Larissa travel guide
Hellenistic theatre, the Diachronic Museum and tsipouro on Filellinon Street
Larissa is Thessaly's capital, a busy farming and rail hub with two ancient theatres, the Diachronic Museum and good grill houses. Spring and autumn avoid the fierce plain heat, and one or two days is enough unless you use it for Olympus or Meteora. Prices are above average, and Schengen rules give many passports 90 days.
Larissa is the capital of Thessaly and the fifth-largest city in Greece, a farming and transport centre on the Pineios river with Mount Olympus and Mount Kissavos on its northern skyline. Few people come for a holiday. It earns a stop on the main line between Athens and Thessaloniki for its ancient theatres and a lively evening food scene.
Two theatres sit right in the centre. The bigger one dates from the 3rd century BC and lies at the foot of the old acropolis hill, Frourio; it is not open to visitors, but Venizelou Street gives a good view down into it. A smaller Roman theatre stands near Ergatikis Protomagias Street. For the full story, the Diachronic Museum on Mezourlo hill, opened in 2015, runs from the Palaeolithic to the city's return to Greece in 1881.
Dinner starts late, often after nine. Filellinon Street on the north side of the centre is lined with restaurants, while the grill houses sell meat by the kilo. Thessaly distils some of the strongest tsipouro in the country, served with small plates. On a hot afternoon, cross the river to Alkazar Park, where a statue of Hippocrates (said to be buried near Larissa) stands by a large fountain under the trees.
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Top things to do in Larissa
Ancient theatres, a large history museum, riverside parks and late Thessalian dinners.
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Best time to visit Larissa
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 21 to 29C, mild enough for the theatres, the museum and trips towards Olympus.
Around 34C on the plain; many winter bars and clubs close or move to outdoor venues.
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Getting there
Coach, train and the nearest airports
Larissa sits on the country's main north-south line, so getting here is simple. Trains between Athens and Thessaloniki stop at the station just south of the ring road, a little under 1 km from the centre, and branch services run to Volos. KTEL coaches are frequent and comfortable, with wifi on board: about 15 a day from Athens Liossion station and around 10 a day from the Macedonia terminal in Thessaloniki, arriving at the main bus station on Georgiadou and Olympou streets. The nearest year-round international airport is Thessaloniki (SKG), about 2.5 hours away. Volos airport at Nea Anchialos, about 75 km south-east, only has flights in the warm months; a bus timed to the flights runs to Volos bus station, from where you continue by bus or train.
- From Athens
- About 15 KTEL coaches a day from Liossion station
- From Thessaloniki
- About 10 coaches a day from the Macedonia terminal
- Train
- Station just south of the ring road, under 1 km from the centre
- Ordinary trains are slower but cheaper than Intercity services, which can cost as much as the coach.
Where to stay
Pedestrian streets, Frourio hill or near the railway
Most hotels are in the compact centre, and that is where you want to be: the theatres, the shopping streets and the late dinners on Filellinon Street are all a short walk apart. Larissa is a business town, so weekday rooms fill with people working in the region while weekends are often easier.
- Pedestrian centre
- Walk to the theatres and the shopping streets; parking is very hard
- Around Frourio hill and Filellinon Street
- Closest to the restaurants and bars; noisy until late
- Near the railway station
- Just south of the ring road and under 1 km from the centre; handy for early trains, quieter in the evening
- Drivers
- Ask the hotel about parking or use a paid lot, since on-street spaces are scarce
Getting around
Pedestrian streets, Papanastasiou bike lane, Astiko KTEL
Most of the commercial centre is pedestrianised, and the theatres, the Ottoman Bedesten and Filellinon Street are only minutes apart on foot. Larissa is also completely flat, which makes cycling easy, with bike lanes on Papanastasiou Street and part of Kyprou Street. City buses run by Astiko KTEL cover the suburbs and Mezourlo hill; buy tickets at the urban bus terminal or through the operator's app. Silver taxis can be hailed anywhere and a ride across town is cheap, though the meter switches to the higher night tariff from midnight to 05:00. Parking in the centre is hard, so leave a car at your hotel or in a paid lot.
- Bike
- Flat streets, with lanes on Papanastasiou Street and part of Kyprou Street
- City bus
- Astiko KTEL; tickets at the urban terminal or in the app
- Taxi
- Silver cabs, hailed in the street; night rate after midnight
Know before you go
What makes Larissa worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Hellenistic theatre, seen from Venizelou Street at the foot of Frourio hill.
- The Diachronic Museum on Mezourlo hill, tracing the area from the Palaeolithic to 1881.
- Tsipouro and meze on Filellinon Street, ideally on a warm evening after nine.
Good to know
- Taxis switch to the night tariff from midnight to 05:00, so late rides cost noticeably more than daytime hops across town.
- Summer nightlife moves outdoors, as many winter bars and clubs close and reopen at summer venues.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Larissa, month by month
Tap a month to see what to expect. Figures are long-term averages for Larissa.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Larissa (Hellenic National Meteorological Service, via Wikipedia).
Mezourlo hill, the Hellenistic theatre and Frourio on foot
Larissa makes an easy day on foot. Start at the Diachronic Museum on Mezourlo hill for the city's story from Neolithic farmers to the Ottomans, then walk Venizelou Street above the Hellenistic theatre below Frourio hill, see the Roman theatre and the Ottoman Bedesten, rest in Alkazar Park and dine late on Filellinon Street.
Start at the Diachronic Museum on Mezourlo hill to get the long view of the city's past, from Neolithic farmers to the Ottoman centuries, then take a taxi into the centre. Walk Venizelou Street for the view over the Hellenistic theatre below Frourio hill, built in the reign of Philip V of Macedon, and find the smaller Roman theatre a few blocks away. Look in at the old Ottoman Bedesten, the covered market building.
After a slow lunch, cross the Pineios to Alkazar Park for shade by the fountain and the statue of Hippocrates. If you like modern Greek painting, the Municipal Art Gallery on Franklinou Roosevelt Street holds one of the largest collections in the country.
In the evening, do as Larissans do and eat late on Filellinon Street. For Meteora the next day, catch a bus from the separate small station that serves Trikala and Kalambaka, not the main KTEL terminal.
Grill houses selling meat by the kilo and dinners after nine
Larissa eats generously and late, with dinner rarely before nine and Filellinon Street still filling at eleven. The psistaria grill house is the local institution, selling meat by the kilo with one portion counted as about 330 g, souvlaki shops run until the small hours, and tsipouro is the drink to order.
Larissa eats like a farming capital: generously, and late. Nobody sits down to dinner much before nine, and tables on Filellinon Street are still filling at eleven.
Meat is ordered by weight and priced by the kilo, with one portion counted as about 330 g, and it arrives with salad and chips. For something quicker, the souvlaki shops serve pork skewers and pita wraps from late morning until the small hours. Tavernas lean towards meat dishes too.
The drink to try is tsipouro, the clear grape spirit that Thessaly distils stronger and purer than most of Greece. It comes in small bottles, often with a plate of meze on the house, and the custom is to keep ordering rounds as the evening goes on. Pace yourself.
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How we research our Larissa travel guide
Larissa's train and coach links are checked with Hellenic Train and KTEL, and museum hours with the city's website and Visit Greece, especially while rail repairs continue on the main line.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Larissa.
Getting there
For the Hellenistic theatre, the Diachronic Museum and a late dinner on Filellinon Street; one full day is enough.
Around 10 KTEL coaches a day leave the Macedonia terminal, and trains on the main line also stop at Larissa.
No. Volos (VOL), about 75 km away, only has flights in the warm months; Thessaloniki (SKG), about 2.5 hours away, is the year-round option.
Buses for Trikala and Kalambaka leave from their own small station, separate from the main KTEL terminal on Georgiadou and Olympou streets.
General
About 15 KTEL coaches a day leave Athens Liossion station, and trains run on the main Athens to Thessaloniki line.
It is usually not open to the public, but the 3rd-century BC theatre is easy to see from Venizelou Street.
On Papanastasiou Street and part of Kyprou Street, and much of the commercial centre is pedestrianised anyway.
You order by weight, with a portion reckoned at about 330 g, and salad and chips come alongside.
Highs average about 34C in July and August, so walk early and keep the afternoon for the shade of Alkazar Park.
A large museum on Mezourlo hill, opened in 2015, covering the region from the Palaeolithic to Larissa's union with Greece in 1881.
Most of the commercial centre is pedestrianised, and the theatres, the Ottoman Bedesten and Filellinon Street are only minutes apart on foot. Larissa is also completely flat, which makes cycling easy, with bike lanes on Papanastasiou Street and part of Kyprou Street. City buses run by Astiko KTEL cover the suburbs and Mezourlo hill; buy tickets at the urban bus terminal or through the operator's app.
Larissa is best known for:
- The Hellenistic theatre, seen from Venizelou Street at the foot of Frourio hill
- The Diachronic Museum on Mezourlo hill, tracing the area from the Palaeolithic to 1881
- Tsipouro and meze on Filellinon Street, ideally on a warm evening after nine
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Larissa is Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct. Comfortable for walking before and after the summer heat on the Thessalian plain.
- Best overall: April - June, September - October (Highs of 21 to 29C, mild enough for the theatres, the museum and trips towards Olympus)
- Summer: July - August (Around 34C on the plain; many winter bars and clubs close or move to outdoor venues)
Visa & documents
Greece is part of the Schengen area. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Greece is very safe. Heatwaves and wildfires in summer, and pickpocketing on the Athens metro, are the main concerns.
