Kavala

Kavala is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos.

There are many monuments and landmarks in Kavala including Kamares (the old aqueduct), the Castle of Kavala dominates the top of the peninsula, where the old city is built, the House of Mehmet Ali in the Old Town Square and the bronze statue of Nike (Victory) in front of the Town Hall.

Take a tour around the Old City (Panayia) to see some of these sites.

In the “Mecca of tobacco” as Kavala was named in the past, thousands of tobacco workers earned their living and their faces adorn the walls of the city’s Tobacco Museum.

The city’s most popular meeting point is Eleftherias Square while the most buzzing point is Megalou Alexandrou Pedestrian Street featuring trendy shops, cafes, bars as well as a tobacco warehouse that has been transformed into a shopping centre. Close to Eleftherias Square lies the old scenic neighbourhood of Agios Nikolaos, where also the homonymous church – a former mosque, is situated. On the relics of an ancient pillar one can see what, according to tradition, is supposed to be Apostle Paul’s footprint, left there from the time that he first visited Macedonia.

Important buildings here include Tokos Hall, the old Girls’ School, City Hall, Wix Hall, the Catholic Mission and the Municipal Tobacco Warehouse.

There are many beaches to choose from in Kavala. Perigiali is on the eastern entrance of the city, 2km from the city centre, Rapsani is practically at the centre of town and Kalamitsa is located on the west entrance of the city, with bars and restaurants nearby.

There are plenty of shopping opportunities in the city. Agiou Nikolaou Market is the oldest market area in Kavala, it is located next to the Acropolis. The Kavala Muncipal Shopping Center is the largest shopping district in the city and contains a number of stores which sell everything from food and clothes to jewellery and leather goods. Souvenirs include Greek inspired ceramics, olive oil and tapestries. The Panagia District is famous for two things - tobacco and marble. There are number of tobacco shops in this area that sell tobacco for pipes and cigars. Some stores offer cigar-making courses for anyone interested in the art. White marble is the other export that makes Kavala famous.

Fresh fish and sea food - mackerel "gouna" (sun dried mackerel on the grill), sardine pantremeni, mussels with rice, herring saganaki, anchovies wrapped in grape leaves and stuffed eggplant are all well known dishes in Kavala and the surrounding region.

The wine produced in the area, as well as the 'kourabiedes' (sugar-coated almond biscuits) from Nea Karvali are particularly famous.

Cruise ships dock in Kavala Port, which is only a short walk into town.

Taxis and buses may only pick up and drop off passengers near to the passenger waiting hall.