Please, do not visit the beaches near Kavala City!

Greece is such a nice country to spend as much time as you can. No matter where in Greece you are, you always will find a nice spot to eat, a cozy place to stay, a beautiful hidden beach to enjoy, and a cool Greek to chat with. Exploring Kavala City has been very pleasant and exciting! Now, we are curious about its surroundings; the beaches near Kavala City. We decided to pack and go again to discover what else can we enjoy.

If you spot Kavala on a map, it is not hard to realize that is mostly surrounded by beaches and small towns. This is so far one of the most relaxing travels we have made and we don’t mind at all! M and I thought: “If the challenge here is to move from beach to beach every day, perfect! We can do that!” hahaha. We are the type of travelers who instead of taking it easy, walk to death daily to explore as much as possible. Usually, we finish very tired every day. Perhaps, for the first time, we will rest during a trip so we won’t need a break after the holidays! It gets a vicious circle, guys hahaha

Where is Palio?

Palio’s full name is Palio Tsifliki. Get your map and you will see Palio in northeastern Greece, along the coastline of the beautiful Aegean Sea. It is about 9 kilometers west of Kavala City center. Driving (Via EO2, Greek National Road 2), it will take you around 15 minutes to reach it, based on Google’s calculation.

The Via EO2, Greek National Road 2 is a very long road located in the regions of West, Central, and East Macedonia, and Thrace. It connects the Albanian border close to Florina with the Turkish border close to Alexandroupoli. Just following this road could be a cool adventure full of nice places to enjoy.

We have been very lucky because we haven’t found heavy traffic (May 2023). Driving around Northern Greece has been a pleasant experience. The fact that is not high season yet must be a reason. With all the accommodation choices we have seen around, for sure during Summer, traffic increases considerably.

You also can take a KTEL bus from Kavala to Palio Tsifliki. It departs from the Kavala bus station and the fee is around two euro.

What to do in Palio?

Today, we did not drive too long. It only took us 9 kilometers and 15 minutes to reach this small western suburb of Kavala. Palio is a popular recommendation because of its beautiful beaches, clear waters, and chill-out atmosphere. It is a nice destination enjoyed by tourists and locals. For Greeks living in Kavala City, Palio is a nice escape when they want a break from the city's buzz. For tourists, Palio is a quiet and comfortable extension of soft and sandy beaches that gives the perfect excuse to stretch your holidays and enjoy another angle of the Aegean Sea. The beaches in Northern Greece are amazing!

Don’t expect a common and massive resort because Palio is not that. It is more like a cute village and it has everything you need to have a nice and relaxing staying. Palio does not have a typical town design. You won’t find a center surrounded by streets. Palio’s design has been defined by the houses, hotels, guesthouses, villas, taverns, bakeries, mini markets, pharmacies, and shops that have grown on both sides of the main road that passes through the suburb (EO2 road), all along the coast.

Relaxation and beach exploration

What to do in Palio? This is our main recommendation: explore the beautiful coast and relax! Beach sand in Palio is soft and the water is shallow around the shore. There are some areas where the beach zone is small or narrow, but we always have found space for our umbrellas. Locals told us that in the high season, several bars are installed on the beach, so a part of the beach space is taken by the sunbeds and parasols offered by these bars or the beachfront hotels to tourists. Right now (May 2023), there are no such amenities so the complete beach is for a couple of other tourists, us, and our umbrellas, and that is fantastic, guys!

You can walk on the beach until you find your perfect spot. Then, it is up to you, to swim, sunbathe, enjoy paddle boarding or snorkeling. Maybe take a break in your accommodation, treat yourself with Greek food, coffee (cold or hot), a glass of Tsipouro or Ouzo (nice Greek beverages), and get back to the beach to enjoy a great and romantic sunset.

Palio exploration can lead you from the beach (the best place to be) to the small background of the suburb where you can walk and find different taverns, a little playground, and the Holy Church of the Assumption. No big sightseeing places within walking distance in Palio, but having that sea, who needs more? We are on one of the best beaches in Northern Greece and crowd-free! Priceless!

How long to stay in Palio?

If you want only to see what’s Palio about, a couple of days are enough. If you have more time, a week here can recharge you to get back home and retake your routine.

Where is Nea Iraklitsa?

Let’s go back to your map. Nea Iraklitsa is about 16 kilometers west of Kavala City center. Driving (Via EO2, Greek National Road 2) will take you from 20 to 25 minutes, based on Google’s calculation. If you drive from Palio to Nea Iraklitsa as we did, it takes only 10 minutes and 6.6 kilometers (said Google).

You also can take a KTEL bus from Kavala to Nea Iraklitsa. It departs from the Kavala bus station and the fee is around three euro.

What to do in Nea Iraklitsa?

Nea Iraklitsa is another beautiful gem on the Aegean seaside. Its design is different from Palio’s. It is a small town but you can spend complete days just walking and exploring its bay, the small port for fishing boats and yachts, taverns, cafes, and bakeries. Accommodation offers you many different options and most of them are very close to the beach.

Nea Iraklitsa exploration

What to do in Nea Iraklitsa? You have two areas to explore in Nea Iraklitsa, the village where locals live, its center, and picturesque streets built on a hill overlooking the sea. The tourist area all along the beach its multiple villas, hotels, guesthouses, bars, supermarkets, and taverns. Besides the main road, there is a nice promenade where people can calmly exercise and walk while enjoying the landscape.

It is a very comfortable and relaxing spot where the variety of restaurants, bars, and coffee places is bigger than in Palio. No matter the short distance between these two coastal spots, the landscape is different. Yes, you have again stunning beaches, a lovely and relaxing atmosphere, and impressive clear waters, but you won’t feel you are staying in another exact Palio’s copy. You have to explore Nea Iraklitsa in the morning, midday, and during the evening. It is in general a very calm and relaxing place, however, in the evenings it also offers some party vibes. Live music, Greek and Turkish singers, and their danceable or romantic rhythms set the tone for those who also want to move their bodies and enjoy the night. Still, it never reaches the buzz and alcoholic party levels of those massive resorts we all for sure have visited. It is very enjoyable during the day and night!

Beach relaxation

Take your bathing suit, sunblock, sunglasses, and sandals and drop somewhere on the beach just to take some sun, a nap, and swim as long as you feel like in the awesome Aegean Sea. During our stay, we never saw strong currents or waves. The sea is shallow so it feels pretty safe to swim there. Psatha and Remvi are two small beaches you should visit behind the port. You can rent a sunbed or it can be provided by your accommodation free of an extra charge, be on a terrace of a bar, or take a walk on the sandy beaches to have a great day. All your senses will be indulged with the natural beauty of Nea Iraklitsa, one of the best beaches in Northern Greece!

Fishing

Nea Iraklitsa is another great place for fishing enthusiasts. Take your equipment and pick your favorite spot for fishing while enjoying the very calm dance of the waters. There is a chance to join local fishermen or rent a fishing boat to have the experience and catch your dinner!

Camping

In Northern Greece is not hard to find campsites to park your vehicle (van, camper, or regular car) and stay there without worries, having access to services like showers, electricity, or Internet, and sharing time and conversations with other visitors. In Nea Iraklitsa, the campsite could not be better. It is exactly in front of the beach. Besides, there is a car park (free, at least during the low season) where you can comfortably park your vehicle without any worry and enjoy the whole day, if you want, on the beach. We found out a big community of van life fans. They gather both, at the campsite and the car park, especially during the evenings. The environment is very nice. Tourists mostly from Polland, different Bulgarian cities (Varna, Sofia, Plovdiv, Kardzhali, etc.), and Turkiye were having a great time while preparing the grill, cooking, and watching the sunset all together. Some were cooking the fish they fished so fresh food from the sea to their plates, cooking in front of the beach. That is life!

Water Sports

During the high season, the offer of more services like snorkeling, windsurfing, jet skiing, or paddleboarding is added to the variety of things to do in Nea Iraklitsa. It is not hard to get such services because they are offered by the vendors on the beach or even at your accommodation.

Boat tours

The small but active port of Nea Iraklitsa is the place to hire a boat for you to drive or pay for a boat tour. On such a tour, you can explore nearby islands or hidden coves, and enjoy from a boat the beauty of the Aegean Sea.

Eating Greek cuisine

We won’t be repetitive. Just remember Northern Greece and its beautiful coast gives you a priceless chance to try fresh seafood and traditional Greek dishes. In Nea Iraklitsa we tried some of our favorite souvlaki and moussaka.

How long to stay in Nea Iraklitsa?

From a weekend to a week and even more, could be ok. Here you can combine days of doing nothing more than swimming and enjoying the beach, with days of more activity because Nea Iraklitsa’s offer is bigger.

Where is Nea Peramos?

Nea Peramos is located 22 km (27 minutes by driving) west of Kavala City center. It is 3.5 km or 7 minutes away from Nea Iraklitsa. You can reach it by taking the via EO2.

You also can take a KTEL bus from Kavala to Nea Peramos. It departs from the Kavala bus station and the fee is around four euro.

What to do in Nea Peramos?

Yes, we only drove 3.5 km hahaha. Exploring Greece at this pace can take you a life, but we don’t mind! You will agree when you come, you will see.

Nea Peramos is another charming coastal town in northern Greece, well known for its scenic views and of course, beautiful beaches. Visiting Greece is to step into ancient history and cultural and archeological treasures. You can learn a lot here and visit many museums or archeological zones. But you also can have very relaxing holidays just enjoying the marvelous beaches all around the country and its many islands. You can also combine the two experiences, so Greece gives you plenty of choices to stay longer or get back several times.

This town’s design is similar to Nea Iraklitsa’s. The main road (via EO2) passes exactly in front of the beach and the shops, hotels, and taverns, but there is a long nice promenade for you to walk without worries and be even closer to the Aegean Sea. Nea Peramos is a town where many Greeks live, work, and study daily. They share their town with the tourists that every year come here to have fun and relaxing time. After spending more than a few days there, you can realize that many businesses are run by families, people know each other, and this makes a cozy, familiar, quiet, and safe environment.

Nea Peramos has everything you need to stay there. Accommodation (different sizes of rental departments, hotels, and villas), restaurants, taverns, shops, and some of the best beaches in Northern Greece!

What to do in Nea Peramos?

Beach relaxation

You know, swimming, sunbathing while napping, reading a book, or chatting with locals.

Water Sports

If you want more exciting experiences, practice snorkeling, windsurfing, jet skiing, or paddleboarding. A note for you, snorkeling is very easy here. You can directly jump into the water only wearing your snorkel mask and you will see many cool and colorful fish thanks to the sea’s clarity. They swim just next to you and it is beautiful! But ok, a paid service can take you deeper into a beautiful reef.

Boat tours

People like a lot to rent and drive boats. This choice is available or you also can be only a passenger on a tour.

Eating and drinking Greek stuff

We ate some of our favorite gyros here in Nea Peramos in a small, local, and full of nice food and people place. Try different foods and places until you find your favorite. Money and time spent on trying local dishes is always worth it!

Sunset spotting

This is one of our favorite activities so far. We stayed in a very comfortable apartment with a balcony. The place was in front of the beach. It was 40 EURO per night (May 2023). From there we had a great view of the main street, the beach, and the island Thasos was visible from there too!

Visit Anaktoroupolis Castle

You can visit the castle of Anaktoroupolis and see its ruins (byzantine time). You can easily spot this attraction from the Nea Peramos beach. The ruins are exactly on the top of a slope leading towards the sea.

Go to Thasos Island

Being at Nea Peramos will put you in front of a hard-to-resist temptation: Thasos Island. There is a port in the town and locals told us they have been asking to reopen the ferry route Nea Peramos-Thasos that once operated. If you are lucky and the port opens and operates this route again, you could have a great choice right in front of you.

How long to stay in Nea Peramos?

A weekend, a week, and even more could be ok. Nea Peramos is another good place to mix days of only beach time, with days of a bit of effort. A perfect combination to recharge yourself and get back to your regular life.

Where is Ammolofoi Beach?

Ammolofoi Beach is located 26 km (33 minutes by driving) west of Kavala City center, based on Google’s calculation. And it is 5 km or 9 minutes away from Nea Peramos. It can take less, it depends on the exact part of Ammolofoi you visit. It is a long beach.

The KTEL bus we have been mentioning only reaches Nea Peramos. We were told that during high season, there are vans that take people from there to Ammolofoi but when we were (May 2023) there, this service was not available yet. We drove there.

What to do in Ammolofoi Beach?

Greek people told us we must visit one of the best beaches near Kavala City, and of the complete Greece, and they were not kidding. So we went. Ammolofoi in Greek means “dunes”. It is a very wide and long beach, at least 3 km beach. There is not such a wide beach in the previous destinations we visited (Palio, Nea Iraklitsa, Nea Peramos). You will find some rocky spots that are used as a reference to divide and locate three areas known as first, second, and third Ammolofoi (from east to west).

Thousands of tourists visit this beach every year to enjoy its clear and shallow waters, but also its party vibes. Yes, here you are on a different type of beach. While in the previous stops relaxation and quietness are the notes, people come to Ammolofoi to party, dance, drink, and have fun with other locals and tourists.

If you search on the Internet, Ammolofoi is truly considered one of the best beaches not only in the northern but in complete Greece. That is not minor if you consider the beauty in terms of beaches this country offers.

All along the beach, you can find beach bars providing tourists with umbrellas and sunbeds. You can swim, drink a coffee or another Greek beverage, and eat snacks and local dishes while having in the background the notes of electronic music and other rhythms to dance. In front of you, is the endless blue of the Aegean archipelago. When weather conditions collaborate, you can see from Ammolofoi, the island Thasos, and the mountain Athos (Halkidiki). If too much party is not for you, there are some quieter spots in Ammolofoi Beach. You only have to walk until you find your ideal place.

We visited Ammolofoi before the high season and it was not crowded, not so noisy, and very enjoyable. Please, do not visit Ammolofoi! Leave it like this, only for us!

How long to stay in Ammolofoi?

It depends on where you stay. We saw a campsite and several villas close to Ammolofoi Beach, but not many accommodation choices nearby (meaning walking distance). If you get a place exactly there you can stay as long as you feel like. But if you are staying in Nea Peramos or another town in the surroundings, you can go to Ammolofoi as many times as you want but that does not mean to literally stay there.

What else to do on the best beaches near Kavala City?

We recommend you what to do in every destination (Palio, Nea Iraklitsa, Nea Peramos, and Ammolofoi Beach), but if you have time to go further, you can go to some interesting attractions like:

Explore Alistrati Cave

This is a large cave, 3 km long, full of stalagmites and stalactites. From Palio, Nea Iraklitsa, Nea Peramos, and Ammolofoi Beach, it will take you approximately one hour and twenty minutes (maximum) to reach the Alistrati Cave.

Visit Ancient Philippi

If you did not visit Philippi while staying in Kavala, you still can do it from these destinations. You will be 30 km (30 minutes) away as a maximum. Ancient Philippi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can visit the theater, Roman forum, basilicas, and more remnants from Roman and Byzantine times.

Hike the Pangaion Mountain

Pangaion Mountain is approximately 40 km from Kavala. From Palio, Nea Iraklitsa, Nea Peramos, or Ammolofoi the distance is pretty similar or a little bit less. The highest peak (Koutra) is 1,956 m. Climb it and discover its great views and nature, and have a look from the top to the Aegean Sea. If Pangaion conquers you, there is a very cozy place where you can spend the night or more days. Pangeo Forest Village is 10.93 km from Pangaion Hills. Ask for Eleftherios, he runs the place and you can have the best time there following his recommendations and chatting about Greek history.

Visit Drama

Drama City is another choice if you want to combine your beach holiday with some history and even a wine tour. You can drive to Drama and it will take you from 40 to 50 km (one hour approximately) to reach it.

Explore Kavala

We started our exploration in Kavala (east to west), but if you arrive in northern Greece from west to east, you can visit Kavala, its historic old town, the fortress, port, etc.

Please, do not visit the beaches near Kavala City!

If you have been to the most popular Greek destinations, you know how is to be in a paradise fully packed with tourists every year. For us, to be smashed with others like canned sardines is nightmarish.

The Northern part of Greece has been a very pleasant experience because it is beautiful and it is like a hidden paradise kind of reserved mostly for Balkan visitors. There are tourists of course, but not the crazy figures Athens, Santorini, or Mykonos register.

Seriously, do not visit the beaches near Kavala City! Leave them for us! It is fantastic not to share the beauty of these beaches with others.

Conclusion

Greece is a country you should explore as much as you can. All your senses will deeply appreciate the constant repetition of the experience. Follow our adventure and let's explore together the next stop! 

Check more interesting articles about Greece:

Why do young people dislike Kavala?

It is official, Fanari has been occupied by Bulgaria!

Kardzali is a hotspot for Turkish and Greek tourists, but not Bulgarian. Why?!