The markets: Modiano, Kapani, Vlali
An hour through the three markets that still feed the city.
Distance
1.2 km
Duration
90 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Best time
Morning, before 1 p.m.
Thessaloniki's markets are not a tourist attraction. They are how the city still shops, and the fastest place to understand what it eats and how it talks.
The route is short in distance and dense in everything else. Take it in the morning, when every stall is working.
The numbered stops in route order. Tap a point for more.
The stops
- 1
Aristotelous Square
The starting point. From here you climb toward Ermou and into the market.
- 2
Modiano Market
The covered market of 1922, with fishmongers, delicatessens and meze bars along its aisles.
- 3
Kapani (Vlali)
The city's oldest market, open-air and dense: fruit, vegetables, olives, spices.
- 4
Bezesteni
A 15th-century Ottoman covered market built for the cloth trade. Still a market today.
- 5
Panagia Chalkeon
Finish at the all-brick church of 1028, named for the coppersmiths who worked here.
Practical notes
- Morning, ideally before 1 p.m. Most stalls close in the afternoon.
- Closed Sunday. Saturday is the liveliest day and the most crowded.
- Bring cash. Many stalls do not take cards.
- The area is perfectly safe, but it is dense; mind your bag as in any market.
What to eat on the way
Olives and pickles from the stalls, nuts, and if you are an early riser, patsas at one of the shops that work from midnight. For something gentler, bougatsa and a coffee.