Thessaloniki for Turkish visitors

Why Thessaloniki holds a unique place in Turkish history

Thessaloniki is the birthplace of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. The house where he was born, on Apostolou Pavlou Street inside the Turkish Consulate General compound, is preserved as a museum and open to visitors free of charge. Beyond this, the city carries visible traces of its Ottoman centuries — covered bazaar lanes, hammam buildings, the Alaca Imaret mosque — alongside fifteen UNESCO-listed Byzantine churches and Roman monuments from the first-century Arch of Galerius to the Rotunda. The layers sit next to each other without ceremony: Byzantine basilica, Ottoman minaret, Roman arch, all within a ten-minute walk.

Getting here — flights from Istanbul

Direct flights from Istanbul Airport (IST) and Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) to Thessaloniki Macedonia Airport (SKG) are operated by several carriers; the flight takes under an hour. From the airport, an express bus or a taxi brings you to the centre in 30–40 minutes. Inside the city, almost every site in this guide is within walking distance — no car or taxi needed for the main itinerary.

• Thessaloniki airport to city centre →
• Roman and Byzantine Thessaloniki →
• Discover Thessaloniki →
• The suite in the centre →

The best of the city — and your base in Ladadika

First stop: the Atatürk Museum (Apostolou Pavlou 75, inside the Turkish Consulate compound — free entry). Second: the Roman and Byzantine layer — the Arch of Galerius, the Rotunda, and the basilica of Agios Dimitrios, all within ten minutes on foot. Third: the Kapani market, the oldest covered-style market in Greece, selling spices, olives, cheese, and local produce in a bazaar layout that will feel familiar. For the evening, Ladadika — the restored old merchants' quarter — is two minutes from Loena: tavernas, meze houses, and bars in stone warehouses, where the food guide's curated set begins.