Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mesimvría
Daily 8am-7.30pm, winter closes 3pm • €2
Ancient Mesembria
,
or
Mesimvría
in modern Greek, is clearly signposted from the
motorway and is reached via the nondescript village of Dhíkela. Thanks to its
unspoilt seaside location, fruitful recent excavations and a well-thought-out
display, it easily qualifies as the most appealing of the three ancient sites on the
Thracian coastline.
Alexandhroúpoli
Some 120km southeast of Xánthi, the modern city of
ALEXANDHROÚPOLI
(Dedeagaç
in Turkish) was designed by Russian military architects during the Russo-Turkish war
of 1878. The town only became Greek in 1920, when it was renamed after a visit from
Greece's King Alexander. It does not, on first acquaintance, have much to recommend
it: a border town and military garrison with Greek holiday-makers competing in
summer for limited space in the few hotels and the campsite. There is, however, an
excellent
museum
and a lively seafront promenade. The town also provides access to
two excellent
birdwatching
sites, the nearby
Évros Delta
and further north the
Dhadhiá
Forest Reserve
. No village nearby is complete without its stork's nest, dominating the
landscape like a watchtower.
Ethnological Museum of Thrace
14-Maïoú 63, around 10 blocks north of the ferry terminal • March-Sept Tues-Wed 9am-3pm, Thurs-Fri 9am-3pm & 6-9pm, Sat-Sun
10am-3pm; Oct-Feb Tues-Sat 9am-3pm, Sun 10am-3pm • €3 •
T
25510 36663,
W
emthrace.org
The excellent
Ethnological Museum of Thrace
is one of the best of its kind in the
country and can easily fill an hour or so. Housed in a tastefully restored Neoclassical
mansion, its eye-catching modern displays cover almost every aspect of traditional life
in Thrace. For once every ethnic group is covered: Pomaks, Turks, Armenians, Jews and
Roma as well as Greeks. Professionally produced videos, with commentaries in Greek
only, complement the beautifully lit cabinets. A delightful café, serving local
specialities, and a good museum shop complete the picture.
4
The seafront
Alexandhroúpoli's
seafront
is dominated by the 1880
lighthouse
,
the town's symbol; it
comes alive at dusk when the locals begin their evening promenade. In summer, café
tables spill out onto the road and around the lighthouse; makeshift stalls on the
pavements sell pumpkin seeds and grilled sweetcorn as well as pirate DVDs and the
like. Looking south, you can usually see the dramatic silhouette of the island of
Samothráki, over 40km off the coast.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
ALEXANDHROÚPOLI
By plane
The airport is 4km west of town. There is no
dedicated airport bus but the terminal is right off the main
road where frequent buses from local villages stop en route
to town.
Destinations
Athens (3-4 daily; 1hr); Sitía, Crete (3
weekly; 1hr 40min).
By train
The train station is next to the port; there are 2
daily services to Thessaloníki (6hr), via Komotiní (1hr) and
Xánthi (2hr).
By bus
The KTEL station is at Venizélou 36 (
T
25510
26479), several blocks inland from the port.
Destinations
Dhadhiá (2 daily; 1hr); Dhidhymótiho (every
30min-1hr; 1hr 30min); Komotiní (hourly; 1hr 15min);
Thessaloníki (6 daily; 5hr).
By ferry
Alexandhroúpoli is now the only access port for
ferries to Samothráki (see p.656; 1-3 daily; 2hr 30min).
By car
Drivers will find it prudent to enter town from the
west along coastal Megálou Alexándhrou and park in the
huge non-fee area beside the port, since pedestrianization,
one-way systems and fee parking effectively block
movement further inland.
