The long promenade running east from the White Tower — Nikis Avenue and then Megalou Alexandrou — is lined with café tables looking out over the Thermaic Gulf toward Mount Olympus. This is where Thessaloniki actually spends its afternoons and evenings: students with a single freddo espresso, families with children running between the tables, couples watching the sun set behind the mountains.
The coffee is Greek-style: order a freddo espresso (iced espresso shaken cold, topped with froth) or a freddo cappuccino, served in a tall glass. The cafés are open from morning to past midnight and the quality varies little between them — it is the location, not the menu, that matters here. In summer the seafront fills from evening until well past midnight; in winter the same ritual plays out, moved inside but no less serious. The walk from the White Tower east to the Concert Hall takes about 30 minutes at a steady pace, with a café stop available every 100 metres.