance underneath a disco ball and get a digital new hair salon, in addition to enjoying round with an entire string of props, all captured for posterity (and social media).
Tickets entitle you to 60 minutes inside. Purchase tickets with free cancellation right here.
Museum of Illusions
Whether or not you’re in search of someplace to flee the warmth (or a uncommon wet day in Thessaloniki with youngsters), or simply fancy one thing a bit enjoyable to interrupt up the sightseeting, the town’s Museum of Illusions is nice enjoyable for households.
With 40 separate visible and interactive illusions, you may defy the legal guidelines of gravity, shrink or trick your eyes as you wander spherical – plus there are many alternatives for some nice household images.
Proper by the port, it’s very easy to get to and equally simple to kill an hour. Purchase tickets with free cancellation right here.
Set proper on the waterfront, Dali: Cybernetics is a good place to go to in Thessaloniki with teenagers. 3D screens stretch throughout the 400m sq exhibition house, together with digital actuality to assist customer step into the thoughts of the Spanish surrealist painter.
You possibly can browse documentaries and images, or experiment on the interactive ground, in addition to unleashing your personal creativity. At present operating to September.
Day journeys from Thessaloniki with youngsters
Whereas there’s a lot to maintain you entertained within the metropolis, it’s simple to plan in a number of days out when you’re staying in Thessaloniki with youngsters.
Go to Vergina
The royal capital of Macedonia, Vergina is an enchanting place for a day journey from Thessaloniki when you have youngsters who love historical past.
You will discover royal tombs in addition to a museum with artefacts from the time of Alexander the Nice, together with an urn with the cremated stays of Phillip II, Alexander’s father.
Whereas it’s simple to go to independently, together with buses operating from Thessaloniki, you’ll additionally discover loads of excursions to Vergina, that are a simple method to probe for households. This day journey to Vergina features a cease on the archaeological museum of Pella (lunch and entry tickets not included), or this comparable non-public tour to Pella and the Aigai royal tombs is an efficient choice with youngsters.
Alternatively, this half-day tour to Vergina additionally stops at Veria, which has hyperlinks to Biblical historical past, together with associations with St Paul.
Canyoning in Mount Olympus Nationwide Park
For a day journey from Thessaloniki with a distinction, head to Mount Olympus Nationwide Park for an opportunity to strive your hand at canyoning in an journey that wants no earlier expertise.
Appropriate for age 10+, there’s a brief hike to the canyon entrance, earlier than you get some tips about leaping, sliding and abseiling, earlier than spending the day testing out your new abilities among the many mountain waterfalls, together with an opportunity to swim in a few of the swimming pools.
Halkidiki Blue Lagoon Cruise
The Halkidiki peninsulas are solely round an hour’s drive from Thessaloniki, with some beautiful boat journeys out into the clear blue waters of the Aegean.
This full-day boat tour contains bus transfers from the town, in addition to the eight-hour boat cruise, together with lunch. Cruising by way of the Gulf of Mount Athos, you’ll see Ammouliani Island on the boat journey (and dolphins for those who’re fortunate) earlier than making a short cease to discover on land.
There’s additionally a cease at Banana Seaside for lunch and time to chill out, earlier than heading to the Halkidiki Blue Lagoon to admire the calm turquoise waters there.
Appropriate for all ages (though when you issue within the journey, it’s an 11-hour day, so higher with barely older youngsters than toddlers and infants!).
Discover Halkidiki
From the gorgeous villages to the beautiful seashores, someday in Halkidiki isn’t actually sufficient – however for those who’ve solely bought time for a style, profit from it on a day journey from Thessaloniki.
This eight-hour non-public tour of Kassandra (the primary peninsula) takes you to Hanioti seashore, in addition to time to discover picturesque Afytos and Nea Fokea (plus you may tailor your itinerary as lengthy it’s nonetheless the identical size, if you wish to spend kind of time in a selected space).
Or for those who’d relatively discover the second prong of the trident, this small group day journey to Sithonia takes slightly longer however contains stops at Karydi Seaside and Fava Seaside, plus Kavourotrypes Seaside (or Kalamitsi Seaside), plus time to discover Sarti, Porto Koufo and Neos Marmaras.
The place to remain in Thessaloniki with youngsters
You gained’t be in need of locations to remain in Thessaloniki with youngsters, with an entire string of motels within the centre of the town.
In the event you’re visiting with older youngsters and youths, our base on the fashionable MonAsty lodge (the place we had been invited to remain for evaluate for my day job) was excellent. It’s solely round quarter-hour from the White Tower, lower than 10 minutes to Aristotelous sq. in addition to to the waterfront.
There are an entire string of cafes, bars and eating places (plus locations to get an ice cream) inside strolling distance, in addition to the lodge’s personal eating places. Take a look at the little rooftop pool, open from round 11am to 6pm, with rooftop bar Ennea subsequent to it – a fantastic place for a cocktail/mocktail because the solar units, in addition to snacks served till late (strive the bao buns!)
Add in slightly balcony off the rooms, big beds, beautiful Phytomer toiletries within the toilet and Nespresso machines, and it’s a fantastic style of luxurious to return to between exploring. Hold an eye fixed out for the artworks impressed by silks traded alongside the Silk Route in centuries passed by.
Guide rooms at MonAsty lodge with free cancellation on reserving.com
In the event you’re travelling with youthful youngsters and trying to self-cater, there are some nice family-friendly residences in Thessaloniki. Plum Information vets all of the properties listed on their website, in addition to outlining the professionals and cons, and whether or not they’re appropriate for infants in addition to older youngsters.
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Principal picture/Aristotle/White Tower inside + views/MonAsty Resort copyright MummyTravels, all different photographs courtesy of Depositphotos