Thessaloniki Walking Tour: 50 Free Video Stops

This Thessaloniki walking tour links 10 sights and 50 short video stops narrated by Clarissa, from the White Tower on the seafront to the fortress at the top of the old town. The notes below turn those stops into practical day plans, with walking order, timing, transport, etiquette and the free sights worth knowing before you go. For official visitor information and events, also check thessaloniki.travel, the official travel guide of the Thessaloniki Tourism Organisation.

Route 1, the seafront (stops 1, 2 and 8). Start at the White Tower, the symbol of the city, built by the Ottomans after 1430 and once known as the Tower of Blood. Its museum tells the story of Thessaloniki, and the ramp inside leads to a viewing platform over the bay. Walk east along the New Waterfront, finished in 2014, to the statue of Alexander the Great, the Royal Theatre and the Umbrellas sculpture. Then turn back west along Nikis Avenue to Aristotelous Square, laid out after the Great Fire of 1917 by the French architect Ernest Hébrard.

Route 2, Roman and Byzantine Thessaloniki (stops 4, 5 and 7). From Aristotelous Square, walk up to Egnatia Street for the Arch of Galerius, dedicated in 303, with its carved marble panels, and the massive Rotunda just north of it, church, mosque and church again. A few minutes away, Hagia Sophia, built in the 7th century on the model of its namesake in Constantinople, keeps its mosaics of the Ascension and the Virgin and Child. Continue east to the Museum of Byzantine Culture, opened in 1994, for icons, mosaics and painted tombs.

Route 3, the Upper Town (stops 3 and 9). Ano Poli escaped the fire of 1917, so it keeps the stone lanes, small squares and timber-framed houses of the Ottoman city. Climb from the centre or take a short bus or taxi ride, then follow the Byzantine walls, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, past the Byzantine Bath and the village-like streets around Tsinari. At the top stands the Heptapyrgion, the Fortress of Seven Towers, which actually has ten and was a prison until 1989.

Route 4, markets and meze (stops 6 and 10). Finish in the old commercial heart near the port. Modiano Market, built between 1922 and 1925 and reopened in 2022 after restoration, fills its glass-roofed hall with stalls, tavernas and bars, and the lanes of Kapani next door sell fruit, fish, olives and spices. In the evening, walk to Ladadika, the former olive oil quarter, where restored 19th-century warehouses now hold tavernas and ouzeri.

If you only have one day, Routes 1 and 2 give the best Thessaloniki walking tour on foot, because the seafront and the Roman and Byzantine monuments sit within a short walk of each other. A two-day Thessaloniki walking tour works well as Routes 1 and 2 on day one and the Upper Town, Modiano and Ladadika on day two.

For photos, the best free viewpoints on this Thessaloniki walking tour are the walls of Ano Poli, where the whole city and the gulf lie below and, on clear days, Mount Olympus rises about 80 kilometres away, the Umbrellas on the New Waterfront at sunset, and the view along Aristotelous Square to the sea. The White Tower's platform is the best paid view over the bay.

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for a long Thessaloniki walking tour. Summers are hot and humid, so save the climb to Ano Poli for the morning or the evening, and spend the middle of the day in the museums. Winters are mild but can bring the cold northern Vardaris wind, so pack a warm layer. Late October is a lively time, with the city's patron saint's day and national holiday parades.

The seafront promenade is at its best at sunset, when locals come out to walk, cycle and sit on the steps by the water. Check the opening times of the White Tower, the Rotunda, the Museum of Byzantine Culture and the Heptapyrgion on official sources before your Thessaloniki walking tour, since smaller monuments can have shorter hours in winter.

The centre is compact and flat between the sea and Egnatia Street, so walking is the easiest way to get around. City buses connect the centre with Ano Poli and the Heptapyrgion, and the city's metro line, opened in late 2024, runs under the centre. Taxis are plentiful and reasonably priced for the climb to the Upper Town.

Use the Map button at each stop to check walking time. A good plan is to ride up to the Heptapyrgion and walk downhill through Ano Poli, so the steepest part of your Thessaloniki walking tour is the easy way down.

Hagia Sophia and the other churches are places of worship, so dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, keep your voice low and avoid visiting during services. Ask before photographing people in the markets. A simple “Kaliméra” for good morning or “Efcharistó” for thank you is always welcome.

Thessaloniki is known as one of the food capitals of Greece. Start the day with bougatsa, a flaky pastry filled with cream or cheese, or a koulouri, the sesame bread ring sold on street corners. For lunch or dinner, share meze with tsipouro or ouzo in Ladadika or around Modiano and Kapani. Leave room for the city's cream-filled trigona pastries. Rounding up the bill or leaving a small tip is usual for good service on a Thessaloniki walking tour.

Thessaloniki is a safe city, but watch your bag in crowded markets and on busy buses. Cross with care on the main avenues, where traffic is fast, and look out for scooters and bikes on the seafront path.

Wear comfortable shoes, because the lanes of Ano Poli are steep and some are cobbled. Carry water and a hat in summer, and drink often while you climb, since there is little shade on the walls.

Many stops cost nothing at all. The seafront promenade, Aristotelous Square, Ano Poli and its walls, the Arch of Galerius, Ladadika, Modiano Market and Kapani are free to walk, and Hagia Sophia is free to enter as a working church. The page notes that the Heptapyrgion is free to enter too. The White Tower, the Rotunda and the Museum of Byzantine Culture need tickets. That is why this free walking tour Thessaloniki visitors can start at any hour works well: the 50 videos are free, and you only pay for what you choose to enter.

Two more sights sit right on the route between the Rotunda and Ano Poli. The Basilica of Saint Demetrius, the city's patron saint, was rebuilt after the fire of 1917 and is part of the same UNESCO World Heritage Site, with early Christian mosaics and a crypt below. Nearby, the excavated Roman Forum lies below street level, and you can see much of it from the railings around the site, a good free extra on a long Thessaloniki walking tour.

Greek state museums and monuments sometimes offer reduced or free entry for young visitors and on certain days, but the rules change. Always confirm current prices, free days and opening hours on official sources before your Thessaloniki walking tour.

For accessibility, the seafront promenade is long, flat and smooth, which makes it the easiest stop for wheelchair users and strollers, and Aristotelous Square and the area around the Arch of Galerius are level too. Ano Poli and the Heptapyrgion are steep, with uneven paving and steps, so take a taxi to the top if walking uphill is hard.

When you finish this Thessaloniki walking tour, carry on with more free walks in Greece and the region: the Athens walking tour, the Rhodes walking tour and the Istanbul walking tour, the city the Ottomans ruled Thessaloniki from for nearly five centuries. You can browse every city on the Free City Tours home page.