Edessa Waterfalls & Pozar Thermal Baths Day Trip

Edessa is a small town 91 km west of Thessaloniki, about an hour and twenty minutes by road with no tolls on the way. It sits on the lip of a cliff, and the river running through it drops off the edge: Karanos, at 70 metres, is the tallest waterfall in Greece, and a short lit tunnel lets you walk in behind the falling water.

Forty minutes further north, at the foot of Mount Voras, hot mineral water comes out of the rock at a constant 37°C — the same in January as in August. That is Loutra Pozar, and that is where we spend the afternoon.

We leave Aristotelous Square at 08:00, take Edessa and the old Varosi quarter while they are quiet, eat in the mountain village of Orma, and are back around 18:30. The Pozar ticket is included.

Your day, step by step

1. 07:45
   White Tower: first pick-up

   Your escort waits on Nikis Avenue, opposite the tower, holding an Exit Bus sign. Please come ten minutes early. Coffee happens on the road, not here.

2. 08:00
   Aristotelous Square: departure

   The main pick-up, where Aristotelous meets Egnatia at the Venizelos statue. Most of the group boards here and this is the time the day is built around.

3. 08:15
   Macedonia coach station, then out of the city

   Last pick-up on Giannitson Street, then we head west towards Chalkidona. Your escort runs through the plan for the day and hands out the Pozar entrance tickets.

4. 08:55
   Coffee stop

   Twenty minutes at a service station past Chalkidona. Toilets, coffee, a stretch. There are no tolls anywhere on this route, so we do not stop again before Edessa.

5. 09:50
   Edessa: the Waterfalls Park

   Ninety-one kilometres from Thessaloniki, an hour and a quarter of driving. Edessa is a small town on the edge of a cliff, and the river that crosses it simply falls off the side. The park is free to enter and still quiet at this hour; your escort gives you a map and a meeting time.

6. 10:15
   Karanos: walking in behind the water

   Karanos drops 70 metres and is the tallest waterfall in Greece. A lit ten-minute passage takes you into the travertine rock and out behind the curtain of falling water. That entry is included in your tour price.

7. 10:50
   Open Air Water Museum and the old mills

   Inside the same park: restored watermills, the old hemp mill and workshops that ran on water power, a museum since 1993. The €2 admission is not in your tour price and the hours shift with the season, with Mondays closed, so we keep it as an optional stop inside your free time in Edessa.

8. 11:25
   Varosi, the old quarter

   We walk up to Varosi, the Christian neighbourhood of the Ottoman period, sitting directly above the falls. Cobbled lanes, Macedonian houses with sachnisi bay windows jutting over the street, and a long view across the Giannitsa plain. People still live here; it is a neighbourhood, not a film set.

9. 12:10
   North towards Aridaia

   We leave Edessa and drive north. Thirty-three kilometres via the town of Aridaia, roughly forty minutes, with peach orchards giving way to mountain. This valley runs up to the North Macedonian border.

10. 12:50
    Orma: lunch in the mountains

    A village at the foot of Mount Voras, with tavernas under plane trees and running water everywhere. Lunch is at your own expense, usually €12 to €18 a head. You have an hour and ten minutes here.

11. 14:15
    Loutra Pozar: 37 degrees

    Eight kilometres on from Orma. Your ticket is already paid and covers all three outdoor areas for the whole day. The water comes out of the rock at 37°C in every season. The operator advises a maximum of twenty minutes in the water at a time, so plan two or three soaks with breaks in between.

12. 16:15
    Back to Thessaloniki

    We leave Loutraki and drive 115 km via Skydra and Chalkidona, roughly two hours. You are back at Aristotelous Square around 18:30, with a short stop on the way if the group wants one.

Pick-up points

• White Tower, Nikis Avenue07:45On the pavement opposite the tower, at the city bus stop.
• Aristotelous Square & Egnatia08:00Main departure point, at the Eleftherios Venizelos statue.
• City-centre hotels (Tsimiski – Egnatia – Nikis)07:55On request, where the coach can stop safely.
• Macedonia KTEL coach station, Giannitson 24408:15Final pick-up. It is on our way west, so it costs no time.
• Thessaloniki Airport (SKG)07:15On request only, minimum four passengers, small surcharge.

Drop-off is at the same point where we picked you up.

Group & private pricing

Know before you go

• Bring swimwear, a towel and flip-flops. There is no monastery or church on this route, so the usual Greek dress code about covered shoulders and knees does not apply here — the opposite does. Towels rent for €2 to €4 at the Pozar reception if you forget.
• The Pozar all-day pass is €7 (€5 reduced for visitors with disabilities, large families and students) and we pay it for you. Plenty of tour listings still print €3 or €4; that figure is out of date and will cause an argument at the gate.
• The bath operator advises a maximum of twenty minutes in the 37°C water at a time. Within our two hours on site, plan two or three short soaks with breaks rather than one long one.
• The Open Air Water Museum keeps seasonal hours and does not open on Mondays. We schedule Edessa in the morning so you reach it well before closing, but on a Monday departure you will find it shut, so we do not promise it as a stop. Admission is €2, paid on the spot.
• Winter is the strong season here, which is the reverse of normal Greek tourism. The water is 37°C regardless, the air is cold, and the waterfalls run fuller. In high summer many travellers do one short soak and stay in the shade.
• Accessibility: the Waterfalls Park has a 1.1 km path with steps and permanently wet stone, and Varosi is a cobbled climb. Tell us about mobility needs when you book so we can park as close as possible.
• Children aged 4 to 12 travel at €35; under 4 free without their own seat. This is not a daily departure and needs 10 bookings to run — we confirm 48 hours in advance.