Why go
Follow the villa corridor to see a different Thessaloniki from the Byzantine core and rebuilt centre. Villa Bianca and Villa Modiano are named markers of the former Exoches district, where large houses once stood near the gulf. Their surviving facades make the old suburb easier to imagine.
What to look for
- Historic villas interrupt the later apartment blocks along Vasilissis Olgas Avenue.
- The old Exoches name recalls a former outer suburb near the gulf.
The full story
Southeastern Thessaloniki grew beyond the older core along the Thermaic Gulf. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the area called Exoches was associated with large villas built for prosperous residents. Several survive along Vasilissis Olgas Avenue, including Villa Bianca and Villa Modiano, although the surrounding district has changed greatly. The former Dépôt area took its name from a tram depot, another trace of expansion beyond the centre. Broad avenues such as Vasilissis Olgas and Megalou Alexandrou now structure the southeast, with later apartment buildings forming much of the everyday streetscape. The district continues toward Kalamaria, so it covers more ground than a short central walk. Its visitor value lies in the contrast: a surviving villa beside later blocks gives a clearer picture of urban growth than an isolated list of old houses. Start with the named villas, then decide whether to continue toward the eastern waterfront or return to the centre.
Useful to know
- Focus on the Vasilissis Olgas villa corridor for a manageable architectural walk; Kalamaria extends farther southeast.