Description

Thessaloniki Private Classic Sightseeing Tour with Driver

Experience 8 hot spots of Thessaloniki on this classic sightseeing tour.
Get picked up at your hotel and drive to the White Tower, the main landmark of the city. From here, your driver will take you to the Archaeological Museum, Agia Sofia and Agios Dimitrios, the Byzantine church and its crypt. Climb up the hill to see the Byzantine castles. After descending the City walls, also known as the Acropolis, you will pass the Galerius Arch (Kamara), the Aristotelous Square, the Port of Thessaloniki, before finally returning to your hotel. Depending on your personal preference our local partner can also adjust a personal program just for you.

Thessaloniki Private Classic Sightseeing – Inclusions

• Pick up and drop off service from your hotel in Thessaloniki
• Transportation by air-conditioned V.I.P. car
• Professional chauffeur (English-speaking)
• Wifi on board (free)
• Bottle of water and coffee during the route (free)
• After the trip you will receive with email edited photos and a small video of your tour.

Thessaloniki Private Classic Sightseeing – Exclusions

• Gratuities (optional)
• Guide who speaks your language
• Entrance fees
• Lunch at the best, chosen, restaurant. “Value for Money”
  (We do not get a commission from any restaurant or coffee place. The selection always based on quality, service and price.)

Thessaloniki Private Classic Sightseeing – Useful info

• There are many beautiful sights. You are encouraged to bring a camera along. But if you don’t… we have a camera for you!
• Weather will not affect the operation of the tours.
• However if canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions, you will be given the option of an alternative date
• Pick up from your hotel in Thessaloniki
• Departure time: 09:00 am (approx.)
• Duration: 3 hours (approx.)
• Return details: Returns to original Pick up point

Thessaloniki Private Classic Sightseeing – Additional Info

• Free cancellation
  Cancel up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund
• Small group
  Limited to 4 participants
• Mobile ticketing
  Use your phone or print your voucher
• COVID-19 precautions
  Safety measures in place
  All required protective equipment is provided
  All areas that customers touch are frequently cleaned
  Customers must keep distance in vehicles
  The number of visitors is limited to reduce crowds

What we can see…

1. The White Tower
   The emblem of Thessaloniki
   The White Tower is perhaps the most recognizable spot in Thessaloniki. Depicted on all types of souvenirs and favourite clothes, photographed from all angles, in all seasons and at each hour of the day, it has come to be imprinted on our collective unconscious, an archetypal image. With its distinctive cylindrical shape, its six storeys and its memory-charged history, it has become the city’s trademark. When one sets eyes on the White Tower, it means that one has made one of the most fascinating journeys and is in the city of a thousand promises, Thessaloniki.

1. The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
   A MUSEUM FOR ALL
   The Museum was built in 1962 by the architect Patroklos Karantinos and is considered a listed monument. Its staff consists of scientific, technical and administrative personnel who struggle to offer quality services.
   The story of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki follows the course of history of the modern city of Thessaloniki. The Ephorate of Antiquities “under the General Directorate of Macedonia” was the first institution founded in November 1912, only two weeks after the signing of the treaty that handed over control of the city to Greece. Construction at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki began in 1960, on YMCA Square, in close proximity to the International Trade Fair grounds. The building was designed by the renowned architect Patroklos Karantinos, a prominent representative of the modernist movement in Greek architecture. The Museum collections include numerous artefacts dating from the Prehistoric era to the end of antiquity. They come from excavations conducted throughout Macedonia since 1912, along with handed-in antiquities.
2. The Church of Agia Sofia (Saint Sofia)
   Τhe Agia Sofia or Agia Sophia for several years was the metropolis of Thessaloniki. Agia Sofia is a great Basilica (domed) built over the ruins of an earlier gigantic basilica (which was destroyed in the 6th century AD). The church was built to commemorate the Agia Sofia in Constantinopolis. The construction began in the 7th century AD but during the years of construction there were many modifications and additions. During the Ottoman Empire this church as many others became a mosque but it was destroyed by fire in 1890 to reopen and offer its holly service, in 1913. Visitors of Agia Sofia will be able to observe the existence of very impressive pictures and carved decorations retained by the 8th, 9th and 11th century.
3. Agios Dimitrios (Saint Dimitrios, the Byzantine church and its crypt)
   The church of Agios Dimitrios is dedicated to the patron Saint of the city and holds a prominent position among all the churches in this city. The Church has a rich history. Originally was built as a small chapel in 313 AD, on the ruins of an ancient Roman bath. In the fifth century the Bishop Leontius reconstructed the small chapel to a large basilica. This church was burned somewhere between the 626 AD and 634 AD.  When it was constructed again took the form of a five-aisled basilica but in 1493 the Turkish invaders converted it into a mosque!  In 1912 the church returned to the Christians but the great fire in 1917 destroyed it completely. The church commenced its holly service in 1949. The church is located on the ruins of the Roman Forum and is a basilica with five naves, a transept and a vestibule.  It has a crypt located directly beneath the transept and the sanctuary. There are catacombs beneath the temple among which is the hall of the prison of St. Demetrius.  The church has a museum and three chapels on one side.  On the southeast side of the church there is the small chapell of Agios Efthimios. The church Agios Dimitrios before the devastating fires of 1917 was decorated with sculptures, frescoes and mosaics, most of which were destroyed and today only a few remnants can tell the glorious past of the monument.
4. The Byzantine Castles & The City walls, also known as the Acropolis
   The city walls of Thessaloniki were the fortifications of the Byzantine city and are of great interest and importance for their archaeological, architectural and artistic points. The Byzantine walls of Thessaloniki concurred with the Roman ones. The walls were built of narrow bands of stone and a wider of brick and spread over a length of 7-8 km. The walls were forming an almost square shape (trapezoid) and a height of 10-12 m and their northern part was connected to the walls of Acropolis. Today exist only 3 km of walls. During the Turkish occupation part of the walls were built with ordinary bricks. At some points there is still a small portion of a wall, called rampart which is within 4-6 meters from the main walls. The rampart facilitated to make it difficult for attackers to use, siege machines. In front of the rampart was a moat. The main wall was double and reinforced within certain distance, by towers and gates mostly in lowland areas, with the inner wall standing in a distance of 10 m from the outer “rampart”. Today there are only 60 towers. Everyone has a rectangular shape except the White Tower and the Triangle Tower. These two considered to have been built over older towers during the 15th century.At the sea section of the walls there were no gates, while inside the artificial harbor of Constantine the Great was a low wall on the side of the city and a breakwater, the “Tzerempoulon” on the side of the sea. The major reconstruction of the walls was the early Christian period (late 4th-early 5th century) by Hormisdas since due to the frequent barbaric invasions of the 5th and 6th centuries the need for continued support of the walls, was a must. In the western part of the wall across from the cemetery of the Protestants, there is an inscription with the name of Hormisdas. The inscription includes three lines; each with a length of 9 meters and from these three lines only the second has survived in good condition and a few scattered letters from the third row. At the bottom of the inscription are clearly visible some Latin crosses. After the negligence that led to easy capture of the city by the Saracens in 904, the walls were strengthened again to confront the Bulgarian danger.
   The Byzantine fortifications.
   Major repair work was carried out in the 13th and 14th century by the family of Palaiologos in both the main walls (see, Anna Paleologina gateway) and the Eptapyrgio walls (Acropolis). The lack of interest from the Venetians (1423-1430) to defend the city’s independence helped the Turks to capture Thessaloniki but after they conquered the city they fortified it, with great attention.
5. Galerius Arch (Kamara)
   One of the most characteristic monuments of Thessaloniki is the Arch of Galerius, located on the upper side of the Via Egnatia, a short distance from the Rotonda. (The Rotonda is a building with internal niches, serving as a place of worship). The Arch of Galerius is a glorious monument, whose purpose was not practical, but memorial and honorary. It is a triumphal arch built shortly before 305 AD to honor the Roman Emperor Galerius, after the final victory over the Persians. The triumphal arch that was positioned perpendicular to the ancient Egnatia, which crossed the city (west to east) forming a part of the Roman Palace of Galerius, which was developed through the current squares of Navarinou and Hippodrome. The construction design of the arch of Galerius was such as the two major roads to pass beneath it and crossed right in the middle, the current Egnatia Street and the street starting from the Arch and ending at the south gate of the wall of the Rotunda.
6. The Aristotelous Square and The Central Market (Modiano)
   The Aristotelous square is the connection link between the architectural history of Thessaloniki and its modern style. After the fire of 1917, the French architect Ernest Hébrard was assigned to redesign the whole area of the city center and due to the historical significance of this central point he put Aristotelous Square in the heart of the new plan. The Aristotelous square is the point where the sea meets the land in the most central point of the city and the starting point of a place full of open spaces to the public. The Aristotelous square is described as a crucial place for Thessaloniki since is the only open space in the center of the city with this vast dimension turning to be the point of hosting numerous events throughout the year, people’s meeting place, place of recreation and promenade for the citizens and the visitors. It is mentioned and in fact is a rare example of a preplanned architectural design while its careful orientation is offering a captivating view of Mount Olympus.
7. The Port of Thessaloniki
   The history of Thessaloniki begins in 316 BC the founding of when king Cassandros founded the city under the name of his wife, sister of Alexander the Great. The creation of Thessaloniki’s harbor is estimated to be at the same period. The Port of Thessaloniki was the strategic and financial center of the city. In ancient times it is stated that there were shipyards, where the Macedonian fleet manufactured and preserved its ships. During the reign of Constantine the Great, there are also scripts referring to the existence of a large square port. It also seems that in the “Middle Ages” the communication and the commerce through the harbor of Thessaloniki was very well organized. There was a small port on Thessaloniki at the area of the White Tower, and a pier right in the center of the Thessaloniki. During the times of John Kameniatis (secretary of the Patriarch in Thessaloniki) there are scripts describing an extensive breakwater which it was going along the seaside walls. The port of Thessaloniki is a living history for the city holding a crucial factor of the city as it’s the meeting point of East and West.

Let’s explore the City together!

Thessaloniki Private Classic Sightseeing

Thessaloniki

FOLLOW HELLO THESSALONIKI

Summary

Service Type

Thessaloniki Private Classic Sightseeing Tour with Driver

Provider Name

Hello Thessaloniki,

Karolou Ntil 31-33,Thessaloniki,Greece-54624,
Telephone No.+306907798620

Area

Thessaloniki

Description

Thessaloniki Private Classic Sightseeing Tour with Driver Explore the city of Thessaloniki