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Macedonia

Awarded Best in Travel 2023

About Best In Travel 2023

Travellers lured automatically to Greece's islands and southern charms risk missing out on one of the country's most fascinating regions: Macedonia. Forever associated with Alexander the Great, it's littered with ancient cities, holy places and natural wonders that bridge the years between ourselves and the ancients who once revered them. And then there's Thessaloniki: Greece's second city, a cultural dynamo of ancient pedigree and the country's acknowledged gastronomic capital.

Traces of successive conquerors and cultures can be seen everywhere, from the Macedonian treasures of Pella and Vergina, to Thessaloniki's Roman fora and palaces, ubiquitous masterpieces of Byzantine church-building and the extravagant bath houses that arose during the centuries of Turkish power. Even deeper and older is Mt Olympus, a cloud-piercing wonder that makes perfect sense as the home of the gods. Add beaches, wineries, lakes and the ebullient culture of today, and you have a place not to be missed.

Explore Macedonia

Mt Olympus
The cloud-covered lair of the Ancient Greek pantheon, awe-inspiring Mt Olympus is simply spectacular. It fires visitors' imaginations today, just as it…
V
Vergina Royal Tombs Museum
A grass-covered tumulus (burial mound) has been converted into a truly spine-tingling museum where visitors can descend to unspoiled royal Macedonian…
Archaeological Museum
Macedonia's prehistory, Hellenistic and Roman periods are charted in this wonderful museum, home to many of the region's major archaeological discoveries…
P
Philippi Archaeological Site
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…
M
Museum of Byzantine Culture
This fascinating museum has plenty of treasures to please Byzantine buffs, plus simple explanations to introduce this long-lived empire and its culture to…
C
Church of Agios Dimitrios
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…
C
Church of Osios David
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…
White Tower
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…
C
Castle of Platamonas
Looming from an imposing coastal bluff near Platamonas village, 20km south of Plaka Litohorou, this well-preserved stronghold assumed much of its present…

Mt Olympus
The cloud-covered lair of the Ancient Greek pantheon, awe-inspiring Mt Olympus is simply spectacular. It fires visitors' imaginations today, just as it…
V
Vergina Royal Tombs Museum
A grass-covered tumulus (burial mound) has been converted into a truly spine-tingling museum where visitors can descend to unspoiled royal Macedonian…
Archaeological Museum
Macedonia's prehistory, Hellenistic and Roman periods are charted in this wonderful museum, home to many of the region's major archaeological discoveries…
P
Philippi Archaeological Site
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…
M
Museum of Byzantine Culture
This fascinating museum has plenty of treasures to please Byzantine buffs, plus simple explanations to introduce this long-lived empire and its culture to…
C
Church of Agios Dimitrios
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…
C
Church of Osios David
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…
White Tower
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…
C
Castle of Platamonas
Looming from an imposing coastal bluff near Platamonas village, 20km south of Plaka Litohorou, this well-preserved stronghold assumed much of its present…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Macedonia.

See
Mt Olympus
The cloud-covered lair of the Ancient Greek pantheon, awe-inspiring Mt Olympus is simply spectacular. It fires visitors' imaginations today, just as it…
See
Vergina Royal Tombs Museum
A grass-covered tumulus (burial mound) has been converted into a truly spine-tingling museum where visitors can descend to unspoiled royal Macedonian…
See
Archaeological Museum
Macedonia's prehistory, Hellenistic and Roman periods are charted in this wonderful museum, home to many of the region's major archaeological discoveries…
See
Philippi Archaeological Site
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…
See
Museum of Byzantine Culture
This fascinating museum has plenty of treasures to please Byzantine buffs, plus simple explanations to introduce this long-lived empire and its culture to…
See
Church of Agios Dimitrios
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…
See
Church of Osios David
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…
See
White Tower
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…
See
Castle of Platamonas
Looming from an imposing coastal bluff near Platamonas village, 20km south of Plaka Litohorou, this well-preserved stronghold assumed much of its present…

Guidebooks

Learn more about Macedonia

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