Sprawling in splendid incongruity amidst the souvenir shops and crêperies of Plateia Navarinou, the ruins of this 3rd- to 4th-century palace remain impressive in scope. You can descend into it, or just peer over the handrail to see the surviving mosaics, columns, walls and infrastructure. What most brings the site to life is the Arched Hall, where exhibits, videos and digital recreations convey something of the nature and scope of not just the palace, but the nearby triumphal arch and rotunda.
Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images
Palace of Galerius
Thessaloniki
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.44 MILES
Macedonia's prehistory, Hellenistic and Roman periods are charted in this wonderful museum, home to many of the region's major archaeological discoveries…
0.56 MILES
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…
-
0.54 MILES
This fascinating museum has plenty of treasures to please Byzantine buffs, plus simple explanations to introduce this long-lived empire and its culture to…
-
0.78 MILES
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…
0.3 MILES
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…
0.88 MILES
Thessaloniki's New Waterfront is evidence that architecture can improve urban life through intelligent redesign of the space in which it is lived…
0.82 MILES
Believed to have been founded around 1351 on the place where Paul preached in Thessaloniki, this secluded monastery blends fascinating history with some…
2.27 MILES
Japanese architect Arata Isozaki created the M2, one of two waterfront buildings that house Thessaloniki's high-brow music scene. It's a strikingly…
Nearby Thessaloniki attractions
0.17 MILES
South of the Rotunda on Egnatia, the Arch of Galerius (AD 303) celebrates the eponymous emperor's victory over the Persians in martial scenes carved into…
0.22 MILES
Candlelight on gold chandeliers pierces the gloom in this stunning 8th-century church, modelled on its İstanbul namesake. Among many striking 8th- and 9th…
0.26 MILES
In AD 306 Roman emperor Galerius built this harmonious 30m-high dome, comparable to Rome's Pantheon and possibly intended as his mausoleum. Marking the…
4. Museum of the Macedonian Struggle
0.29 MILES
Ground zero for Greek nationalism, this museum in a handsome late-19th-century mansion recounts how heroic Hellenes wrested Macedonia from both Turks and…
0.3 MILES
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…
6. Church of the Panagia Achiropiitos
0.3 MILES
This basilica-style 5th-century Byzantine church, built over Roman baths and one of the oldest in Greece, has notable mosaics and frescoes. The name,…
7. Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art
0.38 MILES
One of the most respected modern-art institutions in Greece, MOMus grew from an initial bequest of 30 modern masterpieces in 1979, and now exhibits over…
0.38 MILES
Bey Hammam was built in 1444, making it Thessaloniki’s oldest Turkish bathhouse and reputedly the largest remaining in Greece. Externally squat and…