Sultans Trail in Greece
Beautiful hiking trail in Greece. The map below
shows the route of the Sultans Trail in Greece.
In the Thracian northeaster part of Greece two Bulgarian rivers converge, the Maritza and the Arda, and joined by another Maritza tributary the Tundzha, which coming from the Stara Planina in Bulgaria, entered Turkey from the north.
Turkey’s main point of entry on the trail is the border crossing at Kastanies in Greece, close to Edirne. Two sections of the trail pass through northern Greece to get to this border control: section 5 Sofia – Rhodope – Edirne and section 7 Sofia-Plovdiv-Edirne. Both sections have two stages in Greece, 50 km in total each.
In the course of two days you will be addressed in three different languages: Bulgarian, Greek, and Turkisch, succesively.
GREECE
Stages
In the Thracia region of Greece the trail has the following stages:
Section 5 Sofia – Rhodope – Edirne
ST-530 Ivaylovgrad – to Ptylákio
ST-531 to Ptylákio – Edirne
Section 7 Sofia – Plovdiv – Edirne
ST-721 Svilengrad – Dikaia
ST-722 Dikaia – Edirne
General information
The trails in Northern Greece connect section section ST5 Sofia-Rhodope-Edirne and section ST7 Sofia-Plovdiv-Edirne at Kastanies, near the Turkish border.
Starting point
The central point is Kastanies.
How to get there
This area of Greece is notoriously difficult to reach from the outside world. The nearest major towns are Orestiada in Greece, Turkish Edirne and Harmanli in Bulgaria.
Harmanli can be accessed from Sofia by train, Edirne from Istanbul by bus.
In Greece, a railway line runs parallel to the Maritza river (annex border) from Dikaia, via Orestiada to the coastal tow of Alexandroupolis at the Thracian Sea, connecting with the wider Greek railway system.
The train between Dikaia and Alexandroupolis is operated by Hellenic train and runs only twice a day.
Formalities
Greece is an EU member and part of the Schengen zone.
The currency is Euro. Credit cards and bank cards are readily accepted, but “cash is king”.
The main language is Greek. The script is Greek. English and German are occasionally understood.
Route Updates
Finding accommodation is hopeless. The nearest facilites are located in Orestiada.
Coming from Svilengrad, the trail crosses the Arda near Kastanies using a flood dam. When the crossing is too risky, use the provided detour route.
Connecting countries
Landscape
The Prolog runs down the sloops of the Wienerwald, bordering Vienna to the north, through the many wineries.
The main route passes through the fields using country roads and field tracks. The Leitha river is bordered by woods, providing sun shelter in the summer.
The landscape contains many wind-turbine.
When the Danube curves around two large hills, the Hundesheimer Berg and the Braunsberg, the trail runs close to the river. In springtime, the track can be flooded. When it does, a short detour is recommended.
From the Danube bent the trail follows the Danube on a towpath (Treppelweg) until Bratislava.
Nature
The Danubian wetlands (Donau Auen) between Vienna and Hainburg are an National Park.
The Leitha river is a Natura 200 site and makes good fishing. It is home to several bever families. In summer, the area is also rich in musquitos.
The Braunsberg and Hundesheimer Berg are rich of game.
In the area around Vienna, some good wineries are found.
The shores of shallow Neusiedlersee are cover by reeds, making it an ideal habitat for wildlife. The lake itself is a vital resting place for migrating birds.
Food
Lower Austria produces some outstanding wines. A typical drink is Most (grape juice) and Heurige (young wine).
Burgenland is known for its cereals, especially spelt, used in bread, cakes and even beer, and fish from the lake, like Zander, Eel, Pikes and Carp.
Typical food of Lower Austria is: a potato dumpling called Mohnnudels, the Wachau apricot dumpling and Mohnzelten, according to the Taste Atlas.
Culture
The wineries around Rauchenwarth take turns in offering Heuriger (or Buschenschank) where this young wine is served together with a limited selection of food in a very simple and sociable setting. Ask locals for the calendar.
Bad Deutsch-Altenburg is a popular Spa resort with iodine-sulphur springs.
Brief History
People have lived in this area since 8.000 BC. Around 400 BC, Celtic tribes settled here, and from 15 BC, the Romans dominated the region. German tribes took over in the mid-500s, and around 800, Charlemagne, king of the Franks, ruled.
In the middle ages, the Babenberg family possessed the lands and later the Habsburg family.
In 1529 the Ottoman arrived at the gates of Vienna. During the next 150 years, they would fight with the Habsburgs for control over the area. Eventually, they lost, and Austria entered the lush Baroque era, challenged only briefly by Napoleon in the early 19th century.
Monuments
Vienna, capital of the Habsburg empire, reflects the grandeur of this empire, with Schloss Schönebrunn, the Hofburg Palace and the Imperial palace and above all, Belvedere Palace.
Outside the city, we find Roman Carnuntum in Roman times more important than Vindobona (Vienna), located at the crossroad of the Amber Route (trade route between the Baltic and Adriatic sea) and the Roman Limes (border defence road).
Bruck/Leitha still has some preserved medieval walls and towers. Here we pass through Schloss Prugg and its beautiful arboretum.
In Bad Deutsch-Altenburg we find the beautiful 12th-century sandstone Marienkirche.
Hainburg still has fully intact medieval walls, gates and towers, and the Heimenburg (ruins) on top of the hill behind the town.
Here we will quote a recommendation.
