A trip to the most remote part of our country, Evros, will prove to you that Greece has much more to show than Islands and sea. Beautiful border towns, picturesque villages, impressive temples, amazing caves and green places are waiting to be discovered!
A few words about the area
The prefecture of Evros is one of the largest in our country and is located at the northeastern tip of Greece, forming its natural border with Bulgaria in the North and Turkey in the East. It is one of the three tri-national points that exist in Greece, while it is estimated that 147,947 people live in the entire prefecture. The history of Evros is long, since findings of 5 million years old testify to the continuous presence of Thracians in the area. The capital of the prefecture is Alexandroupolis, while it is divided into five municipalities (Alexandroupolis, Orestiada, Didymoteicho, Soufli, Samothrace) and as many other provinces! It took its name from the homonymous River, Evros, which is the largest in the Balkans, with a total length of about 530 km.! Let's meet it.
10) Ardas River
Ardas is a tributary of the Evros River, located in the northern part of the prefecture. Its total length is 290 kilometers, of which 241 are located in Bulgarian territory and only 49 in Greek! The river is mainly known for the river party organized on its banks and more specifically in the picturesque village Kastanies. The Ardas youth meeting has been held since 1995 every year at the end of July, so if you are in the area do not miss the opportunity to live this experience!
9) Traianoupoli Thermal Baths
In the ninth position of this list, I have placed the thermal baths of Traianoupolis, which were quite popular since ancient times! The city took its name from the emperor Trajan, who built it at the beginning of the 2nd century AD, while the two buildings of the old baths date from the 16th century. The baths we see today were only built in 1964 and have a hydrotherapy center with fifteen bathtubs and seven hydromassages, while the water temperature ranges from 36-37 °C. The place is open throughout the year and is suitable for chronic rheumatism and various other ailments.
8) Holy Monastery οf Panagia Kosmosoteira Feron
In the town of Feres, you will discover one of the most characteristic examples of the Costantinopolitan architecture in Greece. I refer, of course, to the Holy Monastery of Panagia Kosmosoteira! From the very first glance it will seem particularly familiar, since it is considered a faithful copy of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul! In fact, according to legend, the two temples are connected underground by a secret passage! The most likely date of foundation is 1152, while from 1940 began maintenance work on the monastery, which has been functioning normally since then.
7) Orestiada
Orestiada is the second largest city in the Prefecture of Evros, after Alexandroupoli with approximately 23,000 inhabitants, being the northernmost urban center of Greece. It is considered one of the newest cities of Greece, as it was founded by approximately 6000 Greeks, after the Treaty of Lausanne! So in 1923, they were forced to leave their town, Edirne, and especially its suburb, Karaagac, and look for a new area to house their lives and dreams. Because it was established from scratch, Orestiada has an excellent layout with low houses, vertical streets, many squares and abundant greenery. While there, it is worth visiting the central square, the Cathedral, the Railway Station and the Historical and Folklore Museum of the city.
6) Soufli
Soufli is located northeast of Alexandroupoli and spreads on the eastern side of the hill of Prophet Elias, one of the last heights of the Rhodope Mountains. It is mainly known for the silk industry that developed and flourished there from the middle of the 19th century, with its remains visible until today! Several silk museums operate in the city, most notably the Silk Art Museum and the Silk Museum. Finally, it is worth taking a walk from the Tzivre factory, located at the entrance of the city and has been in ruins for about half a century, but in its glories it employed up to 150 workers!
5) Nea Makri-Cyclops Cave
Makri is a coastal settlement a few kilometers outside Alexandroupoli, which has nothing to envy from the most famous tourist resorts of Greece! Due to its strategic location and according to findings, the area has been inhabited since ancient times. Looking at it from a distance, it looks like a painting, built on verdant slopes with olive trees and a small picturesque harbor. It has a huge sandy beach with turquoise waters, where there are dozens of beach bars for all tastes and small taverns serving mainly seafood.
Above the beach of Nea Makri, there is a natural volume with a hill at its top. Inside this rock opens a cave, known to the locals as the "Cave of the Cyclops"! This cave shows traces of use from prehistoric to Byzantine times, while various structures have been carved around it, such as niches and steps! Access is relatively easy, while the view from there is breathtaking.
Finally, being in the area it is worth visiting the Old Church of Saint Anastasia with the wooden iconostasis, which dates back to 1800–1833, as well as the Holy Monastery of Panagia of Evros and the new huge church that is being constructed right in front of it!
4) Dadia National Park
The National Park of Dadia is located in the homonymous village, which took its name from the “dadia” trees used by its inhabitants, due to its abundant timber. It is an excellent habitat with a total area of 428 square kilometers, of which 72.9 are strictly protected! Pine and oak trees, combined with clearings, pastures and some areas of arable land, create the ideal environment for bird of prey shelter. To date, about 400 plant species have been recorded in the park, of which two are endemic, as well as 36 of the 38 species of birds of prey in Europe, many of them endangered, such as the King Eagle and the screech Eagle. In addition, 60-65 types of mammals and 29 species of reptiles, 13 species of amphibians and 17 species of fish have been observed. In the National Park of Dadia, you will find four paths, of different difficulty and duration, which you can follow. Each of them leads to a different point, with the most challenging one, which takes 1.5 hours to go to the top of the Gibrena. Finally, right outside there is an Information Center, in which you can get all the necessary information and learn everything about the National Park.
3) Didymoteicho
The truth is that I wavered particularly about the place of Didymoteicho on this list, as it was one of the most charming places I met. I ultimately placed it in position three. Didymoteicho is a small town, with only 9,263 inhabitants, which was the capital of Byzantium in 1325! According to one theory, it took its name from the double walls of the castle, while according to another theory; the name is due to the two opposite fortified cities. Being there, it is worth visiting initially the upper town, with the fortifications and the castle of Didymoteicho, from which you will have a tremendous panoramic view of the whole city. It is also worth seeing the Church of Christ and the two caves next to the metropolis, the Bayezid Μosque (Mehmet I) in the central square of the city, considered the largest Muslim mosque on European soil (!), the baths (Feridun Ahmed Bey and Orutz Pasha), some interesting museums, such as Folklore and Ancient Plotinopolis.
2) Alexandroupoli
Alexandroupoli is the capital of the prefecture of Evros and one of the newest Greek cities, as it was founded only in 1875! In antiquity it had the name Sali and was founded by the Maronites. It is the largest in area and population of Thrace, as well as the most significant port and commercial center of northeastern Greece. The city's trademark is, of course, the Lighthouse of Alexandroupoli. It has a height of 18 meters from the ground and 27 from the sea level, while in front of it you will admire an impressive fountain! In Alexandroupoli there are still many museums and art spaces that deserve your attention. Most important of these are the Ethnological Museum of Thrace, the Museum of Ecclesiastical Art, the Historical Museum and the Museum of Natural History. Finally, it is worth taking a walk from the Metropolitan Church of St. Nicholas and walking on the coastal road, which from the afternoon turns into a pedestrian street!
1) Evros Delta
From the top of the list could not be absent the perhaps most delightful spot of northeastern Greece, the Evros Delta National Park. This is one of the most important wetlands not only in Greece, but also in the whole of Europe! There they find shelter many birds, fish, reptiles and animals that either use the Delta as a stopover on their journey to warmer climates before winter, or stay there all year round. Still, the flora of this spot does not go back, as it is considered unique and filled with many and rare species of plants! To visit the Evros Delta, you must first take a walk from the Information Center of Evros that operates in Traianoupoli! There you will get all the necessary information about the Delta and book your boat tour in the wetland.
How to go
There are several ways to get to Evros. Initially, you can approach the city by road, either with your own vehicle via Egnatia Street or with a bus. You can also use a train, since there are daily routes from Athens and Thessaloniki. Finally, you can reach the area by air. The airport that serves the prefecture of Evros is called "Demokritos" and is located seven kilometers outside of Alexandroupoli! From there to get to the center there are two solutions, the city buses and taxis.
Where to stay
As I mentioned above, Evros is a large prefecture although relatively sparsely populated. My opinion is to stay in its capital, Alexandroupoli, which offers the most accommodation options. So I recommend Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Thraki. It is a five-star luxury hotel complex, just five minutes west of the city! This hotel has fully equipped and renovated rooms, restaurants, bars, swimming pools, private beach, spa and everything else a modern traveler could be looking for!
What to eat
The cuisine of the Evros region is based on locally produced products, such as cereals, vegetables, legumes, meats, as well as fish and seafood caught daily from the Thracian Sea. It is a mixture of West and East, logical considering the strong Muslim element that prevails in the region. A typical traditional dish is the kavourmas. It is made from pork meat fried and placed in pots or earthenware where it is covered with fat. Another dish worth tasting is "Babo", which is cooked only in fests and contains the large intestine of the pig stuffed with chopped meat, leek, rice and herbs! From sweets they specialize in syrups sweets, jams, sweet pies and "Varvara"! For local flavors overlooking the sea, you can visit the Filarakia tis Makris and Ai Giorgis in the homonymous village, for delicious metaballs the tavern of Selih in Nea Mesimvria, while in the city of Alexandroupolis the Mezedopoleion Gialos. Finally, for dessert I recommend the Spiti tou Glykou and for ice cream, of course, the Italian!
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Mouzakidis Pantelis
