The 15 Best Thessaloniki & Halkidiki Tours

1.Full-Day Bus Trip to Meteora

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 3,471 reviews · 11 hours · from $58Our pick

Travel from Thessaloniki to Meteora with an English-speaking guide such as Eleni, Konstantina, or George. Visit two monasteries, stop at a panoramic viewpoint, and eat in Kastraki. The comfortable coach ride takes about 3.5 hours each way, so good shoes, cash, and patience matter.

“Great trip and beautiful Meteora 😍 really must see while in Greece, views are spectacular. Trip is well organized, there is enough time gor everything, it is convenient for everyone - not including that much staircases I expected 🙈 George our guide was funny, giving a lot stories and information, and I really enjoyed overall experience 🤩🤩”

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2.Pozar Thermal Baths and Edessa Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,243 reviews · 10 hours · from $58

Spend 10 hours with an English-speaking guide such as Eleni or George, soaking in Pozar’s 37°C springs, eating in Orma, and seeing Edessa’s waterfalls. Transport, escort, and basic insurance are included. Bring a towel or pay to rent one, and expect only two hours at the baths.

“Comfortable, new Mercedes bus. Nice guide gave good info. Good overall excursion planning. Most importantly, we arrived fairly early at the Pozar Baths, no queuing, while even an hour later there were lengthy queues. Recommended restaurant was very good, not a tourist trap.”

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3.Day Trip to Dion and Mount Olympus Park

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,046 reviews · 10 hours · from $58

Travel from Thessaloniki to ancient Dion and Mount Olympus National Park with an English-speaking guide, often praised for lively mythology and history talks. Walk the Agia Kori trail, swim in its emerald pool, visit the park information center, and finish with free time for lunch in Litochoro.

“We were greeted by the lovely SiSi guide who was excellent. She spoke in English very well. The large mini bus was in great condition and the driver drove us safely. The highlight was the swim in the water by the fountain at Mount Olympus. The water was just right. Lovely pictures to treasure. Dion was a lovely calm and relaxing. Look out for the dragonflies. This trip was great value for money. Also we went to a village for lunch which was fantastic. Well done SiSi. You were a great guide.”

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4.OTE Tower Rotating Experience with Light Meal

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 857 reviews · 90 minutes - 2 hours · from $21

Spend up to two hours in Skyline Bar atop Thessaloniki’s OTE Tower. As the room turns 360 degrees, choose wine and fruit, a club sandwich with beer, or wine with cheese and fruit while taking in the Thermaic Gulf and city landmarks.

“Beautiful during the sunset! Great wine. Fantastic piano player. Perfect evening”

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5.Vergina and Pella Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 673 reviews · 8.5 hours · from $58

Travel by air-conditioned minibus from Thessaloniki to Pella and Vergina with an English-speaking guide such as Eva, Yannis, or Lazaros. See Macedonian mosaics, Philip II’s golden burial treasures, royal tombs, and the New Museum of Aigai, with lunch at a local taverna.

“Vergina museum is AMAZING! It was the main reason we chose to stay in Thessaloniki and we were not disappointed. The stop in the agora in Pella was not very good - more time in museum in Pella would be better. Is restored palace of king Alexander not available to visit?”

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6.Mount Athos Glassbottom Cruise with Ammouliani Island visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 592 reviews · 5 hours · from $35

Join Eirinikos Glassbottom Cruises from Ouranoupoli for a five-hour trip along Mount Athos Bay. See six monasteries from offshore, pass the Drenia islets, hear multilingual commentary, and spend 1.5 hours at Ammouliani Island or Alikes lagoon for swimming and lunch.

“It was great value for money & we really enjoyed. Guide was a recording and a bit difficult to hear over the boat sounds but great otherwise.”

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7.Full-Day Trip to Meteora from Thessaloniki

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 542 reviews · 11 hours (approx.) · from $59

Travel from central Thessaloniki to Meteora by air-conditioned coach, visit two cliff-top monasteries with an English-speaking attendant, stop at scenic viewpoints, and eat lunch in Kastraki. Guides such as Eleni, Eva, and Konstantina are praised for clear commentary and kind help. Expect a long but memorable day.

“Wonderful experience and well worth it. Very scenic road trip with an informative host. Lots of memorable photo opportunities”

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8.Thessaloniki Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 473 reviews · from $18Best value

Start at Thessaloniki’s White Tower and ride an open-top bus past museums, Byzantine walls, churches, the Arch of Galerius, Aristotelous Square, and the port. Hop off at seven stops, then reboard all day. Audio commentary is available in several languages, with buses generally every 30 minutes.

“Excellent reliable bus tour, took to all Points of interest.”

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9.Ouranoupoli: Mount Athos Peninsula Sightseeing Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 305 reviews · from $28

From Ouranoupoli, cruise three hours along the west side of Mount Athos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll see eight monasteries, including Dochiariou, Xiropotamou, and Panteleimonos, while onboard commentary explains Orthodox monastic life and entry restrictions. Drinks and snacks are available for purchase.

“It was really great and fun trip. To know a little bit of Athos peninsula history was really inspiring.”

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10.From Ouranoupolis: Cruise to Mount Athos Monasteries

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 298 reviews · from $28

From Ouranoupolis, Calypso Cruises takes you on a 3.5-hour sightseeing cruise along the Mount Athos coast. You will see eight monasteries from the sea, hear multilingual commentary, use onboard binoculars, and watch for dolphins or a Mediterranean monk seal.

“Terrific tour. Great crew, right sized boat and the perfect amount of time to see the wonders of Mt Athos. I would strongly recommend you take this wonderful trip with a great captain who will make sure you have a enjoyable trip.”

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11.Halkidiki Blue Lagoon Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 277 reviews · 10 hours · from $77

Spend 10 hours sailing from Thessaloniki to Halkidiki, with pickup from central city points, swimming stops at the Blue Lagoon and nearby beaches, a cruise around Diaporos, and lunch aboard a three-level pirate ship. English guidance, hotel transfer, and onboard bars are included.

“Wow. That is the only word to describe to experience. Not to be missed, weather permitting.”

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12.Half-Day Canyoning Trip to Mount Olympus

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 267 reviews · 6 hours · from $100Top rated

Travel from Thessaloniki to Mount Olympus for a beginner-friendly canyoning session with ICOpro-certified guides such as Nathan, Alice, and Ines. After a short mountain hike and safety lesson, you jump, slide, swim, and rappel through clear pools. Equipment, hotel transport, and digital photos are included.

“Rock jumping, rock slides, and rappelling at Mount Olympus was amazing! The guides were encouraging and fun. Highly recommend!”

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13.Bus Trip to Dion & Mt Olympus National Park

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 256 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $59

Travel from Thessaloniki to Agia Kori Waterfall, Dion Archaeological Park, the Olympus Information Center, and Litochoro. An English-speaking historian-archeologist leads the day, with bus transport, Wi-Fi, and free time for lunch. The trail is accessible but includes rough ground and steep steps.

“It was an average excursion; you mostly pay for the bus ride. We did a hike and sat at a nice restaurant towards the end where we enjoyed a meal. A bit more time would have been appreciated there as it was a lovely little town. Our guide was pleasant but inexperienced. We missed the high energy of a tour guide who grabs the attention of his or her group. All in all a decent tour but not unmissable.”

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14.Open Market Food Tour with Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 186 reviews · 3 hours · from $53

Join a three-hour English-language walk from Le Palace Art Hotel through Ladadika, Kapani, Modiano, Louloudadika, and Athonos Square. Guides such as Eleni, Constantina, and Elvina lead tastings of bougatsa, feta, olives, dips, sweets, coffee, and tsipouro, with food and city stories along the way.

“Spending time with Konstantina was really fun and pleasant. You'd better be hungry because there's a lot to taste. This tour is without rush - after all it's unhealthy after eating!”

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15.Food Tastings and Drinks tour with a Chef

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 181 reviews · 4 hours · from $94

Spend four hours walking central Thessaloniki with chef Panos, tasting koulouri, bougatsa, cheeses, seafood, coffee, wine and more. His small-group route links food with the city’s Greek, Balkan and Ottoman past, using local shops, markets and family-run food businesses rather than standard sightseeing stops.

“Fantastic tour! Great value for money! Learning about the history of the city through food was such a unique experience. Panos is a great guide! Can not recommend enough”

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