Pella
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Pella

Pella

Ancient Macedonian capital and birthplace of Alexander the Great, with palace ruins and exceptional pebble mosaics.

Pella was the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Macedon and the birthplace of Alexander the Great. Today it is an archaeological site in northern Greece, about 40 kilometres west of Thessaloniki, and it is one of the most impressive Classical-era sites in the country. The ruins spread across a large area and include the remains of the royal palace, agora, and private houses with spectacular in-situ mosaic floors — some of the finest surviving examples of Greek mosaic art.

The site museum houses the best of the finds, including stunning pebble mosaics depicting the hunting of a deer and the battle between a Greek and an Amazon that once decorated the floors of wealthy Macedonian homes. Pella is an easy day trip from Thessaloniki and takes roughly half a day to see properly.

Guide

Getting There

Pella is about 40 kilometres west of Thessaloniki, easily reached as a day trip. By car, take the E90/A2 motorway west from Thessaloniki and exit at Pella — the drive takes under an hour. By public bus, services run from Thessaloniki's KTEL Macedonia bus station to the town of Pella regularly; the journey takes around an hour.

The archaeological site is just outside the modern town of Pella on the main road. The museum is adjacent to the site — buy a combined ticket at the entrance.

Guide

Things to Do

Pella is essentially a single major attraction: the remains of the ancient Macedonian capital, spread across a large open site with an excellent on-site museum. Most visitors come as a day trip from Thessaloniki and the combination of the archaeological site and the museum takes three to four hours.

Allow time to walk slowly through the mosaics — they repay close attention. The in-situ floors in the excavated houses are among the finest surviving examples of Greek pebble mosaic art, and seeing them in the rooms they were made for is a different experience from seeing them in a museum case.