Travel to Serres: An excursion full of surprises and many “gifts”

Travel to Serres. 582 km from Athens is a city in Northern Greece that may not be considered the most beautiful in Greece, but it is surrounded by many beautiful sights, thus creating a very special excursion package. The great magnet of the city is considered to be first Lake Kerkini, then Ano Poroia. As we said, Serres hides many aces up its sleeve, with the landscape combining many features: mountains, forests, caves, plains, as well as thermal baths and historical monuments. If you have days ahead of you, you will find a lot to do here. The navel of the city of Serres is Eleftherias Square and its trademark, Mezesteni – the old covered Ottoman market that today houses the Archaeological Museum. The Ottoman part of the past has unfortunately been lost after the burning of the city by the Bulgarians at the end of World War I.

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Travel to Serres: modern and well-groomed city

Serres is located in the regional unit of Central Macedonia and has many remarkable neighbors – Drama to the east, Kavala, Thessaloniki, and Kilkis, while Bulgaria and North Macedonia are within walking distance. As in many other large Greek cities, the “classic” Greek apartment buildings largely define the landscape of Serres. However, the good street layout and the large squares balance the picture. The Bulgarian and Ottoman fires, as well as the period of consideration, are the main culprits for this typical and “colorless” street layout. But it is very lively and with a strong student element. The heart of this well-kept city is Eleftherias Square, with Mezesteni in its center (the old covered Ottoman market that today houses the Archaeological Museum). From this point start the most beautiful pedestrian streets of the city, where visitors find everything: restaurants, café-bars, taverns, souvlaki shops, and shops. If you are looking for the picturesque touch of the city, look for it in the exceptionally restored Zingirli Mosque, as well as in the old district of Kallithea, with its beautiful buildings, such as the Ziapara house in Pano Kamenikia. It should be noted that the Zinzirli Mosque, with the lead dome, is a very characteristic example of the school of the Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. With the trip to Serres, your visit is definitely worth the fascinating museum of Sarakatsani, which presents an exemplary way of life of the Sarakatsani. Just 2 km. Outside the city, it is worth visiting the valley of Agioi Anargyroi, a green area with torrents, plane trees, and an artificial lake. Green, with nice taverns and running waters, is the area of Agios Ioannis.

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Travel to Serres: What to try

As far as sweet flavors are concerned, one of the sine qua non is the almonds of Roubou in Eleftherias Square: almond and fragrant butter. And what is Akane? A local, delicious sweet like Turkish delight wrapped in icing sugar. Note that this store has been operating since 1927. For delicious boureki, all roads lead to the Mansion in Eleftherias Square, while fantastic bougatsa is served at Record, also in Eleftherias Square. As for the famous Tzoumagia sausages (a variety of sausage made in Iraklia, Serres, and a well-known type throughout Greece), the best place to buy them is “Panagiotakis”.

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What else can you see on your trip to Serres?

The forest of Lailia with the ski resort and shelter. Pine and beech forests and an altitude of up to 1,849 m, the forest of Lailia covers the western part of the Vrontou mountain range and is about 25 km north of the city of Serres. It is considered one of the most beautiful forests in Greece and is part of the European Ecological Network of Areas “Natura 2000”. On the north side of this green landscape, there is the ski resort with its 1,000-meter-long downhill slope, which is also suitable for night skiing. Three kilometers before the ski run is the Mountaineering Refuge “Christos Karagounis”, a creation of the Mountaineering Club of Serres. Something you should definitely do here is visit the restaurant to taste fantastic bean soup, eggs with crab, sweets, and tsipouro. Note that the shelter has everything – double, quadruple, six-bed rooms, and a large dormitory. Sidirokastro. The main attraction in Sidirokastro is the Byzantine castle (Issari) and the thermal baths. The castle atop the granite hill was built by Basil the Bulgaricide. The ascent here offers a beautiful view of the plain of Serra and Lake Kerkini, as well as the village of Strymonas and the river Krousovitis that crosses it. The management of the thermal baths is the responsibility of the Municipality. The baths are powered by the thermal spring with the water temperature reaching 43.7οC – one of the hottest in Greece-. Facilities include two hammam pools, three hydromassage pools, and 14 individual bathtubs. Lake Kerkini. It is truly the pride of the Regional Unit of Serres. If you make a trip to Serres, you have to go up to the artificial lake formed in 1932 with the creation of a dam on the river Strymonas. The area has been declared a National Park and, according to the international Ramsar Convention, is one of Greece’s ten wetlands of international importance. And how else, since here a plethora of birds and mammals find shelter. At the same time, Lake Kerkini is among the four best spots in Europe for bird watching. Naturally, around Lake Kerkini there are hotels, picturesque guesthouses, nice taverns, and many activities – horse riding, archery, cycling, etc.
Ancient Amphipolis. The archaeological site of Amphipolis is an extremely important archaeological site with findings of rare value. Many of its important treasures are kept at the area’s Archaeological Museum. The first excavations took place in 1956. In 2014, on Kasta hill, excavations revealed a funerary monument unique worldwide, first due to its huge size, which reaches about 500 meters, and second because it dates back to the last quarter of the 4th century. B.C.. However, the trademark of the archaeological site is the “Lion of Amphipolis”, which was a symbol of pride and guardian of the ancient city. Roupel Straw. Fort Roupel is a defensive complex (out of a total of 21 defensive complexes called “Forts”) created along the Greek-Bulgarian border during the German occupation. The whole complex bore the name Metaxas Line, with a total shelter area of 1,849 meters and a total gallery length of 4,251 meters. Roupel is the largest of the 21 forts of the “Metaxas Line” on the Greek-Bulgarian border. Since it dominates the strategic passage of the homonymous straits of Strymon, it was pounded by land and air with fierce force by the German invaders. Today, the fort functions as a visitable historical monument, and the visitor can enter its labyrinthine underground galleries. As for the organized museum, it has rich exhibits (weapons, uniforms, flags, photographs, etc.). Every year on the first Sunday after April 6, the main celebration of the Anniversary of the Battle of the Forts takes place at the monument. Paleontological Museum in Thermopigi. Very special museum housed in the old school of Thermopigi, this small village of 80 inhabitants, above the old National Road Serres-Promachonas. The museum’s exhibits offer a brief but fascinating glimpse of the area’s paleontological fauna from 7,000,000 years ago. Various collections of fossilized invertebrates, fish, plants, minerals, etc., from the surrounding area are also on display. Undoubtedly, the most impressive find is the skull of a giant herbivorous, hoofed, finger animal called Ankylotherium. The research for the exhibits was carried out by paleontologist Dr. Evangelia Tsoukala in collaboration with the School of Geology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Ano Poroia. Ano Poroia is a beautiful village, one of the most beautiful in Greece, built at the foot of Mount Belles. His picturesqueness and natural beauty are truly unparalleled. It is so beautiful that, during the Turkish occupation, the beys built their cottages here and called the area “Little Constantinople”. Necessary stop at the village church with its stone bell tower from 1926.