For those who’re planning a household metropolis break in Greece, you’re extra probably 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 nicely price visiting.
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The place to begin 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 among the best to achieve, though the second prong, Sithonia has a lot to tempt households as nicely.
Smaller than Athens’ usually sprawling centre, it’s simple to discover Thessaloniki with youngsters as nicely – exterior the most well liked summer time months, it’s very walkable with a beautiful 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 right spot for a day stroll with youngsters of all ages.
The full of life embankment space is lined with loads of cafés, snack bars, and ice cream parlours. Avenue performers add to the colourful environment, whereas little ones can burn off some power at one of many many public gardens and playgrounds.
You may also rent a bicycle from the BikeIT stall subsequent to Makedonia Palace Lodge and cycle alongside the lengthy stretch of waterfront. The rental firm has an awesome vary of grownup and kids’s bikes, mini go-karts, child’s scooters, and multi-person buggies out there to lease by the hour.
Or when you’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 possibility to go out onto the water on Arabella, a standard wood naval ship that runs brief 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 (tender drinks out there for teenagers).
The sooner cruises are higher for households because the night departures can get somewhat rowdy – it’s a floating bar in any case!
You’ll discover different boat excursions leaving from the identical space close to the White Tower, whether or not you merely wish to take a look at the weird boats, or examine the totally different Thessaloniki boat journeys on supply
Hop on hop off bus
For those who’re visiting Thessaloniki with youthful youngsters, or seeking 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 decisions to select from.
Metropolis Sightseeing has one-day tickets, so you may as well use it to get across the metropolis, in addition to taking in among 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 citadel, the port and extra.
There’s an audio information and buses run each half-hour (besides through the center of winter), ranging from The White Tower. For those who get off at Aristotelous Sq., hold a watch out for the statue of Aristotle – rubbing his toe will apparently convey 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 means of the town.
See one of many oldest conventional espresso homes in Greece, you possibly can style a standard Greek breakfast of bougatsa (cream-filled pastry sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon) and exploring Louloudadika, plus there’s the possibility to see herbs and spices in addition to meat and cheese on sale.
For those who’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 at all times much more scrumptious selfmade) and moussaka, in addition to salad and dessert. There’s additionally a dance lesson to study 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 possibly can get pleasure from a calming 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 nicely organised, with no scarcity of sunbeds, eating places, and bars alongside the coast.
Potamos is a much bigger and prettier choice to the south, with numerous area to unfold out on the vast stretch of sand. Or when you’re keen to journey somewhat additional, Asprovalta Seaside is a picturesque seashore to the east of Thessaloniki that’s good 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 approach for a taxi.
NOESIS Science Middle and Expertise Museum
Situated within the outer Termi district, NOESIS Science Middle and Expertise Museum makes an awesome day trip in Thessaloniki for households with youngsters who love science.
The thrilling science centre contains a digital planetarium, an enormous 3D cosmotheatre, and movement simulators (youngsters 7+ solely). Wi-fi headphones will let you watch their vary of instructional movies in English and Greek.
There’s additionally a incredible family-friendly museum with a number of everlasting and short-term exhibitions, together with a whole space devoted to historic Greek expertise.
A spotlight for teenagers must 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 possibly can stroll amongst life-sized fashions of dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. Good for dino-obsessed little ones!
It’s not solely dinosaurs you’ll discover right here although. Children also can uncover extinct mammals from Greece’s historical past, study in regards to the Ice Age on the Mammoths Museum, and even assist excavate a prehistoric cave to uncover the story of human evolution.
Inside the complicated, you’ll additionally discover the weird Human Physique Museum, the place you possibly can journey by means of the physique of a pregnant girl (nicely, 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 high of all of this, the big park additionally has a restaurant, swimming pool, child’s playground, and botanical gardens to get pleasure from.
Skip this: For those who’ve received 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 latest years, with the present inhabitants restricted to goats and some birds – positively not price visiting.
Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is among 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 every thing from pottery and mosaics to funerary altars and superb 2,000+ 12 months previous Macedonian tombs.
The museum could also be somewhat boring for young children, but it surely’s a enjoyable and academic technique to spend a few hours with older youngsters and teenagers.
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 convey historical past to life.
Youngsters’s Museum of Thessaloniki
The Youngsters’s Museum of Thessaloniki is a enjoyable and interactive museum designed particularly for teenagers between 4-12 years.
The small museum focuses on the subject of childhood all through time. It contains a conventional classroom crammed with college objects from the previous, together with previous desks, textbooks, typewriters, and faculty baggage. There’s additionally a group of historic toys, dolls, and board video games.
The displays encourage youngsters to study by means of play, with hands-on actions, instructional video games, and role-play. The museum additionally runs storytelling periods 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. For those who hearken to the entire thing, it takes some time to get by means 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 somewhat cafe as nicely. Entry prices 6 Euros for adults, free for teenagers who’re EU residents and half-price for kids from international locations exterior the EU.
Waterland
For those who’re visiting Thessaloniki through the sizzling summer time months and wish someplace for the entire household to chill down, be certain that to take a look at Waterland, the most important waterpark in Greece.
Situated near Thessaloniki airport, the big aquapark has an awesome 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 looking for one thing extra adventurous can cruise alongside the Loopy River, attain dizzying speeds on the Simvoli Slides, and tackle Europe’s greatest wave pool.
Whenever you’re able to loosen up, you’ll discover loads of solar loungers scattered all through the park, good 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 vehicles, 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 basic amusement video games like hook the duck, ring toss, and horse races too, there’s one thing for your entire household.
To go to the park, you’ll want to purchase a day ticket which incorporates limitless rides on all sights (apart from the ability video games).
Ziogas Western Metropolis
Situated round a 40 minute drive from the town centre, Ziogas Western Metropolis makes an awesome household day trip from Thessaloniki. The bizarre attraction contains a makeshift Wild West city the place youngsters can study to be cowboys for the day.
The ranch’s major exercise is horse using, with choices starting from a brief 10-20 minute experience across the city to an all-day trek by means of the realm’s beautuful countryside (earlier using expertise required for this). Smaller ponies can be found for youthful kids.
Within the city itself, you may as well get pleasure from a small petting zoo, archery and capturing ranges, a number of scenic mountain climbing routes, and an genuine western-style saloon.
For extra tips about household journeys to Greece, take a look at my information to Greece with youngsters
Selfie Museum
The Thessaloniki Selfie Museum payments itself as the primary Selfie Funhouse in Greece, and it’s an awesome place to spend a enjoyable hour and are available away with some hilarious picture souvenirs.
There are 30 totally different installations, together with the possibility to dive right into a ball pit with 5,000 white balls, lose your self in an infinity mirror museum, dance below 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 possibly can defy the legal guidelines of gravity, shrink or trick your eyes as you wander spherical – plus there are many alternatives for some nice household pictures.
Proper by the port, it’s very simple 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 area, together with digital actuality to assist customer step into the thoughts of the Spanish surrealist painter.
You possibly can browse documentaries and pictures, or experiment on the interactive ground, in addition to unleashing your personal creativity. At the moment working 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 just a few days out whilst 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 working from Thessaloniki, you’ll additionally discover loads of excursions to Vergina, that are a straightforward technique to probe for households. At the present time journey to Vergina features a cease on the archaeological museum of Pella (lunch and entry tickets not included), or this related personal 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 among 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 consists of bus transfers from the town, in addition to the eight-hour boat cruise, together with lunch. Cruising by means of the Gulf of Mount Athos, you’ll see Ammouliani Island on the boat journey (and dolphins when you’re fortunate) earlier than making a quick cease to discover on land.
There’s additionally a cease at Banana Seaside for lunch and time to loosen up, 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, sooner or later in Halkidiki isn’t actually sufficient – however when you’ve solely received time for a style, profit from it on a day journey from Thessaloniki.
This eight-hour personal tour of Kassandra (the primary peninsula) takes you to Hanioti seashore, in addition to time to discover picturesque Afytos and Nea Fokea (plus you possibly can tailor your itinerary as lengthy it’s nonetheless the identical size, if you wish to spend roughly time in a specific space).
Or when you’d somewhat discover the second prong of the trident, this small group day journey to Sithonia takes somewhat longer however consists of stops at Karydi Seaside and Fava Seaside, plus Kavourotrypes Seaside (or Kalamitsi Seaside), plus time to discover Sarti, Porto Koufo and Neos Marmaras.
In order for you an extended keep in Halkidiki, take a look at my Cora resort assessment of a stick with youngsters
The place to remain in Thessaloniki with youngsters
You received’t be wanting locations to remain in Thessaloniki with youngsters, with an entire string of resorts within the centre of the town.
For those who’re visiting with older youngsters and teenagers, our base on the fashionable MonAsty resort (the place we have been invited to remain for assessment for my day job) was good. 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 resort’s personal eating places. Try the little rooftop pool, open from round 11am to 6pm, with rooftop bar Ennea subsequent to it – an awesome place for a cocktail/mocktail because the solar units, in addition to snacks served till late (strive the bao buns!)
Add in somewhat balcony off the rooms, large beds, beautiful Phytomer toiletries within the lavatory and Nespresso machines, and it’s an awesome style of luxurious to return to between exploring. Preserve a watch out for the artworks impressed by silks traded alongside the Silk Route in centuries passed by.
E book rooms at MonAsty resort with free cancellation on reserving.com
For those who’re travelling with youthful youngsters and seeking to self-cater, there are some nice family-friendly flats 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.
Disclosure: This submit comprises affiliate hyperlinks – any purchases you make are unaffected however I could obtain a small fee
Primary picture/Aristotle/White Tower inside + views/MonAsty Lodge copyright MummyTravels, all different photos courtesy of Depositphotos
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