A typical day in this city: in the morning, plan your day over breakfast at Tsalapetinos, a versatile establishment offering different menus through the day.

At lunchtime, drink an ouzo and enjoy fried calamari at Krokodilos, with locals on their lunch break.

In the afternoon, find a table at the café Briki next to the castle to enjoy the sunset against the backdrop of the city. Then, stroll down to the rocks at Panaghia to see the night sky reflected in the water, and head for seafood in the Sfagia district.

In the evening, visit Hasoulaki-Blekou for ice cream. Then, take a leisurely drive along the coastal road from Palio to Perigiali. Check out the sailboats in the harbor, pass the floodlit Kavala aqueduct, colloquially known as the Kamares, and give yourself up to the cool breeze coming through.

Stay up all night at 180° where award-winning bartender Tasos will serve you his latest special cocktail.

Beaches of Kavala

On the other hand, if you’d rather skip all this and going swimming instead, a 40-minute drive east of Kavala will take you to Keramoti Beach, one of the longest stretches of sand on the Greek coastline. The 5km-long expanse of golden sand, with water in all the shades of blue and a small pine forest running down the middle, resembles an atoll.

To the west are sand dunes, a complex of three bays with white-gold sand and clear, turquoise waters. Here you’ll also find the ruins of the Byzantine fort of Nea Peramos, cosmopolitan beach bars such as Peponi and Almyra, as well as plenty of room for you to spread out your towel undisturbed.

For those who don’t want to wander out of town, the Tosca and Batis beaches, both with facilities, boast blue flags.

The Imaret: A Unique Hotel

Perhaps the most unique place to stay in town is Imaret, a 19th-century Ottoman madrassa converted into a hotel in 2004. Spending time here is a treat – from the fragrant gardens to the traditional hammam and the beautifully renovated rooms, formerly scholar’s cells, everything excites the spirit even as it calms the soul.

This year, the hotel’s Orange Garden also features an open-air cinema screening classic films, and there is an exhibition on the film Topkapi, which was filmed here, under the aegis of the Melina Mercouri Foundation.