About Amazing Thessaloniki

Most of the thessaloniki hotels are located near the historical center as this part of the city is the most interesting and vivid. Thessaloniki hotels are small and luxury in the majority, still visitors could find bigger than a boutique-style hotels. Cheaper accommodation options are available too. This beautiful city has so many things to offer to a visitor that it's pretty difficult to make a list with the must-visit spots. However, the White Tower and the Rotunda building are two of these spots you shouldn’t miss.  

Thessaloniki is Greece's second-largest city and was a metropolitan centre for the Macedonians as well as a co-regent for the Byzantines. It was an important financial and commercial center during the Ottoman Empire's reign and is now regarded as a living museum of history, with several monuments and attractions scattered around the city. Many of these monuments have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The White Tower of Thessaloniki, erected in the 15th century, is the city's most notable attraction. It was employed as a fortress in the early years of its construction to secure the port. During the Ottoman Empire, it was converted into a jail and was known as "The Tower of Blood." It was later dubbed the White Tower since it is reported that a prisoner whitewashed the tower in payment for his release. After 1900, the White Tower was used not by Thessaloniki's air defense but by the university's meteorological laboratory. It now serves as a museum where visitors can learn about the history of Thessaloniki from ancient times to the present. You can also climb to the top of the tower for a 360-degree panorama of the city and the Thermaikos Gulf.

The Rotunda's magnificent structure began its life as a pagan temple. It later served as a Christian church after Theodosios I converted to Christianity in Thessaloniki somewhere in the 4th century, and it also served as a mosque. The Rotunda was designed as a tomb for Emperor Galerius, although he was never buried there. This period's mosaics, as well as a sculpture museum, may be found inside the Rotunda.