Museum of Byzantine Culture

The basics

As befits a city that was part of the Byzantine Empire for almost eight centuries, Thessaloniki has a priceless collection of Byzantine antiquities displayed in the city’s award-winning modern museum. Many city tours include a stop at the Museum of Byzantine Culture for a guided visit of its 11 galleries, plus its collection of icons and religious engravings. The museum also has themed temporary exhibitions to highlight ancient artifacts selected from the more than 40,000 in storage.

Things to know before you go

• The exhibits inside the Museum of Byzantine Culture have multilingual audiovisual and touchscreen explanations as well as audio guides that are straightforward enough to engage even the casual visitor.

• If you plan on visiting Thessaloniki’s top sights, opt for the three-day pass that includes admission to the Museum of Byzantine Culture, White Tower, Archaeological Museum, and Rotunda.

• The museum has a café, restrooms, and a gift shop for visitors; the indoor and outdoor areas are completely accessible to strollers and wheelchairs.

How to get there

The Museum of Byzantine Culture is located in the center of Thessaloniki near the waterfront and is easy to reach on foot as part of a city walking tour or via a hop-on-hop-off bus tour. It’s about a 10-minute taxi or bus ride from the train station and ferry port and there is bike parking near the front entrance for cyclists.

When to get there

The museum is open daily year round, with the exception of major holidays. Entrance is free on the first Sunday of the month in winter and on a number of cultural holidays during the year, so the galleries are more crowded on those days. The air-conditioned museum interiors offer an ideal midday respite from the summer heat.

The best museums to visit in Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is home to a number of excellent museums that are worth a visit. In addition to the Museum of Byzantine Culture, explore the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, one of the largest in Greece and home to art and artifacts dating from the area’s prehistoric, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. The Museum of the White Tower also merits a stop, both for its exhibition tracing the history of the city and its panoramic rooftop overlook.