Thessaloníki

Worth seeing in and around Thessaloníki

10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Basilica of Agios Dimitrios, Thessaloniki

   The Church of Saint Demetrius, or Hagios Demetrios, is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki, dating from a time when it was the second largest city of the Byzantine Empire. Since 1988, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a part of the site Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki.

   1 km · church in Thessaloniki, Greece · Wikipedia
2. 02
   White Tower of Thessaloniki

   The White Tower of Thessaloniki is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city of Thessaloniki, capital of the region of Macedonia in northern Greece. The present tower likely replaced an old Byzantine fortification, known to have been mentioned around the 12th century, that the Ottoman Empire reconstructed to fortify the city's fortress some time after Sultan Murad II captured Thessaloniki in 1430.

   1.9 km · fortified tower · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki

   The city of Thessaloniki in Macedonia, Greece, for several centuries the second-most important city of the Byzantine Empire, played an important role for Christianity during the Middle Ages and was decorated by impressive buildings. Because of Thessaloniki's importance during the early Christian and Byzantine periods, the city contains several Paleochristian monuments that have significantly contributed to the development of Byzantine art and architecture throughout the Byzantine Empire and Serbia.

   1 km · UNESCO World Heritage Site in Macedonia, Greece · Wikipedia
4. 04
   Hagia Sophia

   The Hagia Sophia is a church located in Thessaloniki, Greece. With its current structure dating from the 7th century, it is one of the oldest churches in the city still standing today.

   1.3 km · church in Thessaloniki, Greece · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Toumba Stadium

   Toumba Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece, mainly used for football. It is property of AC PAOK and hosts PAOK FC since its completion in 1959.

   4.3 km · football stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Arch of Galerius and Rotunda

   The Arch of Galerius or Kamara and the Rotunda of Galerius are neighbouring early fourth-century AD monuments in the city of Thessaloniki, in the region of Central Macedonia in northern Greece. As an outstanding example of early Byzantine art and architecture, in addition to the importance of the rotunda as one of the earliest Christian monuments in the Eastern Roman Empire, both sites were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1988 as part of the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki.

   1.6 km · monument in Thessaloniki, Greece · Wikipedia
7. 07
   Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

   The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is a museum in Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece. It holds and interprets artifacts from the Prehistoric, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods, mostly from the city of Thessaloniki but also from the region of Macedonia in general.

   2.3 km · museum in Greece · Wikipedia
8. 08
   Kaftanzoglio National Stadium

   Kaftanzoglio National Stadium is a sports stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece. It currently has 27,560 seats, owing to conversion of terraces to seats in 2000 and a comprehensive renovation before reopening to host football matches for the 2004 Summer Olympics, which was centered in Athens.

   3.1 km · sports stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece · Wikipedia
9. 09
   Church of the Acheiropoietos

   The Church of the Acheiropoietos is a 5th-century Byzantine-era Greek Orthodox church, located in the city of Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, in northern Greece. It is situated in the city's centre, at Agias Sofias street opposite Makedonomachon square.

   1.2 km · church in Thessaloniki, Greece · Wikipedia
10. 10
    University of Macedonia

    The University of Macedonia is a public university in Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. Founded as School of Higher Industrial Studies of Thessaloniki in 1948 and started its first operation during the academic year 1957–1958, it is the second largest university in the city.

    2.7 km · university in Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

The northernmost

1. 01
   Byzantine Walls of the city and parts
2. 02
   Arch of Galerius
3. 03
   Palace of Galerius
4. 04
   Roman Forum

   Excavations and an interesting museum underneath.

5. 05
   Rotunda

   Started life as a Roman temple of Zeus, built by Caesar Galerius, and is almost as old as the Pantheon in Rome.

6. 06
   Saint Demetrios

   Constructed in the mid-7th century on the ruins of a Roman bath complex, in honor of Demetrius, a Roman officer who was imprisoned and martyred here in 303 AD.

From Wikivoyage: Thessaloníki, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

Cultural Route public bus tour (Line 50). OASTH launched a special “Cultural Route” to make the rich historical and cultural heritage of Thessaloniki more accessible. The bus departs from the White Tower for a 50-minute tour around the city's main historical and cultural monuments.

1. 01
   Thessaloniki Concert Hall
2. 02
   Waterland

   Free bus service starting at the city centre.

3. 03
   Nautilia Yachting

   Skiathou 2, fax: +30 231 055 8192, info@nautilia-yachting.com.

4. 04
   Thessaloniki International Fair

   September.

From Wikivoyage: Thessaloníki, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

Greeks consider Thessaloniki a gourmet city - but bear in mind that this refers to the excellent local specialities and cheap-and-cheerful ouzo taverns rather than to haute cuisine or a range of foreign restaurants. The latter are best avoided in Thessaloniki. Try a crepe in one of the numerous crepe shops patronised by the student population at Gounari St, near Navarinou Sq. There are plenty of shops selling gyros.

1. 01
   Evi Evan

   A nice small place near the ancient market of Thessaloniki.

2. 02
   Verges Lagies

   Reminiscent of old taverns from the 80s with very helpful staff and respect for the customer.

3. 03
   Pizza Chris

   One of the nicest pizzas in Thessaloniki.

4. 04
   Tarantoúla

   This is the best place to enjoy vegan mezze in Thessaloniki.

5. 05
   Nostimo - The Art In Taste

   Very tasty homemade food with lots of vegetables from their garden.

From Wikivoyage: Thessaloníki, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Thessaloníki

Airports

Thessaloniki Macedonia (SKG), 14 km · Kavala Alexander the Great (KVA), 145 km · Skopje (SKP), 183 km

Stations

Port of Thessaloniki, 1.2 km · Thessaloniki railway station, 700 m

• Kavala → Thessaloníki

  129 km · quickest by road, 2h 17m · €15–21
  GuideToday
• Kerkyra (Corfu) → Thessaloníki

  286 km · quickest by air, 4h 1m · €90–140
  GuideToday
• Spata-Artemida → Thessaloníki

  310 km · quickest by air, 4h 2m · €90–140
  GuideToday
• From anywhere

  The planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Thessaloníki

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Thessaloníki. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Thessaloníki – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.