Greece - Korina Miller [255]
Ta Aderfia ( 25310 20201; Orfeos 33; mains €5-7) An unassuming, old-school taverna west of the square, Ta Aderfia is a good local lunch spot, when more than 30 kinds of mayirefta are on offer; the selection narrows by dinnertime.
Cafes and bars line Plateia Irinis; Café Bel Air (Plateia Irinis 55; 10am-3am) is a student favourite. The nearby Rock Bar (Plateia Irinis 18; 11am-3am Sep-May) is a cosy upstairs hole-in-the-wall playing rock, blues, jazz and funk – an antidote to the prevailing candy-pop of other cafes. The friendly owners can provide info on fun local activities.
For Greek nightlife in all its scantily dressed licentiousness, visit the Ihodromio (Parasiou 4; 9pm-4am), a loud bouzoukia (nightclub where bouzouki is played) where businessmen and students meet over mezedhes, lusty dancing and some seriously overpriced cocktails.
Getting There & Away
BUS
From Komotini’s bus station ( 25310 22912) buses serve Xanthi (€4.90, one hour, nine daily) and Alexandroupoli (€5.70, one hour, 14 daily). Going west, buses reach Kavala (€9.40, 1½ hours), Thessaloniki (€22.80, 2½ hours, 10 daily) and Athens (€60, 8¾ hours, one daily).
TRAIN
From the train station ( 25310 22650) six trains daily go east to Alexandroupoli (€2.70, one hour) and seven go west to Thessaloniki (€11, 4½ hours), via Xanthi (€2, 30 minutes). A train to İstanbul via Pythio leaves daily at 11.30am (€40, 16 hours).
Getting Around
Komotini sprawls, but is walkable. There are taxis ( 25310 37777) and Evros Car Rental ( 25310 32905; evroscar@hol.gr; Tountzas 1) hires cars (from €40) and Jeeps (€60).
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ALEXANDROUPOLI ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥΠΟΛΗ
pop 49,176
Alexandroupoli (ah-lex-an-dhroo-po-lih) is eastern Thrace’s largest town, and the most appealing. The axis of travel in four directions, this port gets a steady stream of visitors heading to or from Turkey, Bulgaria, elsewhere in northern Greece, and in summer for ferries to Samothraki. Alexandroupoli itself has two marvellous museums, a pretty if somewhat kitsch lighthouse, some good seafood restaurants and elementary nightlife.
Orientation
Alexandroupoli’s simple grid system of streets was created by Russians in 1878 during the Russo-Turkish War. The main streets run east–west, parallel with the waterfront. Its eastern end is called Karaoli Dimitriou, the western, Megalou Alexandrou. The main squares are Plateia Eleftherias and Plateia Polytehniou, both one block north of Karaoli Dimitriou.
Alexandroupoli’s train station is on the waterfront south of Plateia Eleftherias, beside the local bus station, 100m east of the port, where boats leave for Samothraki. The main bus station is five blocks inland.
Information
ATM-equipped banks stretch along Leoforos Dimokratias.
Internet Station Meganet ( 25510 33639; cnr Dikastirion & Psaron; per hr €2.40; 24hr) Internet access.
Kassapidis Exchange ( 25510 80910; Leoforos Dimokratias 209; 8am-9.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm Sun) Changes 87 currencies, including Balkan ones, and does Western Union money transfers.
Municipal tourist office ( 25510 64184; Leoforos Dimokratias 306; 7.30am-3pm) The helpful staff provide maps, plus accommodation and transport information.
Port police ( 25512 26468; cnr Megalou Alexandrou & Markou Botsari)
Post office (cnr Nikiforou Foka & Megalou Alexandrou)
Tourist police ( 25510 37424; Karaïskaki 6)
Sights & Activities
The Ethnological Museum of Thrace ( 25510 36663; www.emthrace.com; 14 Maiou 63; adult €3; 10am-2pm & 6-9pm Tue-Sat, 10am-2pm Sun), housed in a mansion built in 1899, faithfully displays Thracian traditional customs. Each room is devoted to a specific topic, ranging from traditional costumes and musical instruments to oil presses, a dye-room and sweet-making equipment. The accompanying texts explain, among other things, how many silkworms it takes to make 25g of silk and which Greek sweet is made by slamming the ingredients against a wall. If you are travelling further in Thrace, the friendly staff can outline the most interesting sites. There’s a small back courtyard cafe.
Priceless