Accommodation in Bansko Bansko is an excellent destination for overnight stay on your way to Greece, with more than 120 hotels and 300 other accommodation facilities. Although some may not operate in the summer, you can always find enough options open at reasonable prices. In the evening, you can enjoy a stroll through the beautiful pedestrian zone, filled with restaurants offering pleasant prices. We recommend the \*Vila Vera Guest House\* for a simple yet comfortable overnight stay, with an excellent homemade breakfast. For a more luxurious accommodation, Bansko also offers hotels from well-known chains. For a meal, stop by \*Baryakove Taverna\* or \*Matsurev Han\*, where you can enjoy traditional food at prices similar to those in Belgrade.

Accommodation in Agistro, Greece (right at the border)

Agistro is a small village, with just under 400 residents, yet it attracts more than 100,000 tourists annually, mostly Greeks. The reason for the popularity of this village is the hamam from the Byzantine period, over 1000 years old (from the 10th century)! Apart from this hamam, there are 7 more newly built Turkish baths and a hotel. However, the real enjoyment is bathing in the old hamam itself. No modern and luxurious Turkish bath can compare to this one. Running water, temperatures between 35 and 39 degrees, subdued light, and privacy. The hamam is open throughout the year, every day of the week, 24 hours a day. Reservations are necessary for every bath, and for the old one, book a day or two in advance. You use the hamam exclusively, for a maximum of half an hour. Make sure to reserve in advance and specifically request the old hamam, do not settle for the times offered in the new baths. If you haven’t had the chance to make a reservation, ask the accommodation owners to do it for you. We’ve had situations where they scheduled us for the old hamam at 3 in the morning because all other slots were taken, so to avoid such a scenario, it’s better to book in advance. The water is beneficial for rheumatism and arthritis, but also for healthy individuals as it provides a perfect way to relax.

There are several hotels and apartments for rent in the village. We are thrilled with the boutique hotel To Archontiko tou Kosti. If there are two of you, ask for room number 2. The owners have taken care of every detail, and breakfast is served in the room. A fantastic place! There are several taverns in the village, so it’s best to ask the accommodation owners for recommendations. Agistro is best visited in winter, but it’s also lovely in the summer.

Recommendation for accommodation in Rila

Another place we recommend for an overnight stay is Rila, located 273km from Keramoti. If you start in the morning after breakfast at your accommodation in Thassos and board the ferry around noon, you will reach Rila between 4-5pm. From the main road, after Blagoevgrad, you turn towards Rila, which is about 10km from the turn. It’s a small village where signs guide you to a very decent hotel Kentaur where you can stay with breakfast and be hosted by very kind hosts. The hotel is small, so accommodation must be reserved in advance. If you want even cheaper accommodation, continue towards the Rila Monastery, which is a little over 20km away, and you will come across several smaller hotels with even cheaper accommodation, although not as good as Kentaur. Once you settle in the hotel, head towards the monastery, which is open to visitors until 7pm (although the main gate is open even after that…). You can visit the monastery the next day as well, as you will have plenty of time since it will take you about 6 hours to get to Belgrade afterwards, without much effort.
During your stay in this region, we recommend visiting the Monastery of Saint John of Rila, the most famous and largest monastery in Bulgaria, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You can read a very detailed description of the route to Greece through Bulgaria here.
Check out our articles in the Guide about traveling to Thassos through Bulgaria in the following texts:

Visit to Lake Kerkini

If you’re not in a hurry, you can turn off the main road towards Lake Kerkini. Drive about 25km on a local road to reach it. Lake Kerkini is one of the largest, if not the largest, habitats for migratory birds in Greece on routes towards the Aegean Sea, the Balkans, the Black Sea, and the Hungarian steppes…
At Kerkini, you can purchase local products, ice cream, and other buffalo milk products, ride horses around the lake, or take a boat ride on the lake. In the villages near the lake, there are several restaurants where you can try fish from the lake, while there are no facilities right by the lake itself. One of the popular taverns where you can try fish is the Oasi tavern in Neo Petritsi.

Another very interesting tavern is Methoriakos Stathmos in Vyroneia. They do not serve fish on their menu. The tavern is located at an old railway station, in a very interesting ambiance. Right next to the tracks with a small locomotive stands, in a place that played an important role in the Balkan Wars, you will enjoy tasty food at very reasonable prices. A very interesting experience.

If you are traveling to Thassos or Kavala, the route through Bulgaria is much better than through Macedonia, and you can take the opportunity to discover new places and landscapes.