- Oct 1, 2022
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Green Travel Guide to East Macedonia and Thrace
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Foreword by Eleni Skarveli,
Director, GNTO UK & Ireland Office
Northern Greece and especially the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace is definitely one of the secret gems in Greece that Green Traveller discovered.
As a modern hub, Thessaloniki, is the starting point to explore the region and its national parks. Dadia is the habitat of unique bird species as well as Delta Evros offering a boat tour to observe closer nature.
For culture lovers, it is very easy to extend the trip from Thessaloniki to Philippi, an amazing archaeological site with ancient theatre Festival where summer concerts and performances are taking place. A short ride from Kavala, a beautiful panoramic port, with many pastry shops preparing “kourabiedes”, the local biscuit delicacies.
Final stop for the Green Traveller’s tour is Xanthi, a double cultural personality city with strong reference to the Ottoman period and unique architectural colourful style. The Museum of Silk showcase the history behind the Silk Road starting all the way from China ending in Soufli, where cultural transition meets sustainable way of life.
Enjoy Green Traveller's Guide to your trip to Greece!
Filmed and Produced by Richard Hammond, Green Traveller Productions
What our writer, Sarah Baxter, discovered in East Macedonia and Thrace
Stay, Eat, See & Do
Our writer's pick of places across East Macedonia and Thrace
by Sarah Baxter
Google Map Key:
Click on the coloured icons for more information about each listing
Green = Places to stay; Blue = Places to eat
Yellow = Attractions ; Purple = Activities
Click on the square brackets to reveal expanded map
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In 2021, Soufli was selected as one of the Ten Best Tourism Villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation
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Hundreds of thousands of birds and more than 320 species of bird find refuge in the Evros Delta National Park
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At Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park it's possible to see 36 of the 38 species of diurnal birds of prey on the continent, from peregrine falcons and imperial eagles to griffon and Egyptian vultures, and the only breeding population of black vultures in the Balkans
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The Petrified Forest of Lefkimi is one of the best places in the world to see extremely old trees with fossilised flora dating back 40 million years. Finds include petrified cinnamon and palm leaves, ancient oak trunks, the remains of fish and corals, and numerous shark teeth
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St Lydia’s Baptistery, near Kavala is built on the site where the Apostle Paul baptised Lydia of Thyatira, making her the first Christian woman in Europe
How to travel to East Macedonia and Thrace from the UK
It is possibly to reach East Macedonia and Thrace without flying (it takes about 48 hours from London): there are several routes, e.g. take the train via Paris and high speed TGV to Milan and then to Bari and then ferry across the Adriatic. Of course it's much quicker to fly, but the overland journey can be fascinating, relaxing and fun. For more information, see our guide to How to take the train and ferry from the UK to Greece.
If you choose to fly, there are direct flights to Thessaloniki from many UK airports, such as: London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Luton and Manchester. The flight time is about three hours 45 minutes. Find those flights that produce less than average carbon emissions using the 'Greener Choices' facility provided by Skyscanner.
To compare transport carbon emissions: Transport Carbon Emissions Data
With thanks to Kavala Greece for their help producing this guide, and to Joysters for their help with organising our visit in the summer of 2022.
See all our Greece guides
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