Thessaloniki is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia. . According to the 2001 census, the municipality of Thessaloniki had a population of 363,979. The entire Thessaloniki Urban Area had a population of 763,459

Thessaloniki is Greece's second major economic, industrial, commercial and political centre, and a major transportation hub for the rest of southeastern Europe; its commercial port is also of great importance for Greece and its southeast European hinterland.
Thessaloniki is home of a number of festivals and events, including the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair which has been hosted at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre. Over 300,000 visitors attended in 2007. The Thessaloniki International Film Festival has been established as one of the most important film festivals in Southeastern Europe, with a number of notable film makers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Faye Dunaway, Catherine Deneuve, Irene Pappas and Fatih Akın taking part to it. The Documentary Festivals, founded in 1999, has focused on documentaries that explore global social and cultural developments, with many of the films presented being candidates for FIPRESCI and Audience Awards. The Demetria festival, founded in 1966 and named after the city's patron saint of St. Demetrious, has focused on a wide range of events including music, theatre, dance, local happenings, and exhibitions. The "DMC DJ Championships" has been hosted at the International Trade Fair of Thessaloniki and has become a worldwide event for aspiring DJ's and turntablists. The "International Festival of Photography" has taken place every February to mid-April. Exhibitions for the event are sited in museums, heritage landmarks, galleries, bookshops and cafés

Public transport in Thessaloniki is by buses. The bus company operating in the city is called Organismos Astikon Syginonion Thessalonikis (OASTH), or Thessaloniki Urban Transportation Organization.
The city is a railway hub for the Balkans, with direct connections to Sofia, Skopje, Belgrade, Moscow, Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest and Istanbul, alongside Athens and other destinations in Greece.Air traffic to and from the city is served by Makedonia International Airport, for both international and domestic flights. The short length of the airport's two runways means that it does not currently support intercontinental flights, although there are plans for a major expansion extending one of its runways into the Thermaic Gulf, despite considerable opposition from local environmentalist groups.


The construction of the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Rail way began in 2006 and is scheduled for completion in late 2012.The line is set to extend over 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) and include 13 stations, and it is expected that the subway will eventually serve 250,000 passengers daily. Some stations of the Thessaloniki Metro will house a number of archaeological finds.
Discussions are underway on future expansion, in order to connect the underground with the major transport hubs for the city, the Makedonia Central Bus Station, the Central Rail way Station and Macedonia International Airport. Expansions to Kallamaria, the easternmost district of Thessaloniki, and to Stavroupoli in the west, are part of the initial construction phase. Expansion plans include the districts of Eleftherio-Kordelio and the northern districts, such as Toumpa.