Kavala Old Town

The old quarter of Panagia occupies a rocky peninsula above Kavala's harbour, its lanes climbing between Ottoman-era houses with timber overhangs to the Byzantine castle at the top, whose round keep and walls are open and give a full view over the gulf to Thasos. At the neck of the peninsula stands the Kamares aqueduct, built in the sixteenth century under Suleiman the Magnificent on Roman foundations, carrying two tiers of arches, sixty in all, across the modern street. Below it is the Imaret, a large early nineteenth-century Ottoman charitable complex of domes and courtyards, one of the most important such buildings surviving in Greece, now a hotel that admits visitors to parts. The waterfront below has a working fishing fleet and the ferries to Thasos.

The main sights

• The Kamares aqueduct - two tiers of arches spanning the street.
• The castle - Byzantine walls and keep on the headland summit.
• The Imaret - a domed Ottoman charitable complex near the harbour.
• Panagia's lanes - timber-fronted houses climbing the peninsula.

When to go

Spring and autumn for walking the steep lanes; summer evenings are pleasant on the waterfront. The castle is open daily and hosts occasional summer events.

What to expect

The climb through Panagia is steep and cobbled. Many old houses are private and some are derelict. Parking near the old town is very limited, and the modern city around it is a busy port.

Nearby

Thasos is an hour by ferry; Philippi and the Nestos gorge lie inland to the north.