Thessaloniki Private Historic Walking Tour
Description
Embark on a private historic tour of Thessaloniki, designed to give you a historic experience during a visit to the second largest city in Greece. Learn how this city remains a mosaic of different civilizations and cultures.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The White Tower of Thessaloniki (Greek: Λευκός Πύργος Lefkós Pýrgos; Turkish: Beyaz Kule; Ladino: Kuli Blanka) is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city of Thessaloniki, capital of the region of Macedonia in northern Greece. The present tower replaced an old Byzantine fortification, known to have been mentioned around the 12th century, that the Ottoman Empire reconstructed to fortify the city's harbour sometime after Sultan Murad II captured Thessaloniki in 1430. The tower became a notorious prison and scene of mass executions during the period of Ottoman rule. The White Tower was substantially remodeled and its exterior was whitewashed after Greece gained control of the city in 1912. It has been adopted as the symbol of the city.
The Church of Saint Demetrius, or Hagios Demetrios (Greek: Άγιος Δημήτριος), is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki (in Central Macedonia, Greece), dating from a time when it was the second largest city of the Byzantine Empire. It is part of the site Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 1988.
Built in 306 A.D. by the romans, Rotunda is one of the oldest religious sites of the city. Going back to the late 3rd century A.D., after a number of long devastating wars, the romans decided to divide the Empire into 4 regions, each with its own provinces , thus leading to the creation of a new form of leadership, the Tetrarchy.
Galerius Arch (kamara) and Rotunda were basic elements of the palatial complex. Original intensions were predicting its use as a mausoleum, although many archaeologists believe it was initially used as a roman temple. The dimensions of the main structure are quite impressive.
The Roman Forum of Thessaloniki is the ancient Roman-era forum of the city, located at the upper side of Aristotelous Square. It is a large two-terraced forum featuring two-storey stoas, dug up by accident in the 1960s
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Kids under 18 years old half price entrance tickets with show of the passport.
- Meeting point Aghios Dimitrios church entrance.
- Meeting point Aghios Dimitrios church entrance.
- Most travelers can participate
- Near public transportation
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Please make sure you will wear comfortable shoes and hats especially during summer months
- You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Reviews(8)
Our excellent guide, Maria, met us at the beautiful Holy Church of St. Demetrius. Inside, after speaking to the significance and history of the Church, Maria lead us through a fascinating underground tour of ancient baths and religious architecture. As this was a walking tour we covered a lot of ground although at a leisurely pace which accommodated my knee. We lunched at a favorite local sidewalk cafe with an AMAZING bakery. We covered a large area of the City ending with Alexander the Great’s impressive statue. Maria was incredibly knowledgeable about Thessaloniki and we were so fortunate to have her as our guide.
This was a fantastic tour! Our guide customized the tour on the spot as he learned more about what we were interested in and wanted to know more about. There was a perfect balance between visiting all of the touristy spots and seeing local spots to truly experience the city. This tour was so in depth and was a lot of fun. It is a must if you visit Thessaloniki. I highly recommend doing this tour on your first day in Thessaloniki so you can get the local scoop on what to see and where to eat.
Great walking tour to experience highlights of Thessaloniki! Maria was a fantastic guide. She went above and beyond to ensure the tour was a success!
Dear Jeremy, Thank you very much for your kind words! Hope to see have you back for more ☺️☺️ Best Wishes, Maria
We learned so much of Thessaloniki's history in a visual and engaging way. Our tour started at the Church of St. Demetrios, where we went underground into the old Roman baths where the Saint was killed. We learned about the history of the many incarnations of the Church from Roman times onward. From there, we saw Byzantine architecture and symbolism in the Church of Agia Sophia and learned more about the origins of the Iconoclast movement. Another highlight was the Rotunda, which was built by the Pagan emperor Galerius, turned into a Christian church, and then turned into a mosque by the Ottomans. We also visited the Arch and Palace of Galerius, heard the history of the White Tower, and ended by the statue of Alexander. The pace of the tour was excellent for us and packed with new information. By far the best walking tour we took in Greece.
Amazing symbolic monument museum at sea front. A must to see when you visit the city. Thessaloniki's top landmark, the 34m-high White Tower has a harrowing history as a prison and torture chamber.
Our guide Maria is the nice tour guide and friendly. She explained clearly. And her knowledge about history is the best. Thank you Maria.
Miss Vasiliki was fabulous! She was knowledgeable, engaging and compromising. Provided information without feeling lectured, appreciated time required for photographs. This excursion, while somewhat pricey, was so worthwhile. Cannot recommend them highly enough.
<p>My wife and I spent ten days in Thessaloniki and we went on this tour in the morning of our first full day in the city. Our guide was Anna Semertzi and we had a training guide with us as well. Probably due to the lateness of the season, November 19,2017, we were the only two non-guides on the tour so we had a very private tour. Anna's knowledge of the history of the city and about the customs, religion and archaeological sites was amazing. The tour covered all of the areas near our hotel and our guide took us to areas that we most likely would not have discovered on our own so that after the tour we felt comfortable walking all over without worry about getting lost. I would recommend doing this tour early on in your stay so that you get the overall lay of the land and feel of the city. In summary, we had a great guide and an extremely informative and enjoyable tour.</p>
