Alexandroupoli’s emblematic lighthouse stands 27m tall, with six storeys of stone steps, and its light can be seen 37km away. It’s hard not to notice the city’s main and most luminous attraction, which has stood in the port since 1880. Tirelessly guiding seafarers, it is still listed with the town’s old name, Dede-Agats, on nautical maps.
When it comes to artistic flair, nature is the true master in these parts. The Evros Delta is a nature lover’s dream. Freshwater mixes with the sea to create a rich wetland habitat and vital sanctuary for large numbers of water birds. Of Greece’s 400 species, 300 pass through here, while the river itself boasts 46 kinds of fish, 7 amphibian, 21 reptile and more than 40 mammal species.
Sixty kilometres outside of town, the amazing Dadia Forest is another magnet for bird watchers and nature lovers travelling to Alexandroupoli. The hiking and birdwatching trails within the hundreds of thousands of acres in the reserve will bring you close to eagles, hawks, vultures and dozens of other majestic birds.
Panagia Kosmosotira, a church on the frontier At Feres, next to the bridge crossing the border between Greece and Turkey, is the church of Panagia Kosmosotira, important both ecclesiastically and architecturally. The religious complex and the monastery it was part of were built in the mid-12th century, and are among the most significant sights in the area.
Air conditioning in antiquity In Evros, in the ancient coastal town of Mesembria-Zone (7th century BC), the inhabitants buried amphorae under their living rooms to combat the humidity, a sort of ancient air conditioning.
Cyclops' cave @ Makri Alexandroupoli You can visit one of the numerous caves of the Cyclops at the modern small port of Makri. Descending from the square of Makris to the harbor, a rugged trail of 300 meters length, leads to the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Cyclops of Homer"s Odyssey. This is where the legend becomes reality, since the the cave and the large rocks that seem as they were thrown into the sea from above, contribute to reanimate the scene. The location has a significant value even during the prehistoric times, when the cave was still in use and just over it, it was built one of the most
