By Andy Dibilis, July 10, 2022
Athens gets the hype and most of the tourists, but Greece’s second-largest city Thessaloniki, a major port in the northern part of the country, is more cosmopolitan and diverse and was home to the oldest Jewish populations in Europe before the Nazis ended that.
Called Greece’s co-capital, it has a charming a waterfront promenade to allow strolling along the Aegean Sea, unlike Athens where developers and private companies and luxury resorts have taken over public beaches and cut off access, although the law allows you to walk right through them if you know it.
Thessaloniki is known for its festivals, events, and vibrant cultural life, much if of it along that promenade. It hosts the annual important Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) where Prime Ministers give their soon-to-be broken promises, and countries jockey to be the chosen guest to show off.
