Kavala – the white city on the Aegean, Philippi and Alistrati Cave

Kavala tumbles down the hillside to the sea like an amphitheatre. Its white houses and harbour full of fishing boats earned it the name “the white city”. It was once ancient Neapolis, the port where, according to the Book of Acts, St Paul first set foot in Europe. Today Kavala is a lively town with a fine waterfront, an old quarter on a peninsula and plenty of fish tavernas – and a handy stop on the way to Thassos.

What to see

Panagia – the old quarter on the peninsula, with cobbled lanes, colourful houses, the Church of the Virgin and the lighthouse.
The fortress – Byzantine and Ottoman, at the top of Panagia, overlooking the harbour and Thassos.
The Imaret – a huge 19th-century complex of domes, built by Mehmet Ali as a charitable soup kitchen and school.
Mehmet Ali’s house and his equestrian statue – the founder of Egypt’s last royal dynasty was born here in 1769.
The Kamares aqueduct – a 16th-century arched stone aqueduct and the symbol of Kavala.
The Archaeological and Tobacco museums – on antiquity, and on the tobacco trade that made the city rich in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Nearby

Philippi (about 15 km) – an ancient city founded by Philip II and a UNESCO site. The Battle of Philippi was fought here in 42 BC, and in the 1st century St Paul founded the first Christian community in Europe here. Nearby is the Baptistery of St Lydia, where the first Christian convert in Europe was baptised.
Alistrati Cave (about 50 km) – one of the most beautiful caves in Greece, with huge chambers and rare eccentric stalactites.
Drama – the town of springs, known for its Christmas park, Oniroupoli (“Dream City”).
Thassos – the ferry from Keramoti is about 45 minutes away. See Thassos.

Two-day route (from the old programme)

Day 1. From Sofia via Gotse Delchev to Leshten and Kovachevitsa (see the Western Rhodopes). Stay overnight in Ognyanovo, with its mineral pools.

Day 2. Cross at the Ilinden–Exochi border to Kavala (about 2 h 30 min). Walk the centre and Panagia, with fish for lunch. On the way back, visit Philippi and Alistrati Cave.