Les meilleurs hôtels à Thessalonique

Like almost everywhere in Greece, the capital of Macedonia has weathered its fair share of sieges, triumphs and disasters. The Macedonian general, Kassandros, established the city in 315 BC, naming it for his wife, Thessaloniki, sister of Alexander the Great. The Emperor Galerius made it the imperial capital of the eastern half of the Roman Empire. Thessaloniki later flourished as a Byzantine cultural and spiritual center, second only to Constantinople. Today, Thessaloniki is second only to Athens in size. Stretching over twelve kilometers in a valley framed by low mountains and the Thermaiic Gulf, the city boasts a population of 1,000,000. Few foreigners make it to this cosmopolitan northern city, but those who do find an intriguing blend of sophisticated shops and cafes, tree-lined avenues, winding castle-bound streets, Byzantine churches and Roman ruins. During Ottoman rule, Thessaloniki became a stronghold for the "Greek School" - a national underground effort to maintain the survival of Greek language and literature. Home to two universities, one of the best archaeological museums in Greece and numerous galleries and cultural organizations, Thessaloniki still serves as an academic and cultural center for northern Greece today. From Thessaloniki, travelers can explore Macedonia, the former stomping ground of Alexander the Great: take an easy day trip to the ruins of ancient Pella; visit the monastic community of Mt. Athos (for men only); or venture to the seldom-touristed Lake District, tucked against Albania's border, for vistas that rival the Swiss Alps.