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Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game

Thessaloniki to locals, Saloon to nearby Bulgarians, Salonika is the second city of Greece and capital of Greek Macedonia. Spread round a sweeping bay with glimpses of Mount Olympus off in the background, Salonika has a setting as dramatic as its Balkan heritage. Across to the east, you’re little more than three hours’ drive from the Turkish border. In the early 1900s, when the city first witnessed organised football, Salonika was still under five centuries of Ottoman rule. Its three main clubs, Iraklis, Aris and PAOK, were all formed during these tumultuous years, when Salonika passed into Greek hands and the city filled with refugees fleeing what is now Turkey. These events still linger in the long-established dynamic between the three.

Iraklis is Γηραιός, the grand old man, Aris the proud locals, PAOK the interlopers set up by Greek expats from Constantinople. Iraklis, formed when Salonika was still Ottoman, defiantly wear the blue-and-white of the Greek flag. Aris, the stirring yellow of Greek Macedonia. PAOK first ran out in stark black, a symbol of mourning for the loss of Asia Minor. Though Salonika’s most successful club soon introduced white into the design, black remains the predominant colour around the club’s foreboding Toumba Stadium. Like that of AEK Athens, founded by refugees with the same ideal of creating a communal refuge for Hellenics chased out of modern-day Turkey, PAOK’s badge harks back to a Byzantine past. When PAOK meet AEK, it is known as the Derby of the Double-Headed Eagle. For a while there was also an AEK Thessaloniki, before being merged with PAOK in 1929 when the symbol was adopted.

Iraklis have links to the first match played in Salonika, between a foreign residents’ XI, the Union Sportive, and the football team of a Greek cultural society, in 1905. These players, who beat the French-speaking diplomats and entrepreneurs 3-0, merged with an athletics club in 1908, later given as the foundation date for the city’s most venerable club. Originally naming it Macedonia – a reference to this area of Greece, long before any current national borders were in place – its members toned down the somewhat patriotic name of their new venture to appease their Ottoman rulers as ethnic tension rose. Iraklis – ‘Heracles’, or Hercules to many Western Europeans – echoed Greek heritage without giving offence.

Such, in many ways, is the club today. While PAOK fans embrace the fearsome black-and-white brigades of Partizan Belgrade as brothers, and gold-wearing Aris pair with raucous Borussia Dortmund, Iraklis supporters are chummy with Hércules of Alicante. Iraklis won the first Thessaloniki Championship in 1914 when Aris were formed, and the two monopolised the Macedonian Association championship (EPSM) from its introduction in 1923 until the late 1940s. The association had three founding members: Aris, Iraklis and Megas Alexandros (‘Alexander the Great’), who still play in the regional league, at Marias Kallas behind the main concert hall. Until 1959, the EPSM league decided the champions of northern Greece, who then played off for the national title against the winners of the Athens and Piraeus leagues. Aris were declared first all-Greek champions in 1927-28 but it wasn’t until a full national league was instigated in 1959 that the Salonika-Athens polarisation really took hold. Aris and PAOK had not long moved into modern-day football grounds, engendering a partisan fan culture. Games in which either Salonika giant opposed anyone from Athens gained ever more venom. PAOK-Olympiakos is as vicious a clash as you’ll find in Europe. Only twice has a club from Salonika, PAOK, won the national league title in nearly 60 years. Each of the big three, however, has played 50-plus seasons in the top flight, PAOK never relegated. PAOK-Aris is, of course, the key local fixture. Before the 1950s, the teams were based more centrally, Aris just behind Alexander’s Garden on prominent boulevard Leoforos Stratou, PAOK at Syntrivani near today’s Expo grounds. As the city expanded, Aris bought a plot in Harilaou, tucked inland from the southern end of the bay. PAOK moved to a new-build in hillier Toumba at the city’s eastern outskirts, close to today’s A25 motorway that runs to the Bulgarian border. The opening of the Stadio Kaftanzoglio in 1960 offered the national side an excuse to play away from the spotlight of Athens. As the biggest sports arena in the country, it shared showcase duties with hosting Iraklis until the Olympic Stadium was built in Athens in 1982. Its only European final was a controversial one, AC Milan’s notorious Cup-Winners’ Cup win over Leeds in 1973, atrociously refereed by Christos Michas, later investigated for his conduct. Still a high-profile athletics arena, the Kaftanzoglio was a major venue for the 2004 Olympic football tournament – here an Italian side captained by Andrea Pirlo won bronze against Iraq. Near the stadium, the Olympic Museum (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-2pm) has a modest display of artefacts. Regular tenants Iraklis are now back at the Kaftanzoglio after the historic club was folded as a legal entity due to bureaucratic shenanigans, and a new one created in 2012. One other club is worthy of mention. In Kalamaria, once a separate community now subsumed into Salonika, Apollon play at the junction of Papagou and Chilis, about 4km along the seafront from the landmark White Tower in town. Their probable promotion in 2017 from the Gamma Ethniki to the second-tier Football League should allow them to join Aris, the previous Group 1 (northern) Gamma champions in 2016 after being demoted in 2014. Apollon’s ground has its own bus stop (No.45089), Gipedo Apollona Kalamarias, on the No.05, 05A and 06 routes. It’s about 25min from Saloniki’s main square of Plateia Aristotelous. [mapsmarker map="34"]

Getting Around

Arriving in town, local transport and tips

Previous Next Thessaloniki Airport is 13km (eight miles) south of the city centre. Bus No.78 runs into town every 30min (€2 on board, exact change into machine, journey time 40-50min), calling at the main square of Plateia Aristotelous, then the main train station, Neos Sidirodromikos Stathmos, before terminating at the intercity bus station, KTEL. The train station, just past the north-west end of main avenue Egnatia, is a 10min walk into town, KTEL further out. Egnatia runs parallel to Nikis, the seafront promenade. A taxi from the airport into town should cost around €20, €25 tops. All three stadiums are at the opposite end of the city from the train/bus stations and way too far to walk from there. From the waterfront White Tower, the Kaftanzoglio is a stretch but walkable – Toumba and Harilaou are a bus/taxi ride away. City buses, including the airport service, are run by OASTH. A single ticket is €1 from any number of kiosks, exact change €1.10 on board. Two trips within 70min is €1.20/exact change €1.30 on board. Taxi Thess (+30 69721 54399) has reasonable prices and online booking.

Where to Drink

The best pubs and bars for football fans

Previous Next Salonika is party town. Terrace cafés line seafront Nikis and lively bars dot the former olive-oil stores and warehouses of nearby Ladadika. In terms of pubs, there’s nothing to match the wonderful Green Bottle, sadly closed in 2016. In Ladadika, The Pub and The Dubliner both broadcast football. Note that Piccadilly, in the same vicinity, is more schmoozy club than rowdy pub. Along Nikis, On The Road at No.61 has a real lived-in, homely feel – no football but a friendly pint all the same. One block behind, at Proxenou Koromila 47, To Nero Pou Kalei has been a fabulous cult café for years, always worth a visit. Right across town toward Kalamaria, the lively Bristol Pub concentrates more on sought-after beers and quality sounds – a fine place, but you’ll probably need a taxi for the hop back to the city centre afterwards.

Where to stay

The best hotels for the stadiums and city centre

Previous Next The otherwise excellent website for the Thessaloniki Tourism Organisation leaves accommodation information to the Thessaloniki Hotels Association. Salonika has scores of hotels, old-school cheapies along Egnatia, showcase high-end jobs around Aristotle Square. There are no hotels near any of the three stadiums – plus you’d be way out of the centre. The city’s most famous lodging, the Electra Palace Hotel, exudes elegance, its summer-only rooftop pool gazing out over the Thermaic Gulf. There’s a heated pool, sauna and gym inside, roof-garden restaurant and even the most modest guestrooms come with marbled-tiled bathrooms. Nearby on Tsimiski, mid-range Le Palace goes big on comfort, with a pillow menu, mattress menu and Coco-mat beds. Quality Greek breakfast too. Lining Egnatia are hotels of varying standards, many of them age-old, the Kinissi Palace a contemporary and convivial exception. Opposite, the Minerva Premier is typical of the Egnatia genre, faded elegance and rooms that could do with a revamp. If you’re on a budget, then you can’t go wrong with the location at least. At No.25, the Olympic (+30 231 056 6871) is even cheaper and dowdier. The El Greco has at least tried to spruce itself up but it’s still pretty much the same experience. Contemporary, comfortable and in Salonika’s historic centre, the Orestias Kastorias is a great find. If you need to stay near the train station, the Rotonda is handy if noisy, and some rooms a little cramped." ["post_title"]=> string(8) "Salonika" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(0) "" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(8) "salonika" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2021-12-23 21:40:50" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2021-12-23 21:40:50" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(36) "https://old.liberoguide.com/?p=23375" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [1]=> object(WP_Post)#4248 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(8892) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "3" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2014-11-04 07:41:54" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2014-11-04 07:41:54" ["post_content"]=> string(9023) "

Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game

Slap in the centre of the Peloponnese and its regional capital, Tripoli is the first town from the peninsula whose club has challenged the giants of Athens, Piraeus and Salonika. Europa League competitors for fourth successive season in 2015-16, Asteras Tripolis were also the first representatives of the Peloponnese in the top-flight Greek Superleague since Paniliakos in 2003-04. Asteras are also the only club from the region to reach the Greek Cup final, in 2013, when the Arcadians also achieved a first-ever third place in the league.

Arcadia, this area of the central and eastern Peloponnese, also lent its name to the regional league founded here on the eve of World War II. Asteras (‘Star’) had already been founded, in 1931. After the war, Asteras dominated the Arcadian League at various periods, until 2003. That was when new management arrived in Tripoli, and Asteras left lower-league football behind. While the likes of small Tripoli clubs such as Doxa and Elpida still ply their trade in the Arcadian League, the town’s second most significant club, Panarkadikos, battle with teams from Kalamata, Zakynthos and Kymi in the third tier Football League 2, group 3. Formed before Asteras, in 1927, Panarkadikos reached the Greek Cup quarter-finals in 1979-80 but top-flight football has eluded them.

[mapsmarker map="34"]

Getting Around

Arriving in town, local transport and tips

Previous Next The nearest international airport to Tripoli is Kalamata 80km (50 miles) away – but only serves summer flights from London, Birmingham and Manchester. Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos is 190km (118 miles) from Tripoli. For details of how to get into the capital, see Athens. There is no train service to Tripoli. Buses from Athens leave from KTEL Terminal A, by a main road at Kifissou 100, some 7km north-west of central Syntagma square. KTEL terminal A has no metro station. From Athens airport, it’s served by 24h bus X93 (€3.20 on board), which takes about 1hr from Arrivals level (door 5). It terminates at the KTEL bus terminal. Alternatively, from Syntagma in Athens city centre, it’s about a €10 taxi journey to the KTEL terminal, less than half that from Eleonas, further along the blue metro line from Syntagma and the airport. The KTEL bus (€15) for Tripoli leaves around every 1hr-1hr30min from Athens. Journey time is 2hrs. In Tripoli, the KTEL station is on Napfliou, a short walk from the stadium or a 10-15min walk/€4 taxi ride into town. Tripoli city centre is pleasantly pedestrianised and walkable.

Where to Drink

The best pubs and bars for football fans

Previous Next Cafés and bars line the parallel, pedestrianised streets of Ethnikis Antistaseos and Tasos Sechioti, and the square they lead to, Petrinou. Starting at Petrinou, the Barrak is a destination bar for coffee sippers by day, cocktail drinkers by night, when DJs occasionally man the decks. TVs are put up on major football nights. On the little street of Ermou, behind the Galaxy Hotel, Khovoli is a little bar run by an Asteras fan, responsible for the star sign outside and themed artwork within. Up Tasos Sechioti, the Grill Bar is refreshingly unpretentious, providing beer and meaty treats at knockdown prices. At No.38, the Cova Café lends a somewhat arty touch to the night’s imbibery. The big hit in the summer of 2014, the Kallisto lounge bar (Plateia Areos 5) only makes use of its leafy setting from spring to October – but may open for major nights in winter.

Where to stay

The best hotels for the stadium and city centre

Previous Next Tripoli has no tourist office but Arcadian Tours (Plateia Kolokotroni 7, +30 27102 23 614/30 163) can provide local information. There are a handful of hotels dotted around the city centre. On the prominent square of Agiou Vassiliou, the Galaxy (Plateia, +30 271 022 5195) is cheap but not too cheerful – modernisation would do wonders, given the location. A few steps away, the superior Mainolan Resort (+30 271 023 0300) is a comfortable three-star but priced as if it were at least one star higher. Less than 100 metres away on A.Georgiou, the Alex Hotel (No.26, +30 271 022 3465) is friendly and convivial, while slightly further along, the Arcadia on Plateia Kolokotroni is Tripoli’s main design-focused and business-friendly hotel. Doubles are offered at €70 online, €60 non-refundable. Finally, affordable Anaktorikon (48 Ethnikis Antistaseos, +30 271 022 6545) is close to the bar action." ["post_title"]=> string(7) "Tripoli" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(0) "" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(7) "tripoli" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2021-12-23 21:54:19" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2021-12-23 21:54:19" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(34) "http://www.liberoguide.net/?p=8892" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [2]=> object(WP_Post)#4139 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(1266) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "2" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2013-10-21 21:07:20" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2013-10-21 21:07:20" ["post_content"]=> string(17141) "

Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game

Home of the modern Olympics and a fiery football scene, Athens has staged several European finals but its clubs have only been involved in one. Nearly five decades after Ferenc Puskás led Panathinaikos out at Wembley for the 1971 European Cup Final against Ajax, no other club from the Greek capital, not even wealthy, dominant Olympiacos has followed in his footsteps.

Leaving the original 1896 Olympic Stadium as a public monument to sport, a century later the Greeks built a sports arena capable of hosting the Games: the Olympic Stadium.

Or rather rebuilt, as the modern-day Olympic Stadium was opened here in 1982. Two of the Athens’ top clubs had been using the large, all-seated, two-tiered Olympiako as their home ground. One of them, AEK, nearly went under in 2012-13, but have come back up the hard way after dropping down to the third as amateurs. AEK’s revival and return to the Super League in 2015 re-established the Big Three. AEK’s title win of 2018, after 24 years, broke the near 20-year hegemony of Olympiacos, champions 19 times since 1997.

Until the 2022 unveiling of their Agia Sophia Stadium, AEK were the only ones left in the Olympic arena. Derby games with Panathinaikos and Olympiacos barely fill half the 69,000 capacity of this white elephant – for AEK’s home games with provincial opposition, crowds were counted in four figures.

In 2013, AEK announced plans for a new ground at their old stomping ground of Nea Filadelfia. The club are now owned by one of the richest men in Greece, Dimitris Melissanidis, his money made in fuel and betting. A display of the future Agia Sophia was revealed in 2015, church, barber shop, shoe shop, sauna and all. The Hellenic theme echoes the history of AEK themselves, formed by Greek refugees from Constantinople.

After a long-term residency at the Olympic Stadium, Panathinaikos are back at their old stomping ground of Ambelokipi, north of Athens city centre. Even the Greek national side have moved out, preferring to play at the Karaiskakis, contemporary home of dominant club Olympiacos. Located down in the port of Piraeus, this impressive stadium was also completely rebuilt for the 2004 Games (and used, by the way, in 1896).

Little Atromitos are based in Peristeri, western Athens. The Greek Cup runners-up in 2011 also earned consecutive play-off places in the league from 2012 to 2014. Their subsequent performances in the Europa League were not without merit either, an honourable defeat to Newcastle followed by away-goals exit to AZ Alkmaar.

Panionios represent Nea Smyrni and are perennially found mid-table in the Greek league. Meanwhile venerable Apollon, founded in 1891, gained promotion from the second flight to the Super League in 2013, but went straight back down in 2014. In May 2018, the attendance at Apollon’s Giorgios Kamaras Stadium in Rizoupoli was inflated to 12,000, many of the spectators AEK fans eager to see their club lift the Super League trophy after 24 years. As the nearest metro station is Perissos, close to where the new AEK stadium now stands, they didn’t have to travel too far.

[mapsmarker map="34"]

Getting Around

Arriving in town, local transport and timings

Athens International Airport is 20km (12 miles) east of the city, 30km (19 miles) by road. From the airport, the Athens metro blue line 3 links to central Syntagma station (every 30mins, journey time 40mins). A single journey into town, with an Ath.enaTicket or Ath.enaCard (both rechargeable but the card requires an initial top-up fee of €4.50), is €10. This includes one onward journey from Syntagma, overall validity 90mins. For a three-day pass with two airport transfers, there and back, it’s €22.

These tickets are also valid for the suburban rail line from the airport, seven stops/25min to Neratziotissa by the Olympic Stadium. Express bus X95 to Syntagma takes at least 70mins but at €6 is cheaper than the metro.

A taxi from the airport into town has a flat rate of €38, €54 between midnight-5am.

Around town, a single journey valid for 90mins is €1.40, a 24hr ticket is €4.50, both using the Ath.enaTicket or Ath.enaCard. For a cab journey across town, contact Taxi Athens (+30 211 800 9110).

Where to Drink

The best pubs and bars for football fans

Previous Next

The hub of Athens’ nightlife scene is in Psyrrí, the other side of Ermou from Plaka. With its classic images of cinematic Athens, Old Fashioned (Miaouli 16) is typical of the genre. Nearby on Pl Iroon, Beertime offers any number of ales. 

Across Ermou in Plaka, in the shadow of the Acropolis, venues include the James Joyce pub. On the other side of the Acropolis, the Athens Sports Bar at Veikou 3A is a small spot that attracts backpackers from the adjoining hostel. Greek soccer shirts complement the many Australian football ones. 

In a city of trendy cocktail bars, you'll have to trek across Athens for more pub-like destinations. The bizarrely named Sporaki Seed Irish Rock Pub on Archelaou in Pangrati shows major games but it otherwise as Irish as the pizza it serves. It's nice and lively, all the same, with a dartboard if you need it.

Previous Next

Athens also has a Scottish pub, the Wee Dram near Panormou metro station up in Ambelokipi, with plentiful screens tuned to sport, whiskies lining the back bar and regular quiz nights for its many regulars.

In summer, the action moves down to the beach at Glyfada along the Apollo coast. A few blocks inland near Plateia Esperidon tram stop an easy glide from town, Molly Malone’s has been pulling pints for decades, TV sport now shown on several screens.

In the same family, O’Connell’s provides more televised action, Guinness, Kilkenny and pub grub near the cruise terminal in Piraeus.

Where to stay

The best hotels for the stadiums and city centre

Previous Next

This is Athens has tourist information and a hotel-booking function.

Conveniently located by focal Syntagma Square, Electra has is one of two business-friendly and spa-equipped establishments under the same umbrella – the Electra Palace is also close, with marble-tiled bathrooms and a rooftop pool.

The Radisson Blu Park Hotel has Acropolis views from its restaurant as well as a pool and garden on its roof. Also convenient for the sights, the four-star Titania has recently been renovated.

The Best Western group has five hotels around the city, including the Candia, near the train station, with its panoramic rooftop pool. Also near the station, the neat Delta and stylish Neos Olympos, a 1938 original since renovated, are in the affordable bracket. The Athens Lotus is a four-star with two-star prices on booking sites.

In Piraeus, there’s little near Olympiacos but the Piraeus City has doubles near the port for around €80.

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Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game

Thessaloniki to locals, Saloon to nearby Bulgarians, Salonika is the second city of Greece and capital of Greek Macedonia. Spread round a sweeping bay with glimpses of Mount Olympus off in the background, Salonika has a setting as dramatic as its Balkan heritage. Across to the east, you’re little more than three hours’ drive from the Turkish border. In the early 1900s, when the city first witnessed organised football, Salonika was still under five centuries of Ottoman rule. Its three main clubs, Iraklis, Aris and PAOK, were all formed during these tumultuous years, when Salonika passed into Greek hands and the city filled with refugees fleeing what is now Turkey. These events still linger in the long-established dynamic between the three.

Iraklis is Γηραιός, the grand old man, Aris the proud locals, PAOK the interlopers set up by Greek expats from Constantinople. Iraklis, formed when Salonika was still Ottoman, defiantly wear the blue-and-white of the Greek flag. Aris, the stirring yellow of Greek Macedonia. PAOK first ran out in stark black, a symbol of mourning for the loss of Asia Minor. Though Salonika’s most successful club soon introduced white into the design, black remains the predominant colour around the club’s foreboding Toumba Stadium. Like that of AEK Athens, founded by refugees with the same ideal of creating a communal refuge for Hellenics chased out of modern-day Turkey, PAOK’s badge harks back to a Byzantine past. When PAOK meet AEK, it is known as the Derby of the Double-Headed Eagle. For a while there was also an AEK Thessaloniki, before being merged with PAOK in 1929 when the symbol was adopted.

Iraklis have links to the first match played in Salonika, between a foreign residents’ XI, the Union Sportive, and the football team of a Greek cultural society, in 1905. These players, who beat the French-speaking diplomats and entrepreneurs 3-0, merged with an athletics club in 1908, later given as the foundation date for the city’s most venerable club. Originally naming it Macedonia – a reference to this area of Greece, long before any current national borders were in place – its members toned down the somewhat patriotic name of their new venture to appease their Ottoman rulers as ethnic tension rose. Iraklis – ‘Heracles’, or Hercules to many Western Europeans – echoed Greek heritage without giving offence.

Such, in many ways, is the club today. While PAOK fans embrace the fearsome black-and-white brigades of Partizan Belgrade as brothers, and gold-wearing Aris pair with raucous Borussia Dortmund, Iraklis supporters are chummy with Hércules of Alicante. Iraklis won the first Thessaloniki Championship in 1914 when Aris were formed, and the two monopolised the Macedonian Association championship (EPSM) from its introduction in 1923 until the late 1940s. The association had three founding members: Aris, Iraklis and Megas Alexandros (‘Alexander the Great’), who still play in the regional league, at Marias Kallas behind the main concert hall. Until 1959, the EPSM league decided the champions of northern Greece, who then played off for the national title against the winners of the Athens and Piraeus leagues. Aris were declared first all-Greek champions in 1927-28 but it wasn’t until a full national league was instigated in 1959 that the Salonika-Athens polarisation really took hold. Aris and PAOK had not long moved into modern-day football grounds, engendering a partisan fan culture. Games in which either Salonika giant opposed anyone from Athens gained ever more venom. PAOK-Olympiakos is as vicious a clash as you’ll find in Europe. Only twice has a club from Salonika, PAOK, won the national league title in nearly 60 years. Each of the big three, however, has played 50-plus seasons in the top flight, PAOK never relegated. PAOK-Aris is, of course, the key local fixture. Before the 1950s, the teams were based more centrally, Aris just behind Alexander’s Garden on prominent boulevard Leoforos Stratou, PAOK at Syntrivani near today’s Expo grounds. As the city expanded, Aris bought a plot in Harilaou, tucked inland from the southern end of the bay. PAOK moved to a new-build in hillier Toumba at the city’s eastern outskirts, close to today’s A25 motorway that runs to the Bulgarian border. The opening of the Stadio Kaftanzoglio in 1960 offered the national side an excuse to play away from the spotlight of Athens. As the biggest sports arena in the country, it shared showcase duties with hosting Iraklis until the Olympic Stadium was built in Athens in 1982. Its only European final was a controversial one, AC Milan’s notorious Cup-Winners’ Cup win over Leeds in 1973, atrociously refereed by Christos Michas, later investigated for his conduct. Still a high-profile athletics arena, the Kaftanzoglio was a major venue for the 2004 Olympic football tournament – here an Italian side captained by Andrea Pirlo won bronze against Iraq. Near the stadium, the Olympic Museum (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-2pm) has a modest display of artefacts. Regular tenants Iraklis are now back at the Kaftanzoglio after the historic club was folded as a legal entity due to bureaucratic shenanigans, and a new one created in 2012. One other club is worthy of mention. In Kalamaria, once a separate community now subsumed into Salonika, Apollon play at the junction of Papagou and Chilis, about 4km along the seafront from the landmark White Tower in town. Their probable promotion in 2017 from the Gamma Ethniki to the second-tier Football League should allow them to join Aris, the previous Group 1 (northern) Gamma champions in 2016 after being demoted in 2014. Apollon’s ground has its own bus stop (No.45089), Gipedo Apollona Kalamarias, on the No.05, 05A and 06 routes. It’s about 25min from Saloniki’s main square of Plateia Aristotelous. [mapsmarker map="34"]

Getting Around

Arriving in town, local transport and tips

Previous Next Thessaloniki Airport is 13km (eight miles) south of the city centre. Bus No.78 runs into town every 30min (€2 on board, exact change into machine, journey time 40-50min), calling at the main square of Plateia Aristotelous, then the main train station, Neos Sidirodromikos Stathmos, before terminating at the intercity bus station, KTEL. The train station, just past the north-west end of main avenue Egnatia, is a 10min walk into town, KTEL further out. Egnatia runs parallel to Nikis, the seafront promenade. A taxi from the airport into town should cost around €20, €25 tops. All three stadiums are at the opposite end of the city from the train/bus stations and way too far to walk from there. From the waterfront White Tower, the Kaftanzoglio is a stretch but walkable – Toumba and Harilaou are a bus/taxi ride away. City buses, including the airport service, are run by OASTH. A single ticket is €1 from any number of kiosks, exact change €1.10 on board. Two trips within 70min is €1.20/exact change €1.30 on board. Taxi Thess (+30 69721 54399) has reasonable prices and online booking.

Where to Drink

The best pubs and bars for football fans

Previous Next Salonika is party town. Terrace cafés line seafront Nikis and lively bars dot the former olive-oil stores and warehouses of nearby Ladadika. In terms of pubs, there’s nothing to match the wonderful Green Bottle, sadly closed in 2016. In Ladadika, The Pub and The Dubliner both broadcast football. Note that Piccadilly, in the same vicinity, is more schmoozy club than rowdy pub. Along Nikis, On The Road at No.61 has a real lived-in, homely feel – no football but a friendly pint all the same. One block behind, at Proxenou Koromila 47, To Nero Pou Kalei has been a fabulous cult café for years, always worth a visit. Right across town toward Kalamaria, the lively Bristol Pub concentrates more on sought-after beers and quality sounds – a fine place, but you’ll probably need a taxi for the hop back to the city centre afterwards.

Where to stay

The best hotels for the stadiums and city centre

Previous Next The otherwise excellent website for the Thessaloniki Tourism Organisation leaves accommodation information to the Thessaloniki Hotels Association. Salonika has scores of hotels, old-school cheapies along Egnatia, showcase high-end jobs around Aristotle Square. There are no hotels near any of the three stadiums – plus you’d be way out of the centre. The city’s most famous lodging, the Electra Palace Hotel, exudes elegance, its summer-only rooftop pool gazing out over the Thermaic Gulf. There’s a heated pool, sauna and gym inside, roof-garden restaurant and even the most modest guestrooms come with marbled-tiled bathrooms. Nearby on Tsimiski, mid-range Le Palace goes big on comfort, with a pillow menu, mattress menu and Coco-mat beds. Quality Greek breakfast too. Lining Egnatia are hotels of varying standards, many of them age-old, the Kinissi Palace a contemporary and convivial exception. Opposite, the Minerva Premier is typical of the Egnatia genre, faded elegance and rooms that could do with a revamp. If you’re on a budget, then you can’t go wrong with the location at least. At No.25, the Olympic (+30 231 056 6871) is even cheaper and dowdier. The El Greco has at least tried to spruce itself up but it’s still pretty much the same experience. Contemporary, comfortable and in Salonika’s historic centre, the Orestias Kastorias is a great find. If you need to stay near the train station, the Rotonda is handy if noisy, and some rooms a little cramped." ["post_title"]=> string(8) "Salonika" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(0) "" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(8) "salonika" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2021-12-23 21:40:50" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2021-12-23 21:40:50" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(36) "https://old.liberoguide.com/?p=23375" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } ["comment_count"]=> int(0) ["current_comment"]=> int(-1) ["found_posts"]=> int(3) ["max_num_pages"]=> int(1) ["max_num_comment_pages"]=> int(0) ["is_single"]=> bool(false) ["is_preview"]=> bool(false) ["is_page"]=> bool(false) ["is_archive"]=> bool(true) ["is_date"]=> bool(false) ["is_year"]=> bool(false) ["is_month"]=> bool(false) ["is_day"]=> bool(false) ["is_time"]=> bool(false) ["is_author"]=> bool(false) ["is_category"]=> bool(true) ["is_tag"]=> bool(false) ["is_tax"]=> bool(false) ["is_search"]=> bool(false) ["is_feed"]=> bool(false) ["is_comment_feed"]=> bool(false) ["is_trackback"]=> bool(false) ["is_home"]=> bool(false) ["is_privacy_policy"]=> bool(false) ["is_404"]=> bool(false) ["is_embed"]=> bool(false) ["is_paged"]=> bool(false) ["is_admin"]=> bool(false) ["is_attachment"]=> bool(false) ["is_singular"]=> bool(false) ["is_robots"]=> bool(false) ["is_favicon"]=> bool(false) ["is_posts_page"]=> bool(false) ["is_post_type_archive"]=> bool(false) ["query_vars_hash":"WP_Query":private]=> string(32) "f8ff2081275b6e2ce17789c17d78c1d0" ["query_vars_changed":"WP_Query":private]=> bool(false) ["thumbnails_cached"]=> bool(false) ["allow_query_attachment_by_filename":protected]=> bool(false) ["stopwords":"WP_Query":private]=> NULL ["compat_fields":"WP_Query":private]=> array(2) { [0]=> string(15) "query_vars_hash" [1]=> string(18) "query_vars_changed" } ["compat_methods":"WP_Query":private]=> array(2) { [0]=> string(16) "init_query_flags" [1]=> string(15) "parse_tax_query" } ["query_cache_key":"WP_Query":private]=> string(41) "wp_query:741752f00db9699d485595615b61e7bc" }