If you are looking for a beautiful town with ancient Greek history, culture and traditions, Veria is your place. This unique city is built on the foothills of Mount Vermion and crossed by the River Tripotamo. From the 11th to the 14th century it was the third most important city of the Byzantine Empire, after Constantinople and Thessaloniki. The impressively large number of Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches have given the city the nickname “Little Jerusalem”. Today, 48 Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches are preserved in the city centre. There is evidence that Veria has been occupied by humans as early as 1000 BC.
The city is located 60km far away from Thessaloniki. It overlooks, to the east, the Macedonian Plain, which was the heart of the Macedonian Empire, which also would have given the ancient city ample warning if invaders were coming out of the 180-degree panorama from the east. Veria’s main square and park, Elia Park, “the balcony of Veria,” is built on the edge of the ridge, with the flatness of the plain stretching out for a long distance towards the east.
