Greece - Korina Miller [252]
On Saturday, Xanthi’s lively open market, east of Plateia Dimokratias, maintains a venerable Balkan custom, selling clothes, jewellery, fruits and vegetables.
Festivals & Events
Xanthi’s winter carnival (www.carnival-of-xanthi.gr), a pre-Lenten celebration that features colourful floats prepared by various local clubs, all accompanied by music and masked merrymaking, is known throughout Greece.
Another celebration, the Xanthi Old Town Festival (late August to early September) features theatre, music and art exhibits.
Sleeping
Hotel Paris ( 25410 20531; www.parishotel.gr; Dimokritou 12; s/d €30/40; ) Budget travellers are well served by this small hotel, a minute’s walk from the bus station. Named for the owner, not the city, the Paris offers rooms with private bathroom, TV and telephone, plus good firm beds and the occasional large balcony. However, there’s street noise and it’s far from downtown, though ideal for catching early-morning buses. Staff can provide information and maps.
Hotel Xanthippion ( 25410 77061; 28 Oktovriou 212; s/d €35/45; ) Some 500m south of Plateia Dimokratias, this old stand-by has well-kept, clean rooms, plus friendly and helpful owners.
Hotel Dimokritos ( 25410 25111; 28 Oktovriou 41; s/d €40/58; ) Another reasonable budget option 100m south of Plateia Dimokratias, the Dimokritos has clean, comfortable rooms, though they’re a bit small. Rooms include the usual amenities plus a phone port internet hook-up.
Z Palace ( 25410 64414; www.z-palace.gr; Terma Georgiou Kondyli; s/d/ste €80/115/310; ) This five-star business hotel boasts an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness room, a children’s hall, a French gourmet restaurant and a hair salon, hearkening back to the opulent days of the tobacco barons – though not in its decor, which though elegant is hardly traditional.
Eating & Drinking
Rose Family Zaharoplasteio ( 25410 75310; cnr Anaxarhou & Dimokritou; sweets €1-3; 8am-10pm) This friendly, bright cafe–sweet shop near the bus station, owned by Dimitris and Roula Triantafylidis (the name means rose) since 1960, has good cakes and coffees with seating.
Taverna To Perasma ( 25410 78014; Ikoniou 16; mezedhes €2.50-4, mains €5-9) When you see a restaurant well away from the Old Town that’s filled with merry locals, you know you’re somewhere good. Off on a sidestreet not far from the bus station, To Perasma serves up huge portions of tasty mezedhes and Turkish-inspired Thracian delights. Try the roka salad with tomato and cucumber, melitzanes ‘special’ (oven-cooked aubergines topped with cheese), sykoti krasato (liver with wine) and yiaourtlou kebab (spicy beef kebabs with yoghurt on fried pitta strips with salsa); it’ll cost about €20, and feed four.
Restaurant Palia Poli ( 25410 68685; Hasirtzoglou 7; mains €5-9) Most Old Town restaurants are unoriginal; however, the wood-and-brick Palia Poli, tucked discreetly into a side lane, is more inventive, offering quail, roast pork with plum sauce and orange duck.
Nedim ( 25410 25959; Basileos Konstantinou 35) The Xanthi branch of this Komotini-based classic Turkish sweet shop has a temptingly prominent setting in the centre – do give in to temptation.
Café Antica ( 25410 62193; Vasileos Konstantinou 86; 9am-2am) This voluminous, two-level, central cafe has a relaxed, traditional flavour, with long wooden rafters, soft couches and wall-bound antique implements. Try wine in summer, or one of the Antica’s many hot chocolates in winter.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Xanthi shares Alexander the Great Airport with Kavala. It’s 40km southwest of Xanthi, near Hrysoupoli. Olympic Air ( 25410 22944; www.olympicairlines.com; Michael Vogdou 4) is near Plateia Dimokratias.
BUS
From the bus station ( 25410 22684; Dimokritou 6) buses serve Komotini