On the northern slopes of the city, just outside the city walls, you'll visit another part of the Thessaloniki fortifications, the massive Heptapyrgion Fortress (translated as "Seven Towers"), which is part of the Acropolis of Thessaloniki.

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The fortress is also known by its Turkish name, Yedi Kule.

Architecture and history

The Heptapyrgion Monument stands on the site of smaller fortresses dating back to the days of ancient Rome, but it only gained its majestic appearance as a small fortified town within a town with the arrival of the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century.

As an addition to the city walls of Trigonion, a truly massive fortress was built here with a total of seven towers and many residential buildings inside the fortress, mainly for Turkish soldiers.

The fortress served its purpose until the late 19th century, but did not finally lose its meaning until after 1912, when the area around Thessaloniki was annexed to Greece. Until 1989, however, Heptapyrgion served as a prison. From then until now it has been undergoing a very slow reconstruction.

Admission and opening hours

The grounds of the fortress, or rather its outdoor areas, are open daily from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, except on Tuesdays when it is closed.

Admission is 6 eur.

The interior of the fortress remains closed to the public.

How to get to the Heptapyrgion?

Due to the really high elevation that you have to climb from the centre, we recommend taking the city bus number 23 to the walls. This runs once every 20 minutes from the central bus stop between Aristotle Square and the harbour (see map).

You can easily find out where to get off on your own. The bus goes straight through one of the gates through the Trigonion walls and the very next stop is in front of the Heptapyrgion.

Walk back to the centre through the romantic quarter. Ano Poli with its narrow streets and old buildings.