The olive barrels
Dozens of kinds sold by weight.
zorand (Pixabay) — CC0 · Ymblanter — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ymblanter — CC BY-SA 4.0 · mapa mundi — CC BY-SA 2.0
**The oldest market in Thessaloniki**, still working as it always has: a web of narrow, partly roofed lanes between Egnatia and Venizelou, crowded with trestles, crates and shouting. Its name comes from the Turkish **kapan** — the weighing house that stood here under Ottoman rule to weigh goods and levy their dues — and locals also call it **Vlali**. It is among the few things that survived the 1917 fire in both form and function. What is sold here is what the city actually eats: fresh **fish** under scattered ice, meat, northern Greek cheeses, olives of dozens of kinds in barrels, spices, nuts and dried fruit, seasonal vegetables and pickles — at market prices rather than restaurant ones. Between the lanes are **small tavernas and ouzeries** where traders and customers sit over meze and ouzo from the morning on. ⚠ It is **not polished for tourists**: loud, wet underfoot, strong-smelling and with no English signage — which is exactly what makes it worth it.
Dozens of kinds sold by weight.
The day's catch on ice, and shouting.
Meze and ouzo among the stalls from the morning.
Kapani, Vlali, 54624 Thessaloniki
LadadikaThe oldest surviving quarter of Thessaloniki and the centre of its nightlife tod7 minutes walk
Jewish Museum of ThessalonikiThe museum that explains the most important and most absent layer in this city's8 minutes walk4.6
Modiano MarketA covered market in the middle of Thessaloniki under a long glass and steel roof10 minutes walk4.2
Thessaloniki Museum of Photography**The only state museum of photography in Greece**, occupying **Warehouse A** in10 minutes walk4.5
The Roman Forum (Ancient Agora)The Forum is Roman Thessaloniki's accidentally found heart: car-park excavations11 minutes walk4.5Yes, and it is one of the best things to do in Thessaloniki. Among the lanes are **small tavernas and ouzeries** — metal tables and wicker chairs — serving **meze with ouzo or tsipouro**: grilled octopus, sardines, fried cheese, salads and seasonal vegetables. The customers are a mix of traders, shoppers and locals, and prices are **very reasonable** against tourist restaurants. ⚠ Don't expect English menus everywhere — point at what you see on the next table, which is entirely acceptable here.
**Tsipouro** is a spirit distilled from grape pomace, close to Turkish rakı and Italian grappa, and it is **northern Greece's drink** above all, a social emblem in Thessaloniki more than ouzo. It is always drunk **with meze** rather than alone: you order a small bottle and small plates arrive with it in succession. The custom is a **long sitting** — hours rather than minutes. ⚠ It is **strong**, so anyone who doesn't drink alcohol can simply order the meze without it; this is common and entirely accepted, and the market's tavernas serve meze with soft drinks without difficulty.