Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP OF CHAPTER
KavalaΚαβάλα
POP 54.027
Palm-fronted Kavala appeals with its hill-top castle and colourful Panagia old quarter. A
ferry hub for the Northeastern Aegean Islands (especially Thasos), it gets many one-
night visitors. However, it deserves further inspection; the aqueduct of Ottoman Sultan
Süleyman the Magnificent (r 1520-66), a Byzantine fortress and atmospheric cafes repay
the visit.
Modern Kavala was once ancient Philippi's port. More infamously, Ottoman Pasha
Mehmet Ali (1769-1849), eventual founder of Egypt's last royal dynasty, ruled here.
This genocidal Ottoman ordered his Egyptian Muslim fleet to slaughter tens of thousands
of Christian Greeks on islands like Kassos and Psara, during Greece's independence
struggle (islanders still commemorate these events annually). Somewhat ironically, Ali's
former home has become an ultra-luxurious boutique hotel.
Sights & Activities
Archaeological Museum
MUSEUM
( 25102 22335; Erythrou Stavrou 17; adult €2; 8am-3pm Tue-Sun)
On Ethnikis Antistasis'
western end, this museum displays sculpture, jewellery, grave stelae, terracotta figurines
and vases from ancient Amfipoli, a gold-digging Athenian colony that mined Mt
Pangaeum.
Municipal Museum of Kavala
MUSEUM
( 25102 22706; Filippou 4; 8am-2pm Mon-Sat)
This contemporary and folk-art
museum contains costumes, jewellery, handicrafts, household items and tools.
Panagia Quarter
HISTORIC AREA
Panagia's narrow, tangled streets are lined by pretty pastel houses. It's good for evening
strolls or atmospheric dining. Now a hotel, the huge, 18-domed
Imaret
(1817) here was
Pasha Mehmet Ali's hostel for Islamic theology students.
Beaches
BEACH
Rapsani Beach
, 2km west of town, is popular for swimming, though
Batis Beach
fur-
ther west is better.
