Forty Byzantine churches, two museums and a quarter outside time.
Just 20 kilometres from Driades Hotel, a drive of about 20–25 minutes, lies Veria — capital of the Imathia region and one of the towns with the richest Byzantine heritage in Greece. It is one of the easiest destinations for a day trip from the hotel, without having to change base.
The heart of the town is the Kyriotissa quarter, with its listed mansions, cobbled lanes and dozens of Byzantine churches — Veria has more than 40 churches, many of which preserve centuries-old frescoes. In the town centre stands the Bema of the Apostle Paul, the spot where, according to tradition, the apostle preached to the people of ancient Beroea.
The combined ticket for the Archaeological and Byzantine Museums of Veria is also valid for the Museum of the Royal Tombs at Vergina, so many visitors combine the two towns on the same day — something our hotel makes easy as a central starting and return point.
A few steps from Kyriotissa lies Barbouta, the town’s old Jewish quarter — one of the best-preserved Jewish neighbourhoods in Greece, with its characteristic overhanging upper floors above the Tripotamos river and the synagogue at its heart. It is a quiet, shady corner of Veria that most visitors don’t expect to find, and together with the mansions of Kyriotissa it gives the fullest picture of the town’s multicultural history.
Beyond its monuments, Veria is a lively town with lovely cafés and restaurants around Clock Square and the central pedestrian streets — ideal for a relaxed lunch or a coffee after sightseeing. The drive from the hotel is short and easy, so many of our guests choose it even for a simple afternoon out of Naoussa.
If you have a little more time, it is worth stopping at Elia, the park perched on the edge of the plateau on which the town is built. From there the view opens over the whole plain of Imathia, as far as the Thermaic Gulf on a clear day — one of the finest viewpoints in the area, especially just before sunset. It is also the best introduction to the geography of the region: at a glance you understand how Mount Vermio drops steeply to the plain, and why both Veria and Naoussa were built exactly on this line where mountain meets plain.
A town where Byzantine history still walks its lanes.
