Three mountain bikers on a singletrack above lake Ohrid in Macedonia.

©Ilan Shacham/Getty Images

Macedonia

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.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • 07.13.2022 Thessaloniki, Greece. Beautifully preserved artwork statue of a muscular short-haired man with a naked torso covering with cape. High quality photo; Shutterstock ID 2194941033; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 2194941033

    Archaeological Museum

    Thessaloniki

    Macedonia's prehistory, Hellenistic and Roman periods are charted in this wonderful museum, home to many of the region's major archaeological discoveries…

  • 1303580786 architectural, artistic, creative, mural painting, mural paintings, murals, nighttime, no one, no person, nobody, outdoor, outside, paintings, past, stone, tomb of phillip ii, vergina, worn

    Vergina Royal Tombs Museum

    Macedonia

    A grass-covered tumulus (burial mound) has been converted into a truly spine-tingling museum where visitors can descend to unspoiled royal Macedonian…

  • Beautiful sunset over Mount Olympus in Greece. This is the small road to Enipea source of the river Zeus Bath near the village of Litochoro; Shutterstock ID 1789244651; your: Erin Lenczycki; gl: 65050 ; netsuite: Digital; full: Digital 1789244651

    Mt Olympus

    Macedonia

    The cloud-covered lair of the Ancient Greek pantheon, awe-inspiring Mt Olympus is simply spectacular. It fires visitors' imaginations today, just as it…

  • Ruins of the Antique city of Philippi, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece; Shutterstock ID 2189838665; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 2189838665

    Philippi Archaeological Site

    Macedonia

    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…

  • THESSALONIKI, GREECE - DECEMBER 29: Interior of the Basilica of Hagios Demetrios on December 29, 2015 in Thessaloniki, Greece. Saint Demetrios is the patron saint of Thessaloniki city.; Shutterstock ID 753257872; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 753257872

    Church of Agios Dimitrios

    Thessaloniki

    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…

  • Museum of Byzantine Culture

    Museum of Byzantine Culture

    Thessaloniki

    This fascinating museum has plenty of treasures to please Byzantine buffs, plus simple explanations to introduce this long-lived empire and its culture to…

  • Church of Osios David

    Church of Osios David

    Thessaloniki

    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…

  • Archaeological Museum of Florina

    Archaeological Museum of Florina

    Macedonia

    Florina's modest two-storey archaeological museum tells the story of the city and surrounding region through prehistoric, classical, Hellenistic, Roman…

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Sarti beach with Mount Athos in view © Konstantinos Tsakalidis/Lonely Planet

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Macedonia and beyond

Beyond Macedonia
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