Thessaloniki for Digital Nomads

Thessaloniki, Greece's second city, sits in the north of the country. If you've been to Athens, then in many ways it feels like Athens. It has similar architecture and the people sound the same (to me at least) and have the same mannerisms.

The key difference is that while it does attract some tourism, it's far less overwhelming here. Thessaloniki still feels like a much more local place. For some people that might be a reason to come here, for others it might be a reason not to.

Thessaloniki has a big university, and resultingly has a nice studenty vibe to it, but I found it lacking in events for meeting new people, so for me it was quite a lonely stay. It's definitely not for everyone. For certain types of nomads though, it could be a place that you might want on your itinerary.

While it got progressively filled with tourists throughout my time in Thessaloniki, when the crowds aren't driving you mad, Thessaloniki has a quite pleasing city centre. This is the "Emilianos Lazaridis, Grevena Bishop Monument", apparently.

Arriving in Thessaloniki

My arrival was marred by technical issues at Thessaloniki Airport, where the computers at immigration were down for about 90 minutes, in which no one, locals included, was allowed through, to the point that they started handing out drinking water to everyone.

Greeks are quite a fiery bunch which meant there was a lot of shouting, but we got there eventually.

After that, getting into the town was easy. Bus 01X runs from the airport every ~20 minutes from the bus stop out the front of the airport (bus 01N at nighttime). You can buy tickets from the ticket machine next to the bus stop for €2 (or from the machine on board), paying by card or contactless - just remember to validate your ticket. It takes about 40 minutes to get into town and couldn't be easier.

Thessaloniki Airport is relatively small, so when the computers go down for 90 minutes, things get backed up quickly. While I was fortunate to be at the front of the queue and inside with AC, some weren't so lucky as it snaked out the door.

How affordable is Thessaloniki?

I'd rate it as fairly affordable as major EU cities go, but if cost really matters to you, then you can find cheaper EU cities to go to.

My (very comfortable) Airbnb cost me £45 GBP per night. That's less than what you'll pay for an equivalent room in Athens or in Budapest, but more than in Bucharest or Sofia. You can get a decent-sized meal in a cafe for €6-€7, and a half-litre of local beer in a bar costs about €5.

I cooked almost everything I ate while I was here, and was spending around €50-€60 per week on groceries.

Paying for things in Thessaloniki

There wasn't a single thing that I bought during my visit that I didn't pay for with Apple Pay. Card and contactless are accepted everywhere. I didn't see any business that had gone cashless, so you're fine paying by cash as well.

What language is spoken in Thessaloniki?

Greek.

Is it easy to get by with English in Thessaloniki?

Mostly, yes. In the city centre in particular, you'll find that most things are translated into English and that most people you encounter will speak English. Outside the centre it's less so, and you will find menus in Greek only and people that don't speak English, but it's a pretty easy place to get by.

How is the Internet in Thessaloniki?

The Internet in my Airbnb was sufficiently fast for everything I needed (around 101mbps download speed and 10mbps upload speed) and 99% reliable - I had only one video call during my stay where the feed was patchy and I was getting notifications from Google that my connection was unstable.

Mobile data I found to be very unreliable. I was using Nova, which was the network that my UK SIM automatically connected to, and it was dog shit. Even in the city centre I'd continually find myself in places where the network didn't reach, which meant shopping for things, particularly things with Greek-only packaging, was a massive pain.

Is Thessaloniki safe?

Very. I didn't sense crime of any kind while I was here, and felt very safe throughout my stay.

What is the vibe of Thessaloniki?

Thessaloniki has a big university, so it's got a young, studenty vibe. In the city centre it feels a lot more touristy, but I found it to be a very upbeat place.

Someone went to a lot of effort to graffiti "Kill a tourist - Fuck Rbnbs" all over the place. I saw this same thing far and wide in Thessaloniki. I feel a bit bad that they went to all that trouble, but didn't know how to spell Airbnb. I thought about going around and correcting them all.

Who is Thessaloniki suitable for?

Thessaloniki really lacks in outdoor green space. But with its student population, it has a very chilled vibe of funky restaurants and coffee shops. As I'll get to below, I found it quite a difficult place to meet new people.

So if you're a loner hipster who's comfortable in their own company and doesn't care much for parks, you'll probably like it. If being sociable is important to you, or if you need to be surrounded by greenery, then look elsewhere.

Is the tap water drinkable in Thessaloniki?

Yes, and it tastes really good as well.

Being sociable in Thessaloniki

This is where Thessaloniki really fell down for me - I had basically no social life while I was here.

The only event I came across for meeting new people was the monthly BlaBla Language Exchange at Rehab Pub. It's a recurring event that renews automatically on Facebook.

I went along to the one that was scheduled for my time in Thessaloniki - I got there right at its scheduled start time of 8:30pm. I asked the bar staff about it - they had no idea, apart from telling me that someone had come about 30 minutes earlier asking about it. I decided to sit at the bar and have a beer anyway, to see if anyone would show up.

No one did.

I'm not the most extroverted person, so I'm quite happy sitting at a bar by myself, but this was the only scheduled event for meeting new people that I found. Beyond that, there are several Thessaloniki Facebook groups you can check, but I didn't find it easy to have a social life here. It's not really a city that attracts a lot of individuals trying to meet others.

Where to run in Thessaloniki

All of my runs in Thessaloniki were down on the waterfront.

I would walk straight down to the water from my room, which would leave me in front of Starbucks. From there I'd run south, along the wide, waterfront pathway, which lasts a little over 4km until you pass this car park. I'd turn around and run back again.

As I was doing a lot of zone 2 running while I was here, that was the perfect distance for me to do a one-hour zone 2 run. It's a flat, wide open space.

In the mornings you get some shade from the trees that line the path, in the evenings when the sun's out over the water, you get none, but fuck it's beautiful running at sunset.

The only downside is that for about a week during the middle of my stay, for some reason they were releasing a lot of sewage into the sea along this route, which was very unsightly, absolutely stank, and in places even washed up onto the pathway. I did not enjoy those runs, but the rest of the time it was really pleasant.

Running along the waterfront you have a big, wide path. In the mornings the trees provide some shade.

Things I didn't like about Thessaloniki

The lack of a social life and sewage on my running route were probably my two main grievances about being here. There was also a noticeable increase in tourism over the duration of my stay, which made the city centre progressively less pleasant.

I didn't enjoy the lack of public toilets around town, even finding myself going back to my room on one occasion just to take a piss. And it's a city where many shops and businesses, including every supermarket, are closed on Sundays, which feels a little archaic.

Being vegan in Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is a very easy city to be vegan in.

As I was on a bit of a health kick, I cooked most of my meals myself, but even not eating out very often I'd still notice a ton of cafes proudly advertising vegan options just wandering around the town, so you really won't have any issues eating here.

The one fully-vegan place that I did visit on multiple occasions is Handwich, which does various vegan junk foods wrapped in pita breads. It's definitely not healthy, but it is good on a cheat day.

For getting groceries, there are several different supermarket chains that you'll see around town, and they're all fairly equivalent in what they stock. I did most of my shopping at Sklavenitis, in large part because it was right across the street from my room. There aren't many intentionally vegan items, although you will find vegan cheese, but they do stock lots of breads, rice, fruit and veg, pulses, hummus etc., and other naturally vegan items which can be made into many different healthy dishes. You'll also find a lot of local delis around Thessaloniki that are worth a visit.

In terms of supplements, I was able to get everything that I needed while here at Holland & Barrett, which was a slightly odd find. I'd only ever encountered them in the UK before, but they seem to have branched out to Thessaloniki as well. They stock lots of clearly-marked vegan vitamins as well as vegan protein powders and even some useful foods like high protein muesli.

Being vegan is pretty easy in Thessaloniki. While I was here I cooked almost everything that I ate, like this poke bowl (plate) kind of thing, which is hummus, brown rice, kidney beans and some veg. Everything here was bought at Sklavenitis.

Where I stayed as a digital nomad in Thessaloniki

Cozy central apartment!

Ag. Dimitriou 141

With the exception of a bit of a lack of natural light getting into the room, I really can't fault this room. I felt very comfortable for my five weeks here.

I'm a pretty low maintenance and self-sufficient guest, and I loved how once I'd confirmed to the host that I'd checked into the room, I didn't hear from him for more than four weeks, until I sent him a copy of a bill that got delivered to the room. That's my kind of host, and it perhaps exemplifies the room - it's a very chilled place.

The sofa in the living room is so comfortable. I'd work on my laptop from it all day without ever feeling uncomfortable. The downside is that very little natural light gets into the living room, so you need to have the lights on, even in the middle of the day.

The bedroom is a bit better, as it has glass double doors that lead out onto a balcony. They were the reason that I decided this room would get enough natural light for me to stay here, but sadly the surrounding buildings block so much direct sunlight that the bedroom was still a bit dingy for my liking.

It wasn't awful - some light did get in at least, and the bed was comfortable to work from as well. For a workstation or for video calls, the dining table worked really well and has a plug next to it.

The kitchen is pretty well equipped with everything you'd expect... except a bin. That's a bit odd. There is no kitchen bin, just a plastic bag that hangs off the cupboard. Which is fine and which works, but slightly odd all the same.

There is a toaster oven/hob combo, which is something I've never encountered before, but it actually works really well. I felt no hindrance using it compared to if I'd had an installed cooker.

The wifi in the room is 99% reliable - just one occasion where it was unstable while I was on a video call. The bathroom is very nicely decorated and has a hot, powerful shower. The balcony is nice to sit on and have a cup of tea, so long as people in the nearby rooms aren't on their balconies smoking.

The living room and bedroom have slightly creaky hardwood floors. These didn't really concern me, but I did feel a bit bad for the people in the room below, should they exist, when I was working out in the room.

Locationally, this room is pretty perfect. There's a supermarket literally across the street from the building entrance, which is on a main road, but as the apartment is at the back of the building, noise is a non-issue. The old town is a short walk away (5-10 minutes) and you can be at the waterfront in about a 15-minute walk.

All in all I'd say that if you can handle the slightly limited natural light that gets into the room, then I really don't have much negative to say about it. Once I'd adjusted to the light I really enjoyed my stay here.

The apartment is a pretty decent size. Here you can see the living area, then the partially separated dining area, then the door into the bedroom.

Summary of Thessaloniki

Do I want to come back to Thessaloniki again?

I really enjoyed the vibe of Thessaloniki, and I'd love to come back but under a couple of conditions.

Firstly would be that from when I arrived in late May, to when I left in early July, there had been a noticeable increase in the number of tourists, which only got exacerbated when cruise ships docked. I assume that tourist numbers would continue growing through July and August, then start to ease off again in September.

So I'd only want to come back here between October and May, when the city would be more relaxed and enjoyable.

And then secondly, I don't think I'd want to come back here alone - I found it too hard to have a social life. It's got such a fun, chilled vibe that I think it'd be an amazing place to come with friends or a girlfriend. But alone? I think it's unlikely I'll be back again.