Thessaloniki from a Skybar: Why the City Looks Different at Rooftop Level
Thessaloniki is a city that rewards different perspectives. At street level, it is dense, layered, and rich in detail: Byzantine church domes rising above neoclassical facades, the smell of the Kapani market drifting through adjacent streets, the pace of the seafront promenade setting the rhythm of the evening. All of this is the city at eye level.
From above, the same city reveals its structure. The arc of the Thermaic Gulf becomes visible in full. The Byzantine walls of the upper town are traceable against the hillside to the north. The waterfront promenade is readable as a continuous line from the port to the White Tower and beyond. The rooftops of the centre, which are invisible from the street, form a textured layer between you and the sky.
A skybar in Thessaloniki, positioned above a central address, gives you both versions of the city simultaneously: the buzz of the streets below and the panorama above. The Imperial Rooftop at Imperial Plus | Urban Smart Hotel is exactly that: a rooftop bar positioned above Egnatia Street, the historic east-west spine of the city, with an unobstructed view that covers everything worth seeing in central Thessaloniki.
This article covers what the Imperial Rooftop is, what the view and experience are like, when to visit, how to get there, and why this particular skybar is a different proposition from anything else on offer in the city.
What Is the Imperial Rooftop?
A Skybar Above the Centre of Thessaloniki
The Imperial Rooftop is the uppermost bar and garden space of Imperial Plus, a hotel on Egnatia Street in the heart of Thessaloniki. The position matters: most rooftop bars derive their appeal from how high you are. The Imperial Rooftop derives its appeal from height combined with centrality. Because Imperial Plus sits on Egnatia, the rooftop does not look at Thessaloniki from a distance. It looks at it from inside.
The space operates as a proper skybar: a drinks service, seating designed for the view, a garden element that softens the urban roofscape below, and the kind of atmosphere that encourages a single drink to become multiple. It is open to hotel guests as a guest amenity and to visitors from outside the hotel, making it one of the few genuinely accessible skybar options in central Thessaloniki.
What the View Covers
The view from the Imperial Rooftop is the reason to come. Starting south, the axis of Aristotelous Square runs directly below toward the Thermaic Gulf. The neoclassical buildings of the square are visible, and beyond them the sea opens flat to the horizon.
Looking east, the White Tower marks the far end of the waterfront at 12 minutes on foot. The promenade is visible as a ribbon of activity along the coast. Looking north, the Byzantine walls of the upper town climb the hillside and the Ottoman rooftops of Ano Poli sit against the green of the slope. Looking west, the cranes of the port and the warehouse rooflines of ta Ladadika define the edge of the central city.
The Best Time to Visit the Imperial Rooftop
Late afternoon into evening is the optimal window. In the hour before sunset, the light over the Thermaic Gulf transitions through gold and amber in a way that is specific to the flat sea-facing geometry of Thessaloniki’s coastline. The city below shifts from the white noise of a working afternoon to the lower, warmer register of an evening beginning.
After dinner in Ladadika is the natural second option. Ladadika is 8 minutes on foot from Imperial Plus. A pattern many guests and visitors fall into: dinner in the warehouse district, drinks at the rooftop to close the evening, the city lit below for the duration.
Morning coffee, for hotel guests, is the underused option. The rooftop in the quiet of a Thessaloniki morning, before the city fills, offers a different and valuable perspective on the day ahead.
Location: Why Being on Egnatia Changes the Skybar Experience
The Central Address Makes the View
Most skybars in any city share a structural problem: they are peripheral. Hotels large enough to justify rooftop bars often sit outside the historic centre, on plots where height is architecturally feasible and land cost is manageable. The view from a peripheral rooftop is the city at a distance. Interesting, but not immersive.
The Imperial Rooftop sits above Egnatia Street, the Roman road that has defined the east-west axis of Thessaloniki since the 2nd century BC. The view is not Thessaloniki from outside. It is Thessaloniki from its own spine.
Getting to the Imperial Rooftop
Imperial Plus is located in central Thessaloniki, on Egnatia Street. From the main reference points of the city:
- Aristotelous Square: 4 minutes on foot
- Ladadika: 8 minutes on foot
- Modiano Market: 5 minutes on foot
- Seafront promenade: 7 minutes on foot
- White Tower: 12 minutes on foot
For a visitor spending the day in central Thessaloniki, the Imperial Rooftop is not a destination that requires planning. It is a natural stop at any point in the evening, reachable on foot from every main attraction in the city.
From Thessaloniki Airport (SKG): a taxi takes 20 to 25 minutes and costs approximately €18 to €22. Bus Line 78A runs to the city centre for under €1 in approximately 45 minutes.
The Imperial Rooftop Experience
The Drinks
The Imperial Rooftop bar serves a curated selection calibrated for a skybar setting: Greek wines, cocktails, spirits, and non-alcoholic options. The emphasis is on quality of selection over volume, in keeping with the atmosphere of a space designed for guests who want to sit with a drink and look at the city.
Greek wines from northern producers are a particular focus and a genuinely good choice from this vantage point. Thessaloniki sits at the centre of one of the most dynamic wine-producing regions in the country. A glass of Xinomavro or Assyrtiko on a rooftop above Egnatia, with the Thermaic Gulf visible to the south, is one of those experiences that belongs specifically to this place and no other.
The Atmosphere
The Imperial Rooftop is designed to be genuinely calm rather than performatively trendy. The seating prioritizes the view over capacity. The garden element, integrated into the rooftop design, softens the transition between the urban street below and the open sky above. The sound level is the ambient noise of Thessaloniki at rooftop height: present but not intrusive, the city audible rather than overwhelming.
It is the kind of skybar where a conversation is possible, a silence is comfortable, and the view does most of the work.
As an Informal Meeting Space
The Imperial Rooftop functions effectively as a venue for the kind of meeting that does not belong in a conference room. Client drinks with a view, a post-meeting debrief in an outdoor setting, or a relaxed conversation that benefits from the natural focus of a panorama. For business travellers staying at Imperial Plus, particularly those attending events at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre (HelExpo), the rooftop adds a hospitality dimension that a standard hotel lobby cannot replicate.
The Rooms That Complement the Rooftop
For guests who want to stay at Imperial Plus and make the Imperial Rooftop a key part of the visit, the room categories that complement the skybar experience best are:
The Executive King Bed with City View and Balcony gives you the city view from your own private balcony as well as the panoramic perspective from the rooftop. Two outdoor vantage points on Thessaloniki at different scales, both from within the same stay.
The Executive Junior Suite with City View and Balcony adds a separate seating area and a larger balcony. For a special occasion visit where the rooftop is part of the celebration and the room itself should feel like a deliberate choice, this is the right booking.
The Deluxe King Bed with City View is the well-calibrated option for guests who want rooftop access and a city-facing room without the balcony premium.
All rooms include the Imperial Plus breakfast buffet as an available option: a wide hot and cold selection served in under 30 minutes, setting the right pace for a day that ends at the rooftop. Check the current direct booking offers for packages that include breakfast at a bundled rate.
Imperial Rooftop vs Imperial Palace: Two Distinct Experiences
Imperial Hospitality operates two hotels in central Thessaloniki. They share a location and standards, but offer different experiences. For guests for whom the skybar is a key reason to stay:
Imperial Plus is the hotel with the Imperial Rooftop. Smart rooms, city views, efficient breakfast, and the rooftop as a defining amenity. The right choice for guests who want the skybar as part of their stay.
Imperial Palace | Classical Hotel is the spacious classical alternative: generous rooms and suites, a full sit-down breakfast, and a design suited to longer stays, families, and guests who desire a classical aesthetic with rooftop access a few minutes away. Full room and suite options at Imperial Palace here.
Both are centrally located. Both offer direct booking advantages via the current offers page.
“Best For…” — Imperial Rooftop Skybar Thessaloniki
Best for: Hotel guests at Imperial Plus who want a rooftop skybar included in their stay, not charged as a separate entry.
Best for: Couples on a city break or special occasion trip who want sunset drinks above Thessaloniki with the Thermaic Gulf as the backdrop.
Best for: First-time visitors to Thessaloniki who want to understand the geography of the city from above before exploring it on foot.
Best for: Business travellers who want an informal meeting venue with a view, calmer than a lobby bar and more atmospheric than a conference room.
Best for: Anyone spending the evening in Ladadika or the Aristotelous Square area who wants to end the night above the city rather than in it.
Best for: Visitors who want a specifically Thessaloniki experience: Greek wine from northern producers, the Thermaic Gulf to the south, the Byzantine upper town to the north, and the city’s 2,300-year-old spine immediately below.
Practical Information
Is the Imperial Rooftop open to non-hotel guests?
Yes. The Imperial Rooftop is accessible to visitors who are not staying at Imperial Plus, subject to availability. For groups or visits during peak periods, contacting the hotel in advance is advisable. The Imperial Plus contact page is the most direct route to confirm access and availability.
How do I get to Imperial Plus on Egnatia?
Imperial Plus is on Egnatia Street in central Thessaloniki. By taxi from the airport: 20 to 25 minutes, approximately €18 to €22. By Bus Line 78A: approximately 45 minutes, under €1. From Aristotelous Square: 4 minutes on foot.
Is parking available near the Imperial Rooftop?
Paid car parks are within 2 to 3 minutes on foot of Imperial Plus. The front desk team can direct you to the most convenient option on arrival or in advance via the contact page.
FAQ: Skybar in Thessaloniki — Imperial Rooftop
What is the Imperial Rooftop at Imperial Plus?
The Imperial Rooftop is the skybar and garden space at the top of Imperial Plus | Urban Smart Hotel on Egnatia Street, Thessaloniki. It offers panoramic views over the city centre, the Thermaic Gulf, and the surrounding landmarks, with a curated drinks menu and seating designed around the view. It is open to hotel guests and visitors.
Where exactly is the Imperial Rooftop skybar in Thessaloniki?
The Imperial Rooftop is on top of Imperial Plus | Urban Smart Hotel on Egnatia Street, the historic central artery of Thessaloniki. Aristotelous Square is 4 minutes on foot below. Ladadika is 8 minutes on foot. The White Tower is 12 minutes on foot. Full location details are here.
Is the Imperial Rooftop open to the public?
Yes, subject to availability. Visitors who are not staying at Imperial Plus can access the Imperial Rooftop. For groups or peak-period visits, contact the hotel in advance via the Imperial Plus contact page to confirm access.
What is the best time to visit the Imperial Rooftop skybar?
Late afternoon into early evening, particularly in the hour before and after sunset. The light over the Thermaic Gulf during this period is exceptional and specific to Thessaloniki’s coastal geometry. After dinner in ta Ladadika, 8 minutes on foot, the Imperial Rooftop is the natural final stop for an evening in the city.
What drinks are available at the Imperial Rooftop?
A curated selection of Greek wines, cocktails, spirits, and non-alcoholic drinks. Northern Greek wines, including Xinomavro and Assyrtiko from local producers, are a particular focus. The drinks list is calibrated for a skybar setting: quality over volume, suited to guests who want to sit with a drink and take in the view.
Which room at Imperial Plus is best if the Imperial Rooftop is a priority?
The Executive King Bed with City View and Balcony and the Executive Junior Suite with City View and Balcony are the strongest choices. Both combine a private balcony with city views at room level and access to the Imperial Rooftop at building level, giving two distinct outdoor perspectives on Thessaloniki within a single stay.
Can I use the Imperial Rooftop for a business event or meeting?
Yes. The Imperial Rooftop functions as an effective venue for informal business meetings, client drinks, and post-meeting conversations that benefit from an outdoor setting with a view. Contact the team via the Imperial Plus contact page to discuss availability and any specific arrangements.
The Bottom Line
Thessaloniki is a city that offers more perspectives than most visitors have time to find. The one most commonly missed is the view from above: the roofscape of the historic centre, the full arc of the Thermaic Gulf, the Byzantine walls against the northern hillside, and the city’s 2,300-year-old east-west axis directly below.
The Imperial Rooftop at Imperial Plus is where that perspective is available. A skybar above the centre of Thessaloniki, open to hotel guests and visitors, with Greek wine and a view that earns its place in any itinerary.
Browse the full room selection for a stay that includes the rooftop, check the current direct booking offers, and get in touch with any questions.