Thessaloniki and Central Macedonia
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1. Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
KentroThe unpretentious, single-story white structure gives no hint from the outside of the treasures within. A superb collection of artifacts from Neolithic times; sculptures from the Archaic, classical, and Roman eras; and remains from the Archaic temple at Thermi all reside under this roof. Objects discovered during construction of the Egnatia and Thessaloniki–Skopje highways were added in 2005 to the collection, which is displayed in eight galleries. Thessaloniki, the Metropolis of Macedonia traces the city's history through artifacts and a multimedia collection. Towards the Birth of Cities offers remains from settlements from Kastoria to Mt. Athos that date to as early as the Iron Age.
View Tours and ActivitiesManoli Andronikou 6, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54621, Greece2313-310201Sight Details
Rate Includes: €8, Daily 8–8 -
2. Modiano Market
Kentro | Market/BazaarOverhauled in 1922 by the architect Eli Modiano, this old landmark is basically a rectangular building with a glass roof and pediment facade. Inside, the rich aromas of food—fish, meats, vegetables, fruits, breads, and spices—compete with music and the noisy, colorful market characters, from the market owners to the bargain hunters. In the little tavernas nearby, ouzo and mezedes are sold at all hours. It is worth a visit—as is the generally cheaper open-air market (on the north side of Ermou)—even if you have no intention of buying anything.
Block bounded by Aristotelous, Ermou, Irakliou, and Komninon, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54628, Greece -
3. Museum of Byzantine Culture
KentroMuch of the country's finest Byzantine art—priceless icons, frescoes, sculpted reliefs, jewelry, glasswork, manuscripts, pottery, and coins—is on exhibit here. Ten rooms contain striking treasures, notably an exquisite enamel-and-gold "woven" bracelet (Room 4), and an enormous altar with piratical skull-and-crossbones. A mezzanine (Room 7) shows how early pottery was made. Check the museum's website for the current temporary exhibitions.
View Tours and ActivitiesLeoforos Stratou 2, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54013, Greece2313-306400Sight Details
Rate Includes: Nov.–May €4; Apr.–Oct. €8; combined ticket with Archaeological Museum €15, Nov.–Mar., Tues.–Sun. 8–8; Nov.–Mar., Tues.–Sun. 9–4 -
4. Osios David
Ano PolisThis entrancing little church with a commanding view of the city was supposedly built about AD 500 in honor of Galerius's daughter, who was secretly baptized while her father was away fighting. It was later converted into a mosque, and at some time its west wall—the traditional place of entrance (in order to look east when facing the altar)—was bricked up, so you enter Osios David from the south. No matter; this entirely suits the church's rather battered magic. You can still see the radiantly beautiful mosaic in the dome of the apse, which shows a rare beardless Jesus, as he seems to have been described in the vision of Ezekiel: Jesus is seen with a halo and is surrounded by the four symbols of the Evangelists—clockwise, from top left, are the angel, the eagle, the lion, and the calf. To the right is the prophet Ezekiel and, to the left, Habakuk. To save it from destruction, the mosaic was hidden under a layer of calfskin during the iconoclastic ravages of the 8th and 9th centuries. Plastered over while a mosque, it seems to have been forgotten until 1921, when an Orthodox monk in Egypt had a vision telling him to go to the church. On the day he arrived, March 25 (the day marking Greek independence from the Ottomans), an earthquake shattered the plaster, revealing the mosaic to the monk—who promptly died.
Timotheou 7, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54633, Greece2310-221506Sight Details
Rate Includes: Mon.–Sat; 10–3, Sun. 10–1 -
5. White Tower
KentroThe city's most famous landmark, and a symbol of Macedonia, the White Tower is the only medieval defensive tower left standing along the seafront (the other remaining tower, the Trigoniou, is in the Upper City). Now a part of the Museum of Byzantine Culture, its six floors offer a wonderful multimedia introduction to the city's history. Much of that history occurred within these walls—for centuries this was a prison—and on its walls: formerly known as "Blood Tower," it got its current name in 1896 when a convict exchanged his sentence for whitewashing the entire structure (which was removed in a 1980s renovation). The displays teach you that formidable seawalls and intermittent towers encircled the medieval city and were erected in the 15th century on the site of earlier walls. In 1866, with the threat of piracy diminishing and European commerce increasingly imperative, the Ottoman Turks began demolishing them, except for the White Tower. At the top of your climb of 96 steps you are rewarded with a lovely museum café, whose rooftop setting provides sweeping vistas of the city.
Leoforos Nikis and Pavlou Melas, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 5004, Greece2310-267832Sight Details
Rate Includes: €6 Apr.--Oct., €3 Nov.--Mar., Tues.–Sun. 8.30–3 -
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6. Arch of Galerius
Kentro | RuinsThe imposing kamára (arch) is one of a number of monuments built by Galerius around AD 305, during his reign as co-emperor of Diocletian's divided Roman Empire. It commemorated the Roman victory over Persia in AD 297, and you can still see scenes of those battles on the badly eroded bas-reliefs. Originally, the arch had four pediments and a dome and was intended to span not only the Via Egnatia, the ancient Roman road, but also a passageway leading north to the Rotunda. Only the large arches remain.
Sintrivaniou Sq., Egnatia, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54009, Greece -
7. Atatürk Museum
Kentro | Historic HomeThe soldier and statesman who established the Republic of Turkey and became its president, Atatürk (Mustafa Kemal) was born here in 1881. He participated in the city's Young Turk Movement, which eventually led to the collapse of the sultanate and the formation of the modern Turkish state. About eight blocks east of the Ayios Dimitrios church, the modest pink house is decorated in Ottoman style. It has been turned into a museum, with personal items and documents of Turkey's founding father.
Apostolou Pavlou 17 and Isaia St., Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54634, Greece2310-248452 -
8. Athonos Square
KentroA warren of side streets around a tiny square with a fountain is filled with tavernas and crafts stores. The area is frequently referred to, but it rarely appears on street maps; everyone knows where it is: 200 m from the church of Ayia Sofia.
Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece -
9. Ayia Sofia
KentroThe founding date of this church, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the focal point of the city's Easter and Christmas celebrations, has been the subject of disagreements over the centuries. Ecclesiastics think it was built after the first Council of Nicea (AD 325), when Jesus was declared a manifestation of Divine Wisdom; other church historians say it was contemporaneous with the magnificent church of Ayia Sofia in Constantinople, completed in AD 537, on which it was modeled. From its architecture the church is believed to date to the late 8th century, a time of transition from the domed basilica to the cruciform plan. The rather drab interior contains two superb mosaics: one of the Ascension and the other of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus in her arms. This latter mosaic is an interesting example of the conflict in the Orthodox Church (AD 726–843) between the iconoclasts (icon smashers, which they often literally were) and the iconodules (icon venerators). At one point in this doctrinal struggle, the Virgin Mary in the mosaic was replaced by a large cross (still partly visible), and only later, after the victory of the iconodules, was it again replaced with an image of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. The front gate is a popular meeting spot.
Ermou and Ayias Sofias, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54622, Greece2310-270253Sight Details
Rate Includes: Daily 8–2 and 5.30–8 -
10. Ayios Dimitrios
KentroMagnificent and covered in mosaics, this five-aisle basilica is Greece's largest church and a powerful tribute to the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It was rebuilt and restored from 1926 to 1949, with attention to preserving the details of the original; the marks left by a fire can still be seen throughout. In the 4th century, during the reign of Emperor Galerius, the young, scholarly Dimitrios was preaching Christianity in the coppersmith district, in contravention of an edict. He was arrested and jailed in a room in the old Roman baths, on the site of the present church. While he was incarcerated in AD 303, Dimitrios gave a Christian blessing to a gladiator friend named Nestor, who was about to fight Galerius's champion, Lyaios. When Nestor fought and killed Lyaios, after having made Dimitrios's blessing public, the enraged Galerius had Nestor executed on the spot and had Dimitrios speared to death in his cell. His Christian brethren were said to have buried him there. A church that was built on the ruins of this bath in the 5th century was destroyed by an earthquake in the 7th century. The church was rebuilt, and gradually the story of Dimitrios and Nestor grew to be considered apocryphal until the great 1917 fire burned down most of the 7th-century church and brought to light its true past. The process of rebuilding the church uncovered rooms beneath the apse that appear to be baths; the discovery of a reliquary containing a vial of bloodstained earth gave credence to the idea that this is where St. Dimitrios was martyred. You enter through a small doorway to the right of the altar. Work your way through the crypt (which tends to close a little earlier than the church itself), containing sculpture from the 3rd to 5th century AD and Byzantine artifacts. The church's interior was plastered over when the Turks turned it into a mosque, but eight original mosaics remain on either side of the altar.
Ayiou Dimitriou 97, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54631, Greece2310-270008Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily 6–10 -
11. Ayios Nikolaos Orfanos
Ano PolisNoted frescoes here include the unusual Ayion Mandilion in the apse, which shows Jesus superimposed on a veil sent to an Anatolian king, and the Niptir, also in the apse, in which Jesus is washing the disciples' feet. The artist is said to have depicted himself in the right-hand corner wearing a turban and riding a horse. The 14th-century church, which became a dependency of the Vlatádon Monastery in the 17th century, has an intriguing mix of Byzantine architectural styles and perhaps the most beautiful midnight Easter service in the city.
Kallithea Sq. and Apostolou Pavlou, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54635, Greece2310-213627Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues., Tues.–Sun. 8–3 -
12. Ayios Panteleimon
KentroA prime example of 14th-century Macedonian religious architecture, Ayios Panteleimon is an eye-catching church that draws you in to take a closer look. Restored in 1993 after an earthquake in 1978, the facade reveals the ornamental interplay of brick and stonework, and a dome displays typically strong upward motion.
Iasonidou and Arrianou, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54635, Greece2310-204150Sight Details
Rate Includes: Mon.–Thurs. 9–noon and 4–6, Fri. 8 pm–10:30 pm, Sat. 8.30–noon, Sun. 7.30–10 am -
13. Church of the Metamorphosis
KentroThis sunken church, part of which is (as the name would suggest) below ground level, is an example of 14th-century Macedonian ecclesiastical architecture, with a decorative mix of brick and stonework and a dome thrusting upward. Originally dedicated to the Virgin Mother, it was later dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Savior.
Egnatia and P.P. Germanou, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece -
14. Eptapyrghion
Ano PolisIn modern times, this Byzantine fortress—its name means "the seven towers" even though there are ten towers—was an abysmal prison, closed only in 1988. There's not much to see here except wall ruins and a small museum that documents the building's history. The area is an untended green space, not an unpleasant place to sit and survey Thessaloniki below. The surrounding tavernas accommodate throngs of locals in the evening.
Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece2313-310400Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues., Tues.–Sun. 8–3 -
15. Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki
KentroAmong the displays in this museum dedicated to the history of the local Jewish community are tombstones from the city's ancient necropolis, which was on the grounds now inhabited by Aristotle University. Also on exhibit are objects rescued from the 32 synagogues that existed around the city, some of which were destroyed by the Nazis. The neoclassical building is one of the few Jewish structures that were spared in the great fire of 1917.
Ayiou Mina 13, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54624, Greece2310-250406Sight Details
Rate Includes: €7, Tues.-Fri. 10–3; Wed.10–3 and 5–8; Sun. 10-2, Closed Sat. -
16. Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art
KentroNow under the auspices of The Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki—MOMus, The Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art has a large and expanding permanent collection of Greek and foreign works, as well as an eclectic selection of temporary shows, are on exhibit. You can unwind at the museum shop and the quirky art café.
Egnatia 154, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54636, Greece2310-240002Sight Details
Rate Includes: €4, Thurs.–Sat. 10–6; Sun. 11–3 -
17. Memorial to Grigoris Lambrakis
KentroIf you've read the 1966 novel Z by Vassilis Vassilikos or seen the 1969 Costas-Gavras film about the murder (clubbed to death) of Lambrakis, a left wing pacifist member of Parliament, by far right hitmen in 1963, this monument is especially moving. The murder precipitated the events leading to the 1967–74 dictatorship of the colonels. A dramatic bronze head and arm, above which flutters a sculpted dove, marks the spot.
Corner of Ermou and Eleftheriou Venizelou, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54624, Greece -
18. Moni Vlatádon
Ano PolisThe Vlatades Monastery, shaded with pine and cypress, is a cruciform structure that displays a mixture of architectural additions, from Byzantine times to the present. It's known for its Ecumenical Foundation for Patriarchal Studies, the only one in the world. The small central church to the right of the apse has a tiny chapel dedicated to Sts. Peter and Paul, which is seldom open. It is believed to have been built on the spot where Paul first preached to the Thessalonians, in AD 49. Go through the gate entrance to get a panoramic view of the city of Thessaloniki.
Eptapyrghiou 64, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece2310-209913Sight Details
Rate Includes: Mon.–Sun. 7:30–noon and 6–8 -
19. Old Turkish Quarter
Ano PolisDuring the Ottoman occupation, this area, probably the most picturesque in the city, was considered the best place to live. In addition to the superb city views, it catches whatever breeze there is in summer. More recently, it was the home of some of the poorest families in Thessaloniki. Now the area is gentrifying, thanks to European Union development funds (which repaired the cobblestones), strict zoning and building codes, and the zeal of young couples with the money to restore the narrow old houses. The most notable houses are on Papadopolou, Kleious, and Dimitriou Poliorkitou streets.
Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54633, Greece -
20. Panagia Acheiropoietos
KentroThe name Achiropiitos means "made without hands" and refers to the icon representing the Virgin that miraculously appeared in this 5th-century Byzantine church during the 12th century. An early example of the basilica form, the church has marvelous arcades, monolithic columns topped by elaborate capitals, and exquisite period mosaics of birds and flowers. It is the second-oldest church in Thessaloniki and probably the oldest in continuous use in the eastern Mediterranean. An inscription in Arabic on a column states that "Sultan Murat captured Thessaloniki in the year 1430," which was the year the church was converted temporarily into a mosque.
Ayias Sofias 56, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54653, Greece2310-272820Sight Details
Rate Includes: Mon.-Sat. 8-12 & 5-7
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