EuroVelo 13 Iron Curtain Trail

Greece

Even if the Greek section of the Iron Curtain Trail is short, cyclists have the opportunity to cycle through the former "ΕπιτηρούμενηΖώνη" ("Surveillance Area"), a highly-militarised area along the Bulgarian-Greek border. During the Cold War, owning land or driving a car in this area was forbidden and passing through this 25 km wide strip of land was only possible upon the presentation of a special military passport. After crossing this former border – where access is of course now allowed – EuroVelo 13 enters Greece near the Roupel fortress, famous for its defence during the German invasion in Greece in April 1941. The route re-enters Greece where Ardas river flows along the Greek - Bulgarian border, passes through the lively village of Petrota, follows along the Evros river and enters Turkey after the town of Kastanies, in the low plains near the confluence of Evros and Ardas rivers.

EuroVelo 13 - Iron Curtain Trail is a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2019.
EuroVelo 13 - Iron Curtain Trail is a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2019.
Landen

Legend

Development status
  • Certified Section of at least 300 km that has successfully undergone the certification process in line with ECF’s European Certification Standard. It is the highest quality level on the EuroVelo network
  • Developed with EuroVelo signs Developed route (see category below) with continuous signing along the route, incorporating EuroVelo route information panels.
  • Developed Route developed for cyclists and signed in line with the respective national standard (i.e. it is part of a local, regional or national cycle network). There must also be a website providing information to users. Developed route can be heterogeneous in terms of infrastructure: type of cycling infrastructure, surface, width, gradients, etc
  • Under development Route containing sections that require further development (e.g. stretches on public highways with high levels of traffic). Cyclists are advised to use public transportation to skip these non-developed stretches.
  • Planning Undeveloped route with no detailed information publicly available on the Internet. The itinerary communicated is a proposal for the best possible option currently available. It may also contain dangerous sections. Cyclists are advised to use public transportation to skip these non-developed stretches.
  • Public transport link

Markers

  • Natuurlijk Erfgoed
  • UNESCO-werelderfgoed
  • Cultureel Erfgoed
  • Culinaire Hoogstandjes
  • Maritime Heritage / The Rhine / The Meuse
  • Other Point of Interest
  • Bus station
  • Train station
  • Mobility info center

National & Regional Information

“Cities for Cycling”

National EuroVelo Coordination Centre

“Cities for Cycling” is implementing a series of actions with an aim to promote the use of the bicycle and the development of cycling tourism in Greece. Among its priorities is the creation of a platform for exchanging bicycling knowledge and experiences between Greece and European cities.

0030 210 2016500
Website bezoeken

Visit Greece

The national tourism body provides a good overview of the three EuroVelo routes in Greece. It identifies the touristic highlights on each route and provides links to further information.

0030 210 87 07 000
Website bezoeken

Kaarten & Gidsen