Running in Thessaloniki in January may not sound like an incredibly amazing experience, but the Sunday morning I went running was such a beautiful day that I could have hardly been any happier about the experience. Moreover, Thessaloniki has a lovely promenade, where running is not only easy, but also very enjoyable!
When you are getting up, the sky is clear and the weather is sunny with around 12 degrees Celsius, you know that it is the perfect moment to go running.
I took this opportunity in Thessaloniki and can safely say: it’s definitely been worth it.
Map of my run through Thessaloniki
That’s especially true as Hotel Excelsior Thessaloniki, where I started, is located right in the city center and just a few steps away from the promenade!
It’s worth noting that the promenade is right next to a street close to the city center, which means it’s rather noisy if you don’t have noise-cancelling headphones.
I was lucky enough to start my run in the sun
Leaving that alone, the beautiful views could hardly be any more beautiful.
What’s especially cool about the views in Thessaloniki is the fact that you can see large container ships passing by from time to time.
The White Tower is one of the landmarks of Thessaloniki
While I was running in the direction of the White Tower, the landmark of Thessaloniki, I also passed Aristoteles Square, one of the most beautiful and historic spots in the city.
As soon as I found myself near the White Tower, the promenade got even more beautiful.
There are lots of monuments and art on the promenade
Further out of the city center, the street is further away from the promenade, though making it even more enjoyable to just promenade right next to the sea.
This is even more true for running as the so-called Alexander’s Garden offers not only a beautiful promenade, but also some nice green areas.
It’s also worth noting that you can find several interesting statues and also buildings like the Royal Theatre in the Alexander’s Garden!
On my way back to the hotel, I decided to take another route and so went into the city after passing the White Tower.
While there are not too many spectacular buildings in this area of Thessaloniki, it’s lovely to just run through the historic small streets, which really make you get a feeling for Thessaloniki.
Interesting buildings you can find in this part of Thessaloniki include some churches as well as Aristoteles Square, which I passed in a different area on my way back.
Getting back to Hotel Excelsior, I was still amazed by the beautiful run, which most definitely was one of the best running experiences I had in metropolises around the world.
You like this running guide? Take a look at our other “Running in …” posts!
Running while traveling has always been special to me. Glad to see a post like this 🙂
That’s great to hear! It’s one of my passions as well 🙂