Some cities captivate visitors at first glance, making them feel as if they’ve known the place for a long time. Friendly, warm, and open-hearted, yet irresistibly beautiful. Among these cities, locals claim, Kavala stands out. Built amphitheatrically, with views from the castle and the old town to the vastness of the Aegean Sea, Kavala is an ideal destination year-round to explore its rich history and monuments.
For some, Kavala might seem difficult to discover and navigate. Due to its topography and layout (built on Mount Symbol), visitors will need to walk a lot if they want to closely admire the city’s stunning natural beauty, unique architectural homes, monuments, churches, and public buildings. However, Kavala is a vibrant city, full of surprises, with neoclassical buildings, impressive tobacco warehouses (“kapnomagaza” as the locals call them) in the center, and people eager to help visitors uncover its secrets.
How to explore Kavala
Easily, affordably, and without tiring oneself out by walking. With a bicycle, Kavala becomes a unique city. Although it lacks organized bike lanes, cycling is an ideal way to explore its history by visiting certain landmarks and buildings that are significant in its over 2,500-year history.
- Imaret
Theodorou Poulidou Street 30
Built between 1813-1823 by Mehmet Ali, viceroy of Egypt and founder of the dynasty, as a gift to his hometown. It served as a social and educational services institution, attached to a mosque, a typical example of Muslim philanthropy. It housed two madrassas (religious schools), a kitchen for the needy (imaret), a primary school, and a prayer and teaching space. Today, it has been converted into a monument-hotel, under a long-term lease by the Egyptian state, to which it belongs. - Konaki Mehmet Ali
Mehmet Ali Square
At the tip of the peninsula, the so-called “konaki of Mehmet Ali” is an excellent example of secular Ottoman architecture from the late 18th century. The ground floor, built of stone, has storage and stable spaces, while the first floor has living and sanitary areas. The house retains the distinction of spaces between the men’s and women’s quarters and the original built-in wooden storage spaces and ceiling decorations. Today it functions as a museum and as the headquarters of the MOHA research center. South of the house is the impressive bronze statue of Mehmet Ali, created by sculptor Konstantinos Dimitriadis. - Old Music (Halil Bey Mosque)
Mehmet Ali Street 30
Located at a central crossroads of the walled city, the complex known as “Halil Bey” includes a mosque built in the early 20th century, while the minaret likely dates back to the 16th century, as does the religious school. During restoration work on the mosque, a rescue excavation uncovered a three-aisled basilica from the late Early Christian period. Today, it operates as a museum. - Karnagio
In the small cove behind the Kavalas
In the eastern sheltered bay of the city, the presence of a shipyard is first mentioned in 1591 in the diary of Gabriele Cavazza, secretary of the Venetian ambassador Lorenzo Bernardo. Its location has likely remained the same over the years, although the facilities do not seem to have been permanent. - Saint Nicholas
Spetses Street 27-31
The current Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas was, during the Ottoman period, the mosque of Ibrahim Pasha – the most significant and largest mosque in the city. Built around 1530 by the grand vizier of Suleiman II the Lawgiver, it was converted into a church in the 1920s, with the minaret replaced by a newly built bell tower. Outside the eastern part of the church, there is a mosaic monument commemorating the Apostle Paul’s landing at the ancient port of Neapolis (modern-day Kavala), from where he began his visit to Philippi. - Lyceum of Greek Women
Eugenios Iordanou Street
Initially constructed as a tobacco warehouse, the building later served as part of the school for the Jewish community of Kavala until 1942. It was later transferred from the Jewish community to the Lyceum of Greek Women. The three-story building, located in the once-thriving Jewish quarter, houses authentic costumes and replicas from various parts of Greece, as well as historical photographs. - Municipal Tobacco Warehouse of Kavala
Evangelou Averof Street 1 with Kapnergati Square
Likely built in the first decade of the 1900s, this building served as a tobacco warehouse for the converted Jewish tobacco merchant Kiezi Emin, whose business was based in Thessaloniki. The building exemplifies “Ottoman Neoclassicism” and possibly designed by renowned architects like Eli Modiano or Apostolos Grekos. Its interior remains in its original condition. - Lazarist Monastery
Cyprus Street 6
Likely constructed between 1888 and 1892 by Baron Adolph Vix, thanks to the presence of Catholic priest Étienne Tsouglá in Kavala. Initially a monastery for Lazarists, it later served as the French consulate and a French school. Today, it houses the city’s Catholic church. - Municipal Building of Kavala (Vix Mansion)
Cyprus Street 8
Built around 1906, harmoniously blending with the neighboring Herzog Mansion, with neo-Gothic elements. Initially owned by Baron Adolf de Zollnai Vix, a senior executive of Herzog enterprises, the building was purchased by an American tobacco company in 1926 and later passed to the Glen Tobacco Company. Today, it belongs to the municipality of Kavala. - Town Hall (Herzog Mansion)
Cyprus Street 10
Mimicking old Hungarian towers with neo-Gothic elements, this building was erected towards the late 1890s by Hungarian tobacco merchant Pierre Herzog. Since 1937, it has housed the Kavala town hall. Notable are the decorative motifs and coats of arms on the façade. - Great Club
Cyprus Street 12-14
Built by the Philanthropic Brotherhood of Ladies of Kavala between 1909-1910, designed by architect Apostolos Grekos. The eclectic building features neoclassical and neo-Renaissance motifs, with a balustrade once adorned with statuettes, one depicting Artemis hunting. Renovated by the municipality of Kavala, it now serves as a cultural center. - Tokkou Mansion
Cyprus Street 14
Built in 1879 by tobacco merchant Dimitrios Tokkos, as indicated by an inscription above the entrance. A combination of residence and professional space, it currently belongs to the Ministry of Culture. It has previously served as a consulate and housed the first town hall of Kavala after the city’s liberation from the Turks. - Tobacco Museum
Konstantinos Palaiologos Street 4
The building belonged to the Greek Tobacco Organization and houses an exhibition on the ground floor. Opened in 2003, it includes documents, machinery, and tools donated by well-known tobacco merchant families. The exhibition covers the entire tobacco production process, its standardization, and the history of those involved (tobacco merchants, workers, farmers). It features rich archival material from various donors. - Saint Paul
Omonias Street 116
The cathedral of Apostle Paul, patron saint of Kavala, was designed by Constantinopolitan architect Pericles Fotiadis. Its western façade adopts similar solutions to the central part of the Theological School of Halki, which he also designed. - Metropolitan Church of Saint John
Eleftheriou Venizelou Street with Mitropolitou Prokopiou Street 1
The oldest surviving Christian church in the city, its construction coincides with the exodus of the Christian population from the peninsula of Panagia in 1864. A three-aisled basilica, it underwent renovation in 1890 to acquire its present form. The decoration of the time was simple and monochromatic, featuring interesting religious paintings and refugee relics. The southern courtyard of the church once housed the Greek Orthodox community cemetery and a functioning holy spring. - Archaeological Museum
Red Cross Street 16
Founded in 1934, the Archaeological Museum of Kavala was initially housed in a now-nonexistent building in the Faliro area, near its current location. The modern building, a typical example of Greek modernism, was constructed between 1963-1964 by Dimitris Fatouros. A new wing, also designed by Fatouros, was added in 2000. The museum today hosts exhibits from the Kavala area, reflecting the city’s history up to modern times, and includes a hall with exhibits from Amphipolis. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions and musical events.
