Greece · Eastern Macedonia · Premium route guide
Serres, Pangaio and Kavala loop
The big one. Around 450 km and a full day in the saddle: the old road over Lachanas, the Serres basin, the north face of Pangaio, the amphitheatre of Kavala and a long coastal run home. Start at first light.
- Distance
- 452.1 km
- Peak elevation
- 742 m
- Elevation gain
- 3,964 m
- Best months
- Apr-Oct
The route
North out of Thessaloniki on the old EO2 over Lachanas to Serres, east through Nea Zichni, around the north side of Pangaio via Podochori and Nikisiani, down to Kavala and Keramoti, then west along the E90 and the Strymonian gulf back home. Pins are motorcycle-friendly stays other riders have vetted.
Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route, how to load this into your GPS
What you are downloading is a GPX track, a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It is not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zumo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner, new trip from track) if you want turn by turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive, it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it does not re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour, Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these do not read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line, pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~0 m at the base to 742 m at the top, 3,964 m of total climbing across the route.
Do it in a single long day only if you are used to 450 km. Otherwise split it with a night in Kavala, which is the better plan anyway: the old town at dinner time is worth the extra day.
The old road to Serres
Everyone takes the motorway to Serres. Do not. The old EO2 over Lachanas climbs into rolling hills with long third and fourth gear sweepers, almost no traffic and a couple of roadside grills that have been there forever. It adds around forty minutes to the transit and turns it into riding.
Around Pangaio
From Nea Zichni the road works east under the north face of Pangaio. Podochori and Nikisiani sit on the mountain shoulder with the plain spread out below, and the asphalt between them is the best surface on the loop. It is a quiet area, so expect livestock on the road and locals who use the whole width of it.
The drop to the coast at Zygos brings you out above Kavala with the aqueduct and the fortress in front of you.
Kavala, Keramoti and the way home
Kavala is built up the slope of a bay, with the Kamares aqueduct cutting across the old town and the Panagia quarter above the harbour. Park by the port, walk up, eat fish. The detour east to Keramoti is flat and mostly for the view across to Thasos, so skip it if you are running late.
The return is the E90 past Nea Peramos and Asprovalta. It is not exciting, but it is fast, well surfaced and it puts you home before dark. Fuel is easy everywhere on this loop.
What to see along the way
- Lachanas old road - Rolling sweepers on the old EO2 north of Thessaloniki. The reason not to take the motorway.
- Serres - Big provincial town, good coffee stop and the last easy resupply before the Pangaio section.
- Amfipoli lion - Ancient funerary monument just off the road near the Strymon crossing. Five minute stop.
- Nikisiani and Podochori - Villages on the north shoulder of Pangaio with the best asphalt and the best views of the loop.
- Kavala old town and Kamares aqueduct - Fortress, Panagia quarter and the aqueduct over the old town. Lunch or overnight.
- Keramoti - Flat coastal detour opposite Thasos. Optional.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Serres, Pangaio and Kavala loop
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Kavala - change it if you're basing elsewhere.
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