Thessaloniki in 2 days
The lower town and three museums on day one, the churches and the upper town on day two — up by bus, down on foot, before sunset.
- How long
- Two days for the city
- Tickets
- €28 per person for three museums
- Churches
- Day two, before noon
Two days in Thessaloniki follow one rule: whatever keeps opening hours goes in the morning and the upper town after — up by bus, down on foot, through the walls. Day one is the lower town, from the White Tower to Ladadika; day two is the Byzantine churches and Ano Poli.
Three museums, the Rotunda, Ladadika
The White Tower, at opening time. Inside is the city museum, floor by floor; from April to October it opens at 8, in winter at 8:30.
The Archaeological Museum, open 9 to 17; on display is the Derveni Krater, a bronze vessel from the fourth century BC.
The Rotunda and the Arch of Galerius, then down through Navarinou Square, where the remains of Galerius's palace lie below street level.
Lunch at the Kapani market or in Modiano; Kapani is shut on Sundays.
The Museum of Byzantine Culture, after lunch, because from May to October it stays open until 20:00.
Along the seafront to Ladadika for dinner.
The churches and the upper town
The Acheiropoietos, built around 450–470 and probably the oldest surviving church in the city. After 1430 it was the first to be turned into a mosque, on Sultan Murad II's order.
Saint Demetrius and its crypt.
A city bus up to Ano Poli, then on to the Heptapyrgion at the top — a fortress that was a prison until 1989.
Lunch at a taverna in Ano Poli, then downhill to Hosios David: a small late fifth-century church with an apse mosaic from the same century; it was a mosque until 1921.
Down through the walls before sunset, then dinner around Aristotelous or on Valaoritou.
What you pay for
Adult prices; the Rotunda is not included.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Is the White Tower open in the evening?
From April to October until 21:00, with last entry twenty minutes before closing. In winter it closes at 15:30.
Can Thessaloniki be done in one day?
As day one of the plan without the Archaeological Museum, with the Acheiropoietos and Saint Demetrius after the Rotunda. The upper town drops out.
In what order do the churches and Ano Poli go?
The churches in the morning, while you are in the lower town, then the bus up. Ano Poli is walked from the top down, so the whole way back is downhill.
Ready for Thessaloniki?
Where to next
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→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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