Must-see attractions in Northern Greece

  • Family admiring the view of Vikos Gorge.

    Vikos Gorge

    Zagorohoria

    The Voïdomatis ('Good Water' in its Slavic roots) River, a tributary of the Aoös, carved the 12km-long, 900m-deep Vikos Gorge over millions of years. Per…

  • 07.13.2022 Thessaloniki, Greece. Beautifully preserved artwork statue of a muscular short-haired man with a naked torso covering with cape. High quality photo; Shutterstock ID 2194941033; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi
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    Archaeological Museum

    Thessaloniki

    Macedonia's prehistory, Hellenistic and Roman periods are charted in this wonderful museum, home to many of the region's major archaeological discoveries…

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    Vergina Royal Tombs Museum

    Macedonia

    A grass-covered tumulus (burial mound) has been converted into a truly spine-tingling museum where visitors can descend to unspoiled royal Macedonian…

  • Beautiful sunset over Mount Olympus in Greece. This is the small road to Enipea source of the river Zeus Bath near the village of Litochoro; Shutterstock ID 1789244651; your: Erin Lenczycki; gl: 65050 ; netsuite: Digital; full: Digital
1789244651

    Mt Olympus

    Macedonia

    The cloud-covered lair of the Ancient Greek pantheon, awe-inspiring Mt Olympus is simply spectacular. It fires visitors' imaginations today, just as it…

  • Ruins of the Antique city of Philippi, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece; Shutterstock ID 2189838665; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi
2189838665

    Philippi Archaeological Site

    Macedonia

    Founded in 356 BC by the energetic Macedonian dynast Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, this evocatively sited ancient city is on Unesco's World…

  • THESSALONIKI, GREECE - DECEMBER 29: Interior of the Basilica of Hagios Demetrios on December 29, 2015 in Thessaloniki, Greece. Saint Demetrios is the patron saint of Thessaloniki city.; Shutterstock ID 753257872; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi
753257872

    Church of Agios Dimitrios

    Thessaloniki

    This enormous 7th-century basilica honours Thessaloniki’s patron saint. A Roman soldier, Dimitrios was killed around AD 306 at this former Roman bath site…

  • Museum of Byzantine Culture

    Thessaloniki

    This fascinating museum has plenty of treasures to please Byzantine buffs, plus simple explanations to introduce this long-lived empire and its culture to…

  • Church of Osios David

    Thessaloniki

    This serene little 5th-century church, once the katholikon (major church) of the Monastery of Saviour Christ of Latomos, is one of the most significant…

  • Castle of Platamonas, Macedonia, Greece.

    Castle of Platamonas

    Macedonia

    Looming from an imposing coastal bluff near Platamonas village, 20km south of Plaka Litohorou, this well-preserved stronghold assumed much of its present…

  • Ruins of Episcopal Basilica at the Archaeological Park of Dion.

    Ancient Dion

    Macedonia

    Dating to the 5th century BC, Dion was sacred to ancient Macedonians worshipping the Olympian gods, especially Zeus, thought to reside on the awesome…

  • Greece, Epirus Region, Ioannina, elevated city view, Lake Pamvotis and Nisi Island.

    Ioannina Island

    Ioannina

    In the middle of the lake, the reed-encircled patch of land locals just call To Nisi (The Island) is a pretty, peaceful destination, whether you just want…

  • Forest and Aoos river at the valley of Valia Calda in northern Greece.

    Northern Pindos National Park

    Epiros

    North of Ioannina, this large protected area includes the Vikos-Aoös region around the plunging Vikos Gorge, and the Valia Kalda forest north of Metsovo…

  • Greece, Thessaloniki, The White Tower

    White Tower

    Thessaloniki

    Thessaloniki's iconic landmark, the 34m-high White Tower has a harrowing history as a prison and place of execution. Built by the Ottomans in the 15th…

  • View of the Umbrellas sculpture created in 1997 by the sculptor Georgios Zongolopoulos, located at the seafront of Thessaloniki.

    New Waterfront

    Thessaloniki

    Thessaloniki's New Waterfront is evidence that architecture can improve urban life through intelligent redesign of the space in which it is lived…

  • Nekromanteion of Acheron

    Epiros

    This ancient complex is small but comes with a gripping backstory. According to Homer and Herodotus, it was a place to consult with an oracle …

  • The monastery of Vlatadon in Thessaloniki.

    Monastery of Vlatadon

    Thessaloniki

    Believed to have been founded around 1351 on the place where Paul preached in Thessaloniki, this secluded monastery blends fascinating history with some…

  • Concert hall of Thessaloniki designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki.

    Thessaloniki Concert Hall

    Thessaloniki

    Japanese architect Arata Isozaki created the M2, one of two waterfront buildings that house Thessaloniki's high-brow music scene. It's a strikingly…

  • Greece, Thessaloniki,  triumphal arch of Galerius

    Palace of Galerius

    Thessaloniki

    Sprawling in splendid incongruity amidst the souvenir shops and crêperies of Plateia Navarinou, the ruins of this 3rd- to 4th-century palace remain…

  • Nikopolis

    Preveza

    The ruins of Nikopolis, built in 28 BC by Octavian (later Augustus), after he defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra in the naval Battle of Actium (Aktion),…

  • Simonos Petras Monastery, Mount Athos, Greece.

    Moni Simonos Petras

    Macedonia

    Spectacular Moni Simonos Petras rears seven stone-and-wood-fronted storeys above the west coast of Athos. Shorn of frescoes, icons and precious books by…

  • Archaeological Museum of Amphipolis

    Macedonia

    This well-curated museum shows artefacts from the Athenian colony of Amphipolis (later a Macedonian and Roman city) and its surrounding area, from 5000 BC…

  • Dodoni

    Epiros

    Set in a wildflower-carpeted valley 21km southwest of Ioannina, Dodoni was the religious capital of the ancient Epirote Alliance. It is most famous for…

  • Church of Parigoritissa Byzantine Museum

    Epiros

    Three storeys plus intricate brick domes, this giant block of a church was established in the 13th century under the Despotate of Epiros. A few centuries…

  • Moni Filanthropinon

    Ioannina

    This monastery, active at least since the 13th century, bursts with flowers and is tended by kindly nuns – in stark contrast with its church, in which one…

  • Petralona Cave

    Macedonia

    Some 50km southeast of Thessaloniki on the main road is the stalagmite-rich Petralona Cave. Discovered by Petralona village locals in 1959, it became…

  • Its Kale

    Ioannina

    A more heavily fortified section within the Kastro, the Its Kale (Inner Castle) today feels less like a citadel than a city park. Inside the ramparts, on…

  • Archaeological Museum

    Ioannina

    This museum digs deeper into history than many others in Greece, staring in the ice age, with such relics as 120,000-year-old fossilized rhinoceros teeth…

  • Roman Forum

    Thessaloniki

    As immaculately laid out as you'd expect of the Romans, this rectangular site was the centre of public and commercial Thessaloniki from the 1st to the 4th…

  • Folk Art Museum

    Epiros

    The Tossizza family mansion conjures life in this mountain town: a cosy dream of fireplaces and gorgeous carpets, and the reality of being snowbound for…

  • Villa Bianca

    Thessaloniki

    One of Thessaloniki's most famous mansions, built in 1912 by Pierro Arrigoni for Sephardic entrepreneur Dino Fernandez Siaz, the White House features art…

  • Church of Agia Sofia

    Thessaloniki

    Candlelight on gold chandeliers pierces the gloom in this stunning 8th-century church, modelled on its İstanbul namesake. Among many striking 8th- and 9th…

  • Arch of Galerius

    Thessaloniki

    South of the Rotunda on Egnatia, the Arch of Galerius (AD 303) celebrates the eponymous emperor's victory over the Persians in martial scenes carved into…

  • Archaeological Museum of Pella

    Macedonia

    Overlooking the northern end of the ancient city, Pella has been provided with a modern, meticulously curated museum that befits the site's importance and…

  • Barbouta

    Macedonia

    Walk from Plateia Antoniou down Vasileos Konstantinou to find Veria's atmospheric former Jewish quarter. The synagogue (with the bright blue-and-yellow…

  • Archaeological Museum of Nikopolis

    Preveza

    This modern museum brims with the treasures of Nikopolis: Roman marble statuary, mosaics from Byzantine churches and more. Abundant English-language…

  • Rotunda of Galerius

    Thessaloniki

    In AD 306 Roman emperor Galerius built this harmonious 30m-high dome, comparable to Rome's Pantheon and possibly intended as his mausoleum. Marking the…

  • Byzantine Museum

    Ioannina

    This museum presents early Christian and Byzantine art, pottery, coins and silverware, plus post-Byzantine icons and manuscripts, early Venetian-produced…

  • Archaeological Site of Pella

    Macedonia

    Pella rose to fame when dynastic King Archelaos (413–399 BC) made it Macedon's capital. While not much rises above carefully excavated footings and low…

  • Pavlos Vrellis Wax Museum of Greek History

    Ioannina

    From a purely artistic standpoint, this is a remarkable museum of wax figures that are so uncannily good they transcend kitsch. The sculptor Vrellis, who…

  • Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki

    Thessaloniki

    This touching museum is housed in one of the few Jewish buildings to survive the great fire of 1917, the former office of Jewish newspaper L'Independent…