Description

Thessaloniki to Didimotyho – Private Day Trip

A beautiful city of 8,600 inhabitants with a rich history, well-preserved ancient Byzantine and Ottoman monuments near the border line. Didymoteicho is built in the shape of an amphitheater on a steep hill next to Erythropotamos, a tributary of Evros river. Some say the town was named after the two identical Byzantine walls (Didymoteicho = twin walls), others say it was named after the two fortified towns facing each other, the castle town and the town Aghia Petra (“kastro didymariko”).

Didymoteicho became the capital of Byzantium in 1325 during the reign of Emperor Andronicus III. After the conquest of Thrace by the Turks, it became the capital of their empire for some time and the churches were transformed to mosques (more than 100 in the whole region). During the Turkish occupation the organized trade guilds brought economic growth to the town. Didymoteicho was also occupied by the Russians and the Bulgarians. It was finally liberated after the signature of the Treaty of Neuilly in 1920, after having been occupied for five and a half centuries. It is located 98 km NE of Alexandroupoli.

Thessaloniki to Didimotyho – Private Day Trip | Description

Inclusions

• Pick up and drop off service from your hotel in Thessaloniki
• Transportation by air-conditioned V.I.P. car or mini van
• Professional chauffeur (English-speaking)
• Wifi on board (free)
• Bottle of water and coffee during the route (free)
• After the trip you will receive with email edited photos and a small video of your trip.

Exclusions

• Gratuities (optional)
• Guide who speaks your language
• Entrance fees

Additional info

• Participants under the age of 12 must have a parent or guardian.
• Because there are many sights worth seeing in Didimotyho but a day trip is not enough to visit all of them, before starting the trip we will present to you all possible sights to choose what you are more interest for.
• There are many beautiful sights. You are encouraged to bring a camera along. But if you don’t… we have a camera for you!
• Weather will not affect the operation of the tours.
• However if canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions, you will be given the option of an alternative date
• Pick up from your hotel in Thessaloniki
• Departure time: 09:00 am (approx.)
• Duration: 10 hours (approx.)
• Return details: Returns to original Pick up point

What we can see in Didimotyho

Sightseeing

•  The walls surrounding “Pano Poli” (the upper town).
•  The castle and Byzantine monuments of the archaeological site: You can visit the ruins of buildings and basements carved on the rock, the church of Aghia Aikaterini comprising tombs, the cathedral of Aghios Athanasios (1834), the church of the Christ (1846) and the two caves next to the Cathedral, where Charles XII, King of Sweden, is said to have been imprisoned by the Turks.
•  The Great Mosque (14th century), the oldest and biggest Muslim sacred precinct on European soil.
•  The Feridun Ahmet Hamam (16th century) as well as the one of Oruç Pasha (14th century), on the banks of Erythropotamos, also known as “the Baths of Love and Whispers”.
•  The ancient town of Plotinopolis located on the hill of Aghia Petra. It was the present Emperor Traianus offered to his wife (early 2nd century A.D.).
•  The Folklore Museum, housed in a beautiful manor house.
•  The adjoining village of Neoi Psarades and the local Folklore and Zoological Museum.
•  Elafochori (16 km NW) and the nearby stone tholos tomb (late 4th – early 3rd century B.C.).
• The village of Pythio (16 km NE) where you can still see the ruins of a Byzantine castle established during the period 1331-1341 by Ioannis VI Katakouzinos.
• The forest of Tsiggla.
•  Te village of Metaxades (28 km W) with traditional houses, which are samples of the Thracian architecture.

Events

•  Bazaar organized in late September.
•  The custom of “Bay” during Carnival.
•  “Eleftheria”: festivities organized every year in May in order to celebrate the liberation of the town.

Thessaloniki to Didimotyho! Let’s travel!

Source: visitgreece