Related Prefecture of Evros Favorites Tips

Favorite thing: Orestiada, 120 km north of Alexandroupoli, is the capital of the northern part of the prefecture, a modern town with 15.000 inhabitants.
It is also called "Paris of Thrace", it has nice quarters and the excellent train station you see. Orestiada is the metropolis of greek volleyball, too!

Favorite thing: I spent the last seven months of my military service in Dadia (of total 18, 15 in the prefecture of Evros. It sounds like a "hell" for most Greeks, but it was a great experience and the area wonderful), at this unique biotope for the birds of prey.
The picture was taken in April, but the snow was almost half a metre! kids are playing...

Favorite thing: This is a black vulture, a very rare species, which in Eastern Europe is found only in Dadia forest, in the middle of the prefecture. It is the largest bird of prey in Europe, with a wing span of 3 metres! (I have a leather of it at my house as a... souvenir).
Dadia is a unique shelter for birds of prey in Europe. The biotope is close to the Evros Delta. Together they create a unified ecosystem for all sorts of flora and fauna. The ecotourism centre near the village of Dadia (14 km SW of Soufli - see the next tip) has a ten room guest house, a lecture hall and a wooden pavillion. Footpaths lead to the observatory for birds of prey. From it, the visitor can watch vultures and eagles feeding.
Carcasses are placed there at regular times.

Favorite thing: The byzantine church of Panagia Kosmosotera (Our Lady the World-Saviour) is the jewel of Ferres, a nice town near Alexandroupoli.
The locals call it Agia (Saint) Sofia, because it reminds the church with the same name which was built by the emperor Justinianos in Constantinople.

Favorite thing: It is a view from the square next to the lighthouse of the city. This is the symbol of Alexandroupoli, that city with about 40.000 inhabitants.
You can see there the ruins of two mosques, wonderful neo-classical buildings, the Folklore Museum or have a nice hike inside the municipal park - during the summer, concerts are held at its open-air theater.
Near Alexandroupoli, don't miss to visit Mesimvria, a large archaeological site next to the sea, or go to the nearby beaches. Makri is the best one (I was lucky to be there for 2 weeks during my military service).

Favorite thing: It is the capital of the prefecture of Evros, a modern and nice city, 345 km east of Thessaloniki, 850 km NE of Athens. Alexandroupoli is the only important port of Thrace. From there, you can also go to Konstantinople (Istanbul) by train.

Favorite thing: I was usually getting up in the middle of the night to control if everything was OK at the area of the army camp -including a part of the forest- or if there was a problem with the guards, the underground arsenals etc. Usually, the temperature was -15 C (Greece reminds, also, something from Siberia!)...

Favorite thing: It is a magical place! It spreads of an expanse of 50.000 acres, 10.000 of them belong to Turkey. It is one of the rarest water-habitats in Europe and stop for many birds. You can admire lakes, lagoons, swamps, sand islands, the rarest species in the vegetal and animal kingdom.
The best way to go through it is by renting a boat with others, as I had done (and there was a crash with another boat, luckily without injuries!)...