24 Nov Top attractions in Alexandroupoli
The capital of Evros, Alexandroupolis is a modern seaside town with a relaxed mood and many points of interest within 1-2 hours. We were there for three days to see the top attractions in Alexandroupolis. Get in a good mood and get ready for an excursion to Northern Greece.
Travel to Alexandroupoli! |
LOCATION
Walk in the city of Alexandroupolis.
Alexandroupoli was once a fishing village that today has developed into a modern city full of nice shops. So if you are in the city do not forget to visit the trademark of the city, the lighthouse. It is 27 meters high and has a beautiful fountain in the front, in which the seagulls take a short break enjoying a dive. In the afternoon, the coastal road “closes” for cars and transforms into a beautiful place to walk around getting yourself in a relaxed mood. If you like museums, do not miss the Ethnological Museum, which is a 5-minute walk from the lighthouse. The city is ideal for walking, both in terms of distances and in terms of landscaping.
Take a tour at the National Park of Evros Delta
A visit to Evros Delta is one of the Top attractions in Alexandroupoli. It is located 10-20 minutes from the city of Alexandroupolis (depending on the area where you live), which makes the visit very easy. Evros River creates an extensive delta of international ecological importance with a total surface area of 188 km2 and it is the second-biggest river in Eastern Europe. The tour starts from the information center of Evros. From there you can arrange a boat ride in Delta and a guide but also get the first information about the National Park. Unfortunately, we were not able to get on a boat, as we were informed at the Center that due to covid-19 they do not take place at the moment. However, we were instructed to drive at some point and then continue on foot. The route is short and we were lucky to enjoy a wonderful day and see a lot of flamingos hanging around! It is worth spending about two hours to enjoy the tour. If you are the type who enjoys bird watching, it is good to keep binoculars since you will see a lot!
Walk in Dadia Forest National Park
In the list of the Top attractions in Alexandroupoli, you must certainly visit Dadia Forest. Just 40 minutes (by car) away from Evros this forest is Internationally recognized for its ecological value. The biotope of Dadia Forest spreads amid the region, adding a special kind of beauty and importance. There you will find bird sanctuaries, both predatory and small birds. There are marked paths that you can follow to get to the observatory. The journey takes about an hour. There are 4 trails in total. One even takes you to the top of Gibrena and lasts about 1.5 hours. The walk in the forest offers a breath of fresh air. At the point where the trails start there is an Information Center, where you can learn more about the forest ecosystem.
Interesting info: Dadia National Forest Park hosts the only Black Vulture colony in the Balkans
Visit to the Silk Museum in Soufli.
Just a 20-minute drive from the Dadia Forest is Soufli, famous for its 19th-century silk industry. Soufli is right next to the Evros River and it is a town indelibly linked with silk! In the center of the city is the Silk Art Museum of the Tsakiri family. We especially enjoyed our visit to the museum and especially the nice tour of the city. The permanent exhibition presents all stages of pre-industrial sericulture and silk manufacture so we learned about the whole process of silk, from the cocoon to the final form, but also many details about its processing, as well as historical facts about this art. The museum also has a gift shop if you want to take something silky with you!
Sunset in Didymoteicho.
This may be an article for the Top attractions in Alexandroupoli, but as you can see it is not limited there! If you want to continue from Soufli, in 20 minutes you will be in Didymoteicho, which admittedly was a pleasant surprise for us. It is a small town, which is located essentially next to the Greece – Turkey border and a tributary of Evros. The Byzantine, but also the Ottoman element is clear, a fact that reveals only a part of its history. In fact, Didymoteicho was the capital of Byzantium in 1325. It is worth visiting the castles in “Pano Poli” and enjoy a wonderful sunset with the city view. In the city, there are several Byzantine monuments for the friends of history, but also the Great Mosque, which is the largest mosque in Europe.
Accommodation at Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Thraki.
For these three days, we set up Alexandroupolis as a base and stayed at Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Thraki. The hotel is located just 20 minutes from the airport and 5-10 minutes from the city of Alexandroupolis, in an idyllic spot by the sea. It was especially convenient for our excursions and had all the facilities that made our stay more enjoyable, while we also had the opportunity for an afternoon relaxation at Thalasso & Wellness Spa. A favorite point of course was our room, which had a balcony overlooking the sea and was ideal after our long trips.
Extra lovely things: The local products that you can find at meals and breakfast, such as kavourmas and Hebrew yogurt.
Food in Alexandroupolis.
One of the things that can not be missing from our list of Top attractions in Alexandroupoli, is the food of course! Alexandroupoli, once a fishing village, is famous for its seafood – something we admittedly did not know. But we discovered it with great enthusiasm! Gathering your suggestions from Instagram and those given to us by the people of the hotel, we ended up eating in 3 restaurants. And so we start with “Nisiotiko”, where we tried octopus with chili and shrimp barley with white truffle. We continue with “Ai Giorgis” in the area of Makri, where we ate an excellent risotto with cuttlefish ink, fish carpaccio, and “kalamarada”(squids) with pesto and feta. Another excellent choice for seafood is “Loukoulos”, while finally for coffee many people suggested Kerouac, but we did not manage to visit it.
See more about our trip on Instagram (highlights stories #Evros).