Kavala

Kavala is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos, a one-and-a-half-hour drive to Thessaloniki (160 Km) and a forty-minute drive to Drama (37 km) and Xanthi (56 km). It is also about 150 km west of Alexandroupoli.

Kavala is an important economic centre of Northern Greece, a center of commerce, tourism, fishing and oil-related activities and formerly a thriving trade in tobacco. Historically the city is known by several names. In antiquity the name of the city was Neapolis (new city). In the Early Middle Ages it was renamed to Christoupolis (city of Christ) and from the 16th century and on to Kavala.

Philippi was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides after its establishment by Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC. The city was renamed by Philip II of Macedon in 356 BC and abandoned in the 14th century after the Ottoman conquest. The present village of Filippoi is located near the ruins of the ancient city and is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace in Kavala, Greece. The archaeological site was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016 because of its exceptional Roman architecture, its urban layout as a smaller reflection of Rome itself, and its importance in early Christianity.