Visit the Top 10 places in Thessaloniki with Coach Charter Germany - your coach charter company

Thessaloniki is a Greek port city on the Aegean Sea Thermal Gulf. There are numerous testimonies from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman times, particularly in the area of the upper town (Ano Poli). Among the ruins of the palace of the Roman emperor Galerius from the 4th century is the rotunda, which was used as a church and as a mosque. A significant part of the city center was devastated by a massive fire in 1917. In the following years of the 20th century, the city was redesigned on the basis of a modern European urban model.

 

Thessaloniki can be reached either by plane via the airport of Makedonia. You can make your way across the city by public transport, of course. However, if you want to visit Thessaloniki in a more formal, comfortable and simple way, consider using our charter bus service. Coach Charter Germany has been active in the tour bus industry for more than 40 years. As a family-owned bus company, our mission is to provide outstanding charter bus rental services tailored to your itinerary needs. 

If you want to fly with your party, then a coach charter bus from Coach Charter Germany is the best way to get to Thessaloniki. Bus Company by Coach Charter Germany advises group managers to schedule their time between visits carefully in order to handle itinerary points and to stay flexible for other activities. 

1. The White Tower in Thessaloniki 

The iconic landmark of Thessaloniki, the cylindrical, six-storey White Tower, appears on postcards and souvenirs, and is a sight that many people in Greece recall when they think of the city. Put up to strengthen the eastern end of the harbor, the tower is right on the water and was built in the 15th century after Thessaloniki was taken over by the Ottoman Empire. With a diameter of 23 metres, the tower is 34 meters high and houses a museum on the history of Thessaloniki, built by the Museum of Byzantine Culture. A multilingual audio guide is available to explain the exhibits, and you can scale them. 

2. Museum of Archeology 

A priority for tourists coming to Thessaloniki, the Archeological Museum has archaic, classical, Hellenistic and Roman-era artifacts brought to light in the city and in Macedonia. There are discoveries of the Ionic temple of the 6th century in the city, as well as the palace complex designed by the Emperor Galerius of the early 4th century. The restoration of the Macedonian tomb has also been discovered not far away. 

3. Demetrios of Hagios 

After the martyrdom of Thessalonica, patron saint Demetrius, in the 4th century, a church was built on the same site. The early buildings here were repeatedly destroyed by fire until the new structure was erected as a five-aisled basilica in the early 630s. The church is renowned for its mosaic panels from the 630s to the 730s, depicting Demetrius with children and the founders of the church are rare examples of art from the time after the death of Emperor Justinian. The crypt houses the Roman bathhouse, where Demetrius was imprisoned and ruined, and was ignored during the Ottoman rule until the excavations after the fire of 1917. Since 1988, the exhibition room has been full of sculptures, capitals, vessels and slabs from the early , middle and late Byzantine periods found during the digs. 

4. Aristotle Square 

As good as any place to start a walking tour of Thessaloniki, Aristotle Square is located on the waterfront of Nikis Avenue. This magnificent square was designed by French architect Ernest Hébrard in 1918, but it was just a few decades before the square was lined with its original mansion blocks, which are now all listed buildings. Almost all of Thessaloniki's public holidays (Christmas and New Year's Eve) as well as cultural and political events and protests are held on Aristotle Square. 

5. Ladadika's

Behind the ferry terminal, a short walk from Aristotle Square is the historic district of Ladadika, with its colorful homes, factories and warehouses on cobblestone streets with restaurant tables. One of the best places to go out in Thessaloniki, Ladadika used to be a chaotic shopping area, settled in the city by many Sephardic Jews: the term "Ladadika" comes from the shops that used it. 

6. Byzantine history museum

In 11 galleries, this extraordinary museum charts the history of the Byzantine Empire with artifacts from all over Macedonia. These derive from all times, from the foundation of the Empire by Constantine in the 4th century to the foundation of Christianity as a state religion, to its destruction in the hands of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. The museum's collection includes manuscripts, wooden icons, jewelry, 4th-century fabrics, seals, mosaics, wall paintings , sculptures, early printed books and contemporary paintings inspired by Byzantine architecture. There are also a variety of beautiful stone masonry examples, such as inscribed stones and arches and church piers. 

7. Rotunda

At the turn of the 4th century, the Roman emperor Galerius ordered a rotunda and a connecting arch, an ensemble that linked his palace to the imperial precinct at the crossroads of the city's main axes. This new imperial precinct was built as a new administrative center after the Tetrarchy was created, when the Roman Empire was divided into four separate kingdoms, making Thessaloniki a new city. The UNESCO-listed Rotunda is a mesmerizing space, with a dome 30 meters above the ground that was once crossed with an oculus like the Pantheon in Rome. The building was used as a pagan temple. Palaeo-Christian mosaics from the 5th century AD are newly restored on the walls. 

8. Sophia Hagia 

Today's Hagia Shophia took on its modern architecture as long ago as the 8th century. It was modeled on its homonymous church in Constantinople, and from the conquest of Thessaloniki in 1430 right through to its liberation in 1912, Hagia Sophia was a mosque. The building is a sparkling piece of Byzantine Middle Ages architecture, despite some mishaps, including the fires of 1890 and 1917. After the second fire, the dome was not repaired until 1980. This is a 9th century mosaic showing the Ascension, with Jesus lifted by two angels and surrounded by the 12 Apostles and Mary. Above the iconostasis is another captivating painting, from the 11th century, of the Madonna with Child. 

9. Thessaloniki Science Centre Technology Museum 

The most important science and technology museum in Greece is not far southeast of the city centre. In the main exhibition halls on the ground floor there are 40 interactive stations that allow children to get to grips with subjects such as optics, magnetism, telecommunications, electricity and mechanics, all in enjoyable and unexpected ways. These are paired with exhibits on the technical advancements made in Ancient Greece and the history of motor transport from 1918 to today, with cars from all ages. 

10. Atatürk Museum 

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the man who was to become the founder and leader of the new secular Turkish state, was born in this three-storey house on Apostolo Pavlou Lane, now part of the Turkish consulate. The house dates back to 1870 and is furnished with mostly original furniture and personal belongings such as clothes, food utensils, smoking paraphernalia, crockery as well as photos from various periods of Atatürk 's life. You can see the room in which Atatürk was born and find a pomegranate. 

If you need an airport shuttle service or a full day charter bus service for your sightseeing tours, please feel free to contact us. Our Coach Charter Germany charter bus rental team will help you with any concerns you may have about hiring a tour bus. By hiring a coach with a driver from our Coach Charter Germany 's bus service, you can have a high degree of flexibility when it comes to taking into account all the various aspects of your journey. We're going to be there every step of the way for you as a charter bus rental company.