Thessaloniki is a city with a rich historical and cultural heritage. In the many museums of the city you can enjoy the diversity of the fruits of creative genius of people from different eras and cultures.
The capital of Macedonia, one of the largest cities of the legendary Pax Romana, the cultural capital of Byzantium - Thessaloniki, thanks to its favorable location and rich history, is the cultural center of the entire Balkan Peninsula and southern Europe as a whole.
The museums of Thessaloniki show the diversity of the city's history and culture.
The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, founded back in 1912, is today one of the richest museums in Greece. It presents the entire ancient history of Thessaloniki and the whole of Northern Greece. The museum building was opened on October 27, 1962 during the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation of Thessaloniki from the Turks and is located in the eastern part of the city center, near the White Tower and the Thessaloniki promenade.
The Byzantine Museum in Thessaloniki is the most interesting and spectacular museum exhibition in Thessaloniki, dedicated to the formation of Christianity and the thousand-year history of the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Museum in Thessaloniki, founded in 1994, introduces visitors to the rich and little known cultural layer of world history, commonly referred to as Byzantium.
The transfer of the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to New Rome (the city founded by Constantine the Great on the site of the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium, at the junction of Europe and Asia, on the shores of the Bosporus, later called Constantinople, "Constantinople Castle") marked the beginning of Byzantine history. This European Christian empire lasted more than thousand years and left a bright trace in the history of modern mankind.
The Museum of Byzantine Culture is open every day in winter time (November 1 - March 31) from 9.00 to 16.00 except national holidays. The entrance fee is 4 Euros.
The Archaeological Museum is open every day in winter (November 1 - March 31) from 9:00 to 16:00 except national holidays. The entrance fee is 6 Euros.
If you want to visit both museums we suggest to use the general admission ticket for both museums for 8 Euros.
The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki can be reached by buses: Nn. 7,10,11, 12, 31,39,58, 50 to the stop "Museums". The nearest parking lots (for a fee) are the parking lots of the YMCA and the Thessaloniki International Exhibition HELEXPO. Walking distance from city center (Aristotle Square) 15 min.
The Museum of Byzantine Culture can be reached by bus lines Nn. 3, 10, 11, 12, 31, 39 to the bus stop 'Museum of Bizantine Culture'. The nearest parking spaces (for a fee): Thessaloniki City Hall parking lot. Walking distance from the city center (Aristotle Square) 20 min. At the entrance of the Museum there are parking spaces for bicycles.
