Is Thessaly the same as Thessaloniki? Where Thessaly is and what to see
No: Thessaly is a region of central Greece, Thessaloniki a city further north. Where Thessaly is, its five regional units, and the places that bring travellers here.
At a glance
- Thessaly is
- A region of central Greece, capital Larissa
- Thessaloniki is
- A city in the region of Central Macedonia, north of Thessaly
- Distance
- Larissa–Thessaloniki about 150 km by road
- Regional units
- Larissa, Magnesia, Trikala, Karditsa, Sporades
- Area
- About 14,000 square kilometres
- Population
- About 700,000
- Best-known destinations
- Meteora, Mount Olympus, Pelion, Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonissos, Lake Plastiras
If you have ever confused Thessaly with Thessaloniki, you are in good company: it is one of the most common questions people type into search engines about this part of Greece. The short answer is that they are two different places. Thessaly is a region in the centre of mainland Greece. Thessaloniki is a city further north, in Macedonia, about 150 kilometres by road from Larissa, the capital of Thessaly.
The names are related. The city was named after Thessalonike, a sister of Alexander the Great, whose name is usually explained as "Thessalian victory", after a victory their father, Philip II of Macedon, won in Thessaly.
Where Thessaly is
Thessaly is the heart of mainland Greece: a wide, fertile plain crossed by the river Pineios, ringed by mountains. Mount Olympus and Mount Ossa rise to the north, the Pindus and Agrafa ranges to the west, Mount Othrys to the south, and Mount Pelion to the east, where the land drops into the Aegean Sea.
Five regional units
The Region of Thessaly has its capital at Larissa and five regional units:
- Larissa: the plain, the city with its ancient theatre, the Vale of Tempe and the Thessalian side of Mount Olympus.
- Magnesia: Volos and Mount Pelion, with its stone villages and its beaches on the Aegean and the Pagasetic Gulf.
- Trikala: Meteora, Kalambaka, and the Pindus highlands around Elati and Pertouli.
- Karditsa: Lake Plastiras and the Agrafa mountains.
- Sporades: Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos, with the National Marine Park.
What brings travellers here
Meteora is by far the best-known destination in the region. Then come Mount Pelion, where mountain villages and beaches are only a few kilometres apart; the Sporades, reached by air through Skiathos or by ferry from Volos; and Mount Olympus, which you can also climb from the Thessalian side, from Elassona.
Less known, but just as rewarding: the Neolithic settlements of Sesklo and Dimini, among the oldest in Europe; the Vale of Tempe; Lake Plastiras; and the more than a thousand towns and villages of the plain and the mountains, which we record in the magazine's village guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Thessaly the same as Thessaloniki?
No. Thessaly is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, in the centre of the mainland, with Larissa as its capital. Thessaloniki is Greece's second-largest city and lies further north, in the region of Central Macedonia, about 150 km by road from Larissa.
Why do Thessaly and Thessaloniki have similar names?
The city of Thessaloniki was named after Thessalonike, a sister of Alexander the Great. Her name is usually explained as “Thessalian victory”, after a victory of their father, Philip II of Macedon, in Thessaly.
Is Meteora in Thessaly?
Yes. Meteora is in the Trikala regional unit of Thessaly, above the town of Kalambaka.
Is Skiathos in Thessaly?
Yes. Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos belong to the region of Thessaly, in the Sporades regional unit. Skyros, although also counted among the Sporades, belongs to Euboea.
Is Mount Olympus in Thessaly?
Partly. The mountain is shared between Thessaly and Macedonia: its southern and western side, around Elassona and Kokkinopilos, is in the Larissa regional unit, while Litochoro is in Pieria, in Macedonia.
What is the capital of Thessaly?
Larissa, the largest city of the region, in the middle of the Thessalian plain.