Thessaloniki Attractions

Thessaloniki has some of the most remarkable attractions and monuments from the ancient and Byzantine eras, with countless Byzantine temples. The words Thessaloniki and Thessaloneikeon are found on ancient coins, which date back to the times of Augustus, Alexander Severus, etc. The city’s past is kept alive in its aboveground monuments, Roman columns, Paleochristian and Byzantine churches, Ottoman mosques and covered markets, synagogues and Jewish markets, and magnificent mansions where the local leaders and foreign aristocrats lived. In Thessaloniki you will encounter some of the most important monuments and attractions in Greece.

Thessaloniki’s churches were built during the Byzantine times and were used by the Turks as mosques. The largest churches in Thessaloniki are: the Cathedral and the churches of Agios Grigorios Palama, Agia Marina, Agia Ekaterini, Profitis Ilias, Agios Dimitrios, the Assumption of the Virgin, Analipsi, Taksiarchon and others. There are also some private churches, such as Agia Eleoussa, Osia Kseni, Trion Ierarchon, etc.

Thessaloniki comes second to Istanbul in the number and value of Byzantine monuments. It is the richest among the cities of the East in Byzantine Churches, which indeed have valuable epigrams and diverse and multifarious decorations. The Byzantine churches in Thessaloniki are the most important monuments from the Byzantine era. Some of the most remarkable are: the Rotunda (Agios Georgios, 4th century BC), Panagia Acheiropoiitos (5th century BC), Agios Dimitrios (5th-7th century BC), Monastery of Laotomou (Osios David 5th century BC, Agia Sophia (690-730), Panagia Chalkeown (1028 – 1044), Agia Ekaterini (1265), Agioi Apostoloi (1312 – 5), Profitis Ilias (14th century), Agios. Panteleimon (14th century) Agios Nikolaos Orphanos (14th century), Monastery of Vlattadon (Tsaous Monastery 14th century BC), Metamorfossi Sotiros (14th century) and others.

The White Tower (15th century), the Arch of Galerius (4th century BC) with its magnificent frescoes depicting Galerius’ victory over the Persians (297 AD), the University Campus, Kaftantzoglio Stadium, the biggest in the Balkans, the Archaeological Museum, which contains finds from the Neolithic era to the Christian years, the OTE Tower, located on the premises of the International Trade Fair (the most recent, 1971) etc.