Asprovalta
Asprovalta is a small town of about 3,000 inhabitants in Greece. Asprovalta and the neighboring village Nea Vrasna are popular places at the seaside in Macedonia between Thessaloniki and Kavala, with beautiful beaches. On summer weekends, the place fills with bathers from Thessaloniki and Bulgaria.
Understand
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Besides Kassandra, the area of Asprovalta is one of the main summer retreats of the people of Thessaloniki. The season goes from May to the end of September, after which the place falls into 'winter dormancy'
Get in
[edit]The nearest airport is Thessaloniki (100 km away) and Kavala (110 km away). For there take a long-distance bus which operate between Thessaloniki and Kavala, Xanthi, Komotini, Alexandroupolis. The village is located on the highway and the main road from Thessaloniki towards Turkey. The best anchorage for sailing boats is in the small harbour of Stavros about 8 km south of Asprovalta
Get around
[edit]Asprovalta is small and flat so you can easily walk or bike everywhere. For trips in the area a car is essential. Car hire is available on site.
See
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- 1 Castle Rentina. A strategically important castle dating from the 4th century AD. was built on a hill in a very beautiful landscape. Although it is a large castle and is very close to a busy road, it is not easy to see. The fort of Rentina is reasonably well preserved, as are the impressive remains of a settlement. Due to its strategic location, it has a very varied history with Byzantine, Frankish, Serbian and Turkish lords.
- 2 Tower of Vrasna. The ruins of the 15th-century tower are located in the courtyard of the church of the village Vrasna.
- 3 Asprovalta castle ruins. The fortress was most likely a station on Via Egnatia called Pennana. The station must have been used long after the Romans, possibly long after the Ottoman conquest.
- 4 Stageira. Birthplace of Aristotle, the greatest philosopher of antiquity and the teacher of Alexander the Great.The city was built around 655 BC. founded by colonists from Andros. After the Persian Wars, it joined in 424 BC. the Peloponnesian War as an ally of the Spartans against Athens. Later, the city joined the Chalkidian League and was 348 BC. conquered by King Philip II. Excavations show the early-classicistic fortifications preserved in very good condition, several public buildings in the Agora (Classicist Stoa), an archaic sanctuary, the Thesmophorion, private houses from the Classical and Hellenistic period and the city's waterworks
- 5 Rentina Valley. It is a beautiful, densely vegetated valley that starts from the west in the town of Rentina on Lake Volvi and ends in the bay of Strimonikos.
- 6 Lakes Volvi & Koronia. 2 large shallow lakes which are especially appreciated by ornithologists because of the abundance of birds
- 7 Amphipolis. It was an important city during the classical period of Ancient Greece and was founded in 437 BC by the Athenians. Amphipolis was strategically located on the Strymon River and served as an important trading center and military stronghold. A very significant archaeological discovery was made in Amphipolis in 2012, when a large tomb dating to the 4th century BC was found. The identity of the tomb's occupant remains a mystery, but it is believed to be someone of great importance, possibly a member of Alexander the Great's inner circle. Amphipolis also played a role in the Macedonian Wars and was eventually conquered by the Romans in 168 BC. Today, the ancient city of Amphipolis is an important archaeological site, and visitors can explore the ruins of the city's walls, fortifications, and public buildings, as well as the nearby burial mound where the large tomb was discovered. A visit to the museum is also highly recommended.
- 8 Monument to the Massacre of Kerdyllia. A memorial to the victims of the Kerdyllia Massacre during the Nazi occupation of Greece in WWII. Over 200 men and boys from the villages of Ano and Kato Kerdyllia were summarily executed by the Nazis as retaliation for the killing of some German soldiers by unrelated Greek guerilla fighters, and the villages were burned down.
Do
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The huge beach is the main attraction of Asprovalta and the surrounding places
- 1 Beach of Asprovalta-Nea Vrasna. The approximately 11-km-long sandy beach begins in the south at the seaside resort of Stavros then Nea Vrasna, Asprovalta, Riviera to Serraiki Akti in the north. The beach is about 200 m wide, so that even in the high season it is never really crowded tight. Areas with beach bars, sun loungers and umbrellas alternate with empty beach sections. All the usual water sports typical in tourist resorts are offered, as are many restaurants, cafes, bars along the beach.
- 2 Beaches Logkari-Sikia. North of Asprovalta are a number of other beautiful, sometimes barely visited beaches in the places Logkari, Akti Neon Kerdilion, Sikia. Because of the good parking facilities, they are popular with motorhome drivers
- 3 Beach of Ofriniou-Kariani. About 30 km towards Kavala is the next big beach holiday area that is especially popular with Greeks from Serres and Bulgarians
- 4 Beach of Loutra Eleftheron. Shortly before Loutra Eleftheron is the only nudist beach in the area in about 40 km from Asprovalta
Buy
[edit]Shops for tourist needs are available in large numbers between the main street and beach promenade, as well as small supermarkets, bakeries, pharmacies. Large supermarkets are located about 1 km along the main road to Thessaloniki (e.g. Lidl).
Eat
[edit]Along the pedestrian precinct on the promenade there are several nice and quiet restaurants with sea views, which are hardly different in terms of price, quality and food. Fast food and big supermarkets can be found more along the main street
Drink
[edit]Asprovalta and Nea Vrasna are rather quiet resorts and no party centers. Precisely for this reason, especially families with children and older travelers come. Nevertheless, there is plenty of entertainment in the many restaurants, cafes, bars and beach parties in the beach bars. If you like to dance and go out late, the Roxy Club between Asprovalta and Nea Vrasna is recommended. The parties start after midnight and end at dawn.
Sleep
[edit]A very large number of hotels, apartments, rooms are offered and rated in the popular hotel browsers. Since the place is flat, you can easily reach the beach from anywhere. The same applies to the neighboring villages like Nea Vrasna
- Camping Asprovalta. Large public campsite with a lot of shade, a bit older but good sanitary facilities
Connect
[edit]Most cafes, restaurants, hotels and also private rooms and apartments have WiFi for free. If you want to be mobile online buy a sim card from a Greek provider, e.g. Cosmote. They have good offers for mobile internet. A good shop for sim cards is called Germanos in Stravros in the main street.
Go next
[edit]- Kavala: One of the most beautiful cities in Greece and definitely worth a visit as well as the neighbouring archaeological site Philippi and the Island Thasos
- Pangaion Hills: Mountain area of almost 2000 m altitude with well-known monasteries and mountain villages and the famous archaeological site Amphipolis
- Chalkidiki: one of the main tourist areas of Greece
- Stageira: very worth seeing ancient site in a beautiful landscape
| Routes through Asprovalta |
| Igoumenitsa ← Thessaloniki ← | W  E |
→ Amphipolis → Kavala |