The Thermaikos waterfront runs for several kilometres along the edge of the Thermaic Gulf, from the port in the west to the White Tower and beyond. It is the city's living room — a wide promenade where people walk, cycle, sit on benches watching the water, and gather at sunset in numbers that suggest a communal ritual. On clear days the cone of Mount Olympus rises directly across the bay, close enough to feel like a presence in the city.
The stretch from Aristotelous Square to the White Tower is the most animated, with café terraces, the gardens by the Concert Hall, and the outdoor sculpture installations along the water's edge. Early morning is good for a run or a walk with almost no one about; sunset brings out everyone, and the light that falls across the bay in the late afternoon is famously good.