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Thessaloniki spread below the upper town, the gulf beyond

Heptapyrgion: a fortress, and a prison within living memory

Heptapyrgion, also called Yedi Kule, stands at the highest point of Thessaloniki’s Byzantine walls, above Ano Poli.

An at a glance card for Heptapyrgion. What it is: The fortress on the walls. Its recent use: A prison, into living memory. Inside: Cell blocks and exhibitions. The view: The city and the bay. Getting up: Climb, or ride and walk down. One row is marked out as the thing that decides the visit. The conclusion reads: A medieval fortress with a modern prison inside it. No prices appear.
A medieval fortress with a modern prison inside it.

Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.

Its recent history is the part that stops visitors: it served as a prison into the 1980s, and the cell blocks are still inside the medieval walls.

What you see

  • The walls and towers, Byzantine in origin with Ottoman rebuilding, enclosing a large courtyard.
  • The prison buildings, plain twentieth-century blocks standing incongruously inside a medieval fortress, with exhibition space explaining their use.
  • The view, down the walls over the upper town, the modern city, the bay, and Olympus across the water on a clear day.

The combination is what makes it worth the climb: it is not a romantic ruin, and the twentieth century is present in it.

Getting there

It is at the top of the city, above Ano Poli. Options: walk up through the upper town, which is a steep and rewarding climb; take a bus or taxi to the top and walk down; or drive, with limited parking outside the gate.

Combine it with a walk down through Ano Poli’s lanes and churches, which is the standard way to spend a half day up here.

Practical notes

  • Hours change and parts of the site can be closed for works.
  • Little shade inside the walls.
  • The ground is uneven, with steps and rough surfaces.
  • Allow an hour, longer with the walk down.

Last checked August 2026. Hours and access change - see our editorial policy.

Common questions

What is Heptapyrgion?

The fortress at the top of Thessaloniki’s Byzantine walls, above Ano Poli, of Byzantine origin with Ottoman rebuilding.

Was Heptapyrgion really a prison?

Yes. It served as a prison into the 1980s, and the cell blocks stand inside the medieval walls with exhibition space explaining that history.

How do you get to Heptapyrgion?

On foot up through Ano Poli, or by bus or taxi to the top with a walk back down, which most visitors find easier.

How long do you need at Heptapyrgion?

About an hour on site, or half a day including the walk down through the upper town.

What is the view like?

It looks down the walls over the upper town and the whole city to the bay, with Mount Olympus visible across the gulf on clear days.

Next

Read things to do in Thessaloniki, Ano Poli, or the White Tower.