Kavala town and resort

Kavala is a Greek port and also a centre of cotton and tobacco processing. It lies on the Greek mainland opposite the 24 km distant  island of Thassos. The town area is 112 km2 and it has about 63000 inhabitants. One of its beautiful dominants is the byzantine fortress. Not even 30 km from the town, there is a small international airport, Megas Alexandros.

The first mention of the town dates back to the 6th century BC when settlers from Rhassos founded a town named Neapolis (it appears in the Bible under the same name). The town was a part of the Roman, Byzantine and then also the Ottoman Empire. In the 6th century AD, the emperor Justinian built the town fortification. Yet after Norman and Turkish rauds the town was destroyed and and rebuilt only in the 15th century when the original Greek name, Christoupolis was changed to Kavala.

Near the town there is an archaeological site called Filipi. In the town there is a well preserved mediaeval aqueduct. There is a marked Turkish influence - the Turkish quarters and narrow streets thread between the houses that have been built all along the bay. Kavala is the hometown of the founder of the reigning Egyptian Muhammad Ali dynasty - today there is a museum in his birthplace.

From Kavala, there is a regular boat connexion with the Thassos Island but you can also spend your summer holiday or a long weekend in the town itself.

Kavala - What is it like there?

Here are a few photographs showing that Kavala is really beautiful and is definitely worth visiting (switching to HD is recommended).

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