You won't find any beaches right in the centre of Thessaloniki, but if you're just heading into town for a long weekend and don't want to continue on to the more famous resorts of Halkidiki, there are good swimming opportunities available here too.
The nearest beach is in the suburb of Perea (sometimes spelled Pereia), which is accessible by boat and bus.
Swimming and beach facilities
The beach follows the entire coastline of Peraia and continues uninterrupted to the neighbouring town of Agia Triada. In total, this continuous strip of beach measures almost 4 km.
The surface of the beach is sandy and pebbly and you should be prepared for overcrowding, especially at weekends. The beach is very narrow in some places and there will only be room for one row of sunbeds.
Along the whole beach you will find a number of restaurants, snack bars and cafes, and you will also find shops selling food or beach equipment.
The entrance to the water is very gradual, and although the overall environment here is probably not the nicest in Greece, Perea is definitely suitable for a half-day relaxing by the sea.
How to get to the beach?
The quickest way to get there is by boat, which leave from several points in the centre of Thessaloniki, particularly the main port and the White Tower.
The cruise takes about 60-75 minutes depending on where you set sail from and there are several companies operating, they usually sail 4-6 times a day and you can always find the sailing schedule at the dock. A one way ticket works out at 6 eur.
An alternative option is to take one of the many bus lines from the centre to the IKEA bus station (e.g. lines 3 or 36), from where bus lines 72 or 72A run to Perey about every 10 minutes.
What to see around
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