Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
The falls
The main fall, Karanos, drops around 70 metres into a wooded park at the base of the cliff, and a path leads behind the curtain of water into a cave in the rock face. Smaller falls come over the edge either side.
The whole thing is laid out as a park with paths, bridges and viewing platforms, and it is genuinely well done: fifteen minutes from the town centre and free to walk.
Water is the town’s theme throughout. Channels run along streets, there are watermills, and an open-air water museum in the old industrial quarter uses the restored mills and a hemp factory to explain what all this water was for.
Varosi
The old quarter, Varosi, sits on the cliff edge and survived the twentieth century: Macedonian houses with overhanging upper storeys, a folklore museum, and a view straight out over the plain towards Thessaloniki.
It is small, quiet and worth the walk.
Around it
- Pella, the capital of ancient Macedon and the birthplace of Alexander, is about 40 minutes south-east, with outstanding pebble mosaics.
- Vergina and the royal tombs are about an hour south.
- Lake Vegoritida and the ski centre at Kaimaktsalan are north and west.
- Loutra Pozar, a thermal spa in a gorge, is about half an hour away and popular in winter.
Getting there and how long
About an hour and a quarter from Thessaloniki by road, and reachable by train, which is unusual and pleasant in Greece.
One night, or a day trip from Thessaloniki. Two if you are combining it with Pella and Vergina.
Last checked August 2026. Park and museum hours change - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
What is Edessa known for?
Its waterfalls, which drop off the escarpment at the edge of the town into a park, with a path leading behind the largest of them into a cave.
Can you walk behind the waterfall at Edessa?
Yes. A path leads behind the curtain of the main fall into a cave in the rock face.
What is Varosi?
The surviving old quarter of Edessa on the cliff edge, with traditional Macedonian houses, a folklore museum and a view over the plain.
How far is Edessa from Thessaloniki?
About an hour and a quarter by road, and it is also reachable by train.
What else is near Edessa?
Pella, the ancient Macedonian capital, about 40 minutes away; Vergina about an hour; and the thermal springs at Loutra Pozar half an hour off.
Next
Read Vergina, Thessaloniki, or Dion.