Thessaloniki - Do you "need" to take a tour or can you just see the sights un-guided.

[RecoveryDude]

Hello!  We are going on a Celebrity cruise stopping at this port, and we have never been here before.  They only have one excursion to choose from, and it's a "van tour" - We are not too interested in just "driving past" churches and buildings.  Is this the sort of port you can just get around easy and see things.  We definitely want to see the Statue of Alexander the Great.  Any help, tips or advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Recovery Dude

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, RecoveryDude said:

Hello!  We are going on a Celebrity cruise stopping at this port, and we have never been here before.  They only have one excursion to choose from, and it's a "van tour" - We are not too interested in just "driving past" churches and buildings.  Is this the sort of port you can just get around easy and see things.  We definitely want to see the Statue of Alexander the Great.  Any help, tips or advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Recovery Dude

 

It's very easy to get around Thessaloniki on your own. I'm not sure if larger ships have to dock further out, but we were on a small ship and walked off almost in the middle of the city. We had planned a full morning of sightseeing -- got off the ship fairly soon after docking and took a taxi to the Archaeological Museum (full of wonderful things excavated from various sites and tombs around northern Greece). Then we walked from the museum to the Rotunda and the Arch of Galerius (remnants of the days when Thessaloniki was one of the four "capitals" of the Roman Empire. Finally we walked to the Roman Agora, then took a taxi back to the ship.

 

We were back just in time to grab a quick lunch before an afternoon shore excursion to visit the tomb of Philip II (Alexander the Great's father) in Vergina (about an hour or so outside of Thessaloniki).  At the time, the ruins of Vergina (ancient Aigai) weren't open, but I think they are now. Aigai was the royal capital of Macedon. The excursion was well worth it.

 

The statue of Alexander that you mention is modern; it was only put up in the 1970s....

 

 

[edinburgher]

afternoon shore excursion to visit the tomb of Philip II (Alexander the Great's father) in Vergina (about an hour or so outside of Thessaloniki).

 

We did a morning shorex to the Vergina museum.  I think you can only access it with private transport and a taxi may not be practical as you will want to spend some time here..

 

This museum totally surpassed our expectations in every way and I strongly recommend you  try to get there. The exhibits from the (intact and unlooted) tomb of Philip 11 are absolurely breathtakingly beautiful, especially the golden objects such as the acorn  crown/diadems. 

 

We would have happily taken many many photos but photography is not allowed and the museum attendants were hyper vigilant.

 

There shouild be much information found online, (Museum of the  Royal Tombs of Vergina.) and even if you think you have visited many museums and "seen it all", and "this will be just another museum"you will find after a visit here that you are now closer to "seeing it all"than you were before your visit.

 

A personal opinion of course, but we rank it as high as the Tomb of Tutankhamun (apart from the golden mask).

Edited February 22, 2023 by edinburgher

[RecoveryDude]

On 2/21/2023 at 12:51 AM, cruisemom42 said:

 

It's very easy to get around Thessaloniki on your own. I'm not sure if larger ships have to dock further out, but we were on a small ship and walked off almost in the middle of the city. We had planned a full morning of sightseeing -- got off the ship fairly soon after docking and took a taxi to the Archaeological Museum (full of wonderful things excavated from various sites and tombs around northern Greece). Then we walked from the museum to the Rotunda and the Arch of Galerius (remnants of the days when Thessaloniki was one of the four "capitals" of the Roman Empire. Finally we walked to the Roman Agora, then took a taxi back to the ship.

 

We were back just in time to grab a quick lunch before an afternoon shore excursion to visit the tomb of Philip II (Alexander the Great's father) in Vergina (about an hour or so outside of Thessaloniki).  At the time, the ruins of Vergina (ancient Aigai) weren't open, but I think they are now. Aigai was the royal capital of Macedon. The excursion was well worth it.

 

The statue of Alexander that you mention is modern; it was only put up in the 1970s....

 

 

 Was the excursion to Vergina organized by the cruise company?  

[RecoveryDude]

10 hours ago, edinburgher said:

afternoon shore excursion to visit the tomb of Philip II (Alexander the Great's father) in Vergina (about an hour or so outside of Thessaloniki).

 

We did a morning shorex to the Vergina museum.  I think you can only access it with private transport and a taxi may not be practical as you will want to spend some time here..

 

This museum totally surpassed our expectations in every way and I strongly recommend you  try to get there. The exhibits from the (intact and unlooted) tomb of Philip 11 are absolurely breathtakingly beautiful, especially the golden objects such as the acorn  crown/diadems. 

 

We would have happily taken many many photos but photography is not allowed and the museum attendants were hyper vigilant.

 

There shouild be much information found online, (Museum of the  Royal Tombs of Vergina.) and even if you think you have visited many museums and "seen it all", and "this will be just another museum"you will find after a visit here that you are now closer to "seeing it all"than you were before your visit.

 

A personal opinion of course, but we rank it as high as the Tomb of Tutankhamun (apart from the golden mask).

Just wondering if that excursion was organized by the cruise company or someone local once you got off the ship?

[cruisemom42]

16 minutes ago, RecoveryDude said:

 Was the excursion to Vergina organized by the cruise company?  

 

Yes, it was offered by the cruise line but the cost wasn't bad and the tour was great.

[edinburgher]

Was the excursion to Vergina organized by the cruise company?

 

Yes, ours was also a shorex. We only do shorex if the distance is too far of if it is too challenging to DIY or if a private tour for only two persons is too costly..  if you can share, maybe a private tour with others on your RC would work just as well.

Edited February 23, 2023 by edinburgher

[cruisemom42]

13 hours ago, RecoveryDude said:

Just wondering if that excursion was organized by the cruise company or someone local once you got off the ship?

 

If you're thinking you might arrange something on the spot, I do not recall there being tour vendors at the dock. Taxis, yes. But a taxi ride to Vergina and back would be more expensive than doing a shorex, given the distance.