This city’s timeless charm draws heavily from its natural surroundings. The Rodopi mountain range, the Nestos River, the southernmost spruce forest in Europe in the forest of Elatia, Greece’s only birch forest, and, of course, the Frakto virgin forest – one of the planet’s most precious ecosystems –  are just some of the reasons why visitors head to Drama in search of an unforgettable back-to-nature experience.

The city itself, especially its center, is blessed with many green spaces and has a particularly human quality rarely found in other Greek urban centers. The city’s Aghia Varvara Park, is a six-hectare oasis with water elements and many trees. Drama’s modern history is conveyed through the park’s surroundings, such as the impressive old tobacco warehouses and neoclassical houses, remnants of the city’s economic prosperity after 1870 a period when tobacco production and trade increased the city’s population and bolstered the local economy.

Not long after, in 1924, a tobacco warehouse belonging to a Swiss tobacco merchant, Hermann Spierer, was constructed. The most imposing of all the old warehouse structures, it currently operates as a five-star hotel, the Hydrama Grand Hotel. Launched last April, the project was warmly received, especially for the level of respect shown towards this listed, early-interwar period industrial monument. The building’s re-emergence further upgraded an already elegant area, as well as the prefecture’s hotel industry as a whole.

Hotel guests may enjoy a glass of wine at the Warehouse Wine Cellar, guided by sommelier Giorgos Samoutis. The hotel is home to a unique automatic wine dispenser with 16 offerings from Greek and international vineyards. Users first obtain a card charged with the amount they wish to spend, choose among the wines which come in 25 ml (tasting size 1-2.50 euros), 75 ml (half glass: 2-5.5 euros) and 150 ml (full glass: 4-11 euros). The wines are enjoyed in a tasteful setting accompanied by cold cuts and cheese platters.

Vibrant nature, Dionysian events

The beauty of the region is strongly enhanced in the autumn by the orange-red and yellow foliage of the beech trees that blend with different shades of green in the virgin Frakto forest; one of Greece’s most impressive.

It is an explosion of colors before the silence of winter, when everything is covered with snow. The Falakro Ski Center, Greece’s northernmost ski resort, at Mount Falakro, is one of the region’s key winter attractions.

A mountain retreat which can accommodate up to 80 people operates here. It is located 46k from Drama and 190k from Thessaloniki. At the village of Volaka, some of the nicests guest houses and most tempting taverns can be found. If you find yourself in Falakro, make sure you visit the cafe at the top of the ski center at a height of 2,100m. The view from the balcony is endless. On a clear day, Mount Athos, the Halkidiki peninsula and the islands of Thasos and Samothrace are all visible.

The gods appear to have been generous to this lush natural landscape since ancient times. The earth has always provided the optimum conditions for viticulture. Dionysus, the god of wine, fertility and theater, was worshipped in the region. A temple dedicated to Dionysus, one of the few Dionysus-linked monuments discovered during excavation work around Greece, is located at the village Kali Vrysi.

The temple is dated between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC and is open to the public. The vineyards of Drama surround it on all sides. The region’s Dionysian heritage is marked by the annual Twelve-Day (Dodekaimero) celebrations, which culminate every year between January 6 to 8 in the region’s villages.

Noisy parades are held annually to herald fertility, during which participants strike large bells to awaken Mother Earth. Lots of dancing to the sound of traditional tunes, played with the gaida (bagpipe) and daire (drum), takes place over three days and three nights at the villages of Monastiraki, Kali Vrysi, Petrousa, Pyrgi and Volakas.