Greece · Central Macedonia · Thessaloníki
Saranta Ekklisies, Thessaloníki — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Saranta Ekklisies is a residential hill district in the north-east of Thessaloníki, set on the slopes just beyond the old Upper Town. Its name translates as 'Forty Churches,' after the many small parish churches that once dotted the rise. This is where people live. Terraced streets climb the incline above the centre, giving the quarter long views down over the city and the gulf.
About Saranta Ekklisies
Where to stay in Saranta Ekklisies
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
Few visitors book a room in Saranta Ekklisies. There is little formal hotel stock here, so most beds are short-let apartments and rooms in family blocks. This is a lived-in quarter.
Staying here means quiet nights, a residential feel, and a steady uphill walk to and from the centre of Thessaloníki. It suits travellers after a local base or a longer stay rather than sightseeing at the door, with the old churches of Ano Poli the nearest draw a short walk west. For a first visit built around the waterfront and the museums, the hotels of central Thessaloníki make the easier base.
About Saranta Ekklisies
What are the main landmarks in Saranta Ekklisies?
Saranta Ekklisies keeps few monuments of its own. The name, 'Forty Churches,' points to the small parish churches once scattered across the hill, and those remain its most local landmarks. Its historic sights lie just west, across the old walls in Ano Poli.
Closest among them is the Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos, a small Byzantine chapel near the eastern walls, a few minutes on foot. Beyond it the Upper Town drops away toward the centre of Thessaloníki.
What is the history of Saranta Ekklisies?
Saranta Ekklisies grew up on the north-eastern slopes as Thessaloníki spread beyond its walled old town. Its name, 'Forty Churches,' records the small churches that once stood on the hill. For most of its life the quarter sat just outside Ano Poli, the Ottoman-era upper town enclosed by the Byzantine walls.
As the modern city climbed the hills, terraced housing filled the ground between the walls and the wooded crest. Homes came, not monuments.
Where is Saranta Ekklisies?
The neighbourhood occupies the north-eastern heights of Thessaloníki, well uphill from the centre. Its western edge meets Ano Poli along the line of the old Byzantine walls, the stone boundary that has long separated the two quarters. The slope falls to the Thermaic Gulf.
Higher up, the streets thin out as the ground climbs toward the wooded crest above the city.
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More areas in Thessaloníki
Updated July 2026