Teleporio™ — Greek Island Travel Intelligence

Alexander the Great Marathon, Thessaloniki

Plan your trip to the Alexander the Great Marathon in Thessaloniki. Run the Aegean seafront past the White Tower.

A Marathon on the Aegean Seafront

The Alexander the Great Marathon takes runners along the Thessaloniki seafront each April — past the White Tower, the city's most recognisable landmark, and along the Nea Paralia promenade with the Thermaic Gulf on the left and Byzantine walls on the right. Named for the Macedonian conqueror born near the city, the race draws runners from across Greece and the Balkans to what is independently one of Greece's great destination cities.

April in Thessaloniki is close to ideal for racing: warm, manageable humidity, and the city fully open before the summer festival season. The food scene alone makes the trip worthwhile — Thessaloniki has a legitimate claim to being the best city for eating in Greece.

The City Beyond the Race

Thessaloniki is Greece's second city and significantly undervisited relative to its merits. The Byzantine heritage — churches, walls, and the Rotunda — is among the finest in Europe. The Ladadika neighbourhood and the waterfront are the centres of city life. The Central Market (Modiano and Kapani) is one of the most authentic urban markets in the country.

Training and Racing in Thessaloniki

The Nea Paralia promenade — the 3.5 km waterfront promenade from the White Tower to the Concert Hall — is the primary training route for runners based in the city. Flat, paved, sea-facing, and open from dawn, it is genuinely excellent for threshold work and easy long runs. The promenade forms part of the race course for the Alexander the Great Marathon, so using it for race-week reconnaissance is both practical and useful.

Thessaloniki Makedonia Airport (SKG) has direct connections to all major European cities. The city centre is 15 minutes by taxi from the airport. The race's April timing coincides with one of the best months to be in northern Greece — the Macedonian landscape is green, Axios Delta birds are active, and the food culture of Thessaloniki (Greek coffee culture originated here, not Athens) is fully operational. The stadium of the PAOK football club is 20 minutes from the city centre; a PAOK match before or after the marathon is worth considering if the schedule allows.

Registration dates, race distances and formats can change by edition; check alexanderthegreatmarathon.gr for the current year’s details. Thessaloniki has a range of accommodation, but availability and prices vary by date and location. Compare current options near the start and finish areas before booking.