Thessaloniki: Self-Guided Audio Walk Through Layers of Empire

This self-guided audio walk explores Thessaloniki through its Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman landmarks. It is ideal for first-time visitors who enjoy history in the street around them, from arches and churches to baths, markets, and public squares.

Your route begins at the Palace of Galerius, where broken stone walls still hint at imperial scale, then follows the city’s Roman axis to the Arch of Galerius and the great Rotonda. From there, you continue to Hagia Sophia, the Ancient Agora, and the Holy Church of Saint Demetrius, tracing how ancient Thessaloniki grew into one of the most important cities of the Byzantine world.

The walk then shifts into the Ottoman-era commercial center, passing Bey Hamam, Panagia Chalkeon, Alcazar, the Bedesten, and the old Pazar Hamam. You move through the busy lanes of Kapani Market and across Platia Eleftherias before finishing at Agora Modiano, where restored market halls and food stalls bring the city’s trading spirit into the present.

Along the way, you will stand beneath carved Roman reliefs, look up at domes that have watched over the city for centuries, and step from quiet churchyards into market streets filled with voices, spices, fish counters, and the shine of shop windows.