The locals’ therapy at no cost. The city’s ornament: Since December 2013, when it was delivered to the public, the reformed New Waterfront has become the benchmark for Thessaloniki and gave an important breath in the public space of the city.
The transformed waterfront has spurred, for many years, the interest not only of the Thessalonians but also that of the city’s domestic and international visitors. This is one of the largest reforms designed and implemented in the city, with international recognition.
Romantics, endlessly captured by the sunset, tourists, athletes, heart-suffering patients, cyclists, Instagrammers, lilies in the water garden, dogs, gardens with thyme and oregano, lavender and verbena, gardens of memory, water, sculptures, rest kiosks, all the above and a hundred more are part of the beautiful Waterfront. Walkers are taking selfies under the famous Umbrellas of Zongolopoulos, playing with water fountains and telling their own perspective of the brand New Waterfront, which lights the way of walkers after sunset, with its lamps.
The New Waterfront has opened the big discussion for a unified seafront which would reach Chalkidiki. Currently, it extends on a length of 5 km. Seven parks: Garden of Sculptures, the Mediterranean Garden, Fokas Garden, the Garden of the Ages, the Garden of Sand, the Garden of the Afternoon Sun and the Alexander Garden, two architects: Prodromos Nikiforidis and Bernard Cuomo, and one brand New Waterfront which can’t help counting international awards.
From the Concert Hall to the White Tower, it is the most precious jewel of the city, leading to the most photographed sculpture, that of Alexander the Great, crafted by sculptor Evangelos Moustakas, galloping onto Bucephalus and just below the Thessaloniki sky.
The Old Waterfront starts after White Tower. The White Tower, symbol of Thessaloniki, a remnant of the strong coastal fortifications, was built in the 15th century by the Ottomans. Once a prison and place of torture during the Turkish occupation, it was called “Bloody Tower”. During Sultan Abdul Hamid II’s years, it was painted white now being called “White Tower”. Today, it hosts a magnificent Byzantine museum.
Along Nikis Avenue, tens of cafes, bars and restaurants spread their tables, from where you may gaze Olympus, the mountain of the 12 Gods. The more adventurous shall not miss a sea promenade with the floating cafe-bars leaving from the White Tower, enabling you to enjoy the city lights from the sea.
For those who still wish to move “by sea”, the alternative is the three passenger boats operating from May to October offering daily connection of the following stops:
• Thessaloniki Port – White Tower – Kalamaria – Peraia – Neoi Epivates – Aghia Triada.