Chalkida, the city of crazy waters

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Chalkida is located with one foot in Evia and the other in Central Greece as it is built on the sides of the Evripos Strait . It is the main gateway to and from Evia and is the capital of the prefecture with 90,000 inhabitants.

Distances to Chalkida by road

The distance between Athens and Chalkida is 78 km, 35 km from Thebes to Chalkida via Avlida and 45 km from the highway, while from Livadia Chalkida is 93 km via Orchomenos.

Accommodation in Chalkida | See all photos | Area map

Sightseeing in Chalkida

Some of the reasons why visitors prefer it are:

• the hill of Kanithos, with the beautiful Venetian castle of Karampampampa which has a wonderful view of the town and a large part of central Evia (see photos) such as the imposing and snowy Dirfi.
• the Red House on the north side of the city’s beach, built in 1884!
• the Demarchia Palace on the beach of the city.
• the promenade itself, with dozens of shops on one side and the “crazy” waters of Euripus on the other!

• its geographical location, as it is located at a short distance from many urban centres, with the largest of course being the capital Athens, from which it is separated by only 78 kilometres of highway. In addition, Chalkida is only 42 km from Thebes and 90 km from Livadia.
• Finally, as we mentioned at the beginning, it is the gateway to the beauties of southern, central (a typical example is the beautiful mountain village of Steni ) and northern Evia, making it an ideal place for a break and rest for travelers before continuing their journey to their destination.

Strait of Euripus and the phenomenon of crazy waters

Chalkida is of course known since antiquity because of the tidal phenomenon that occurs in the Strait of Euripus. There, the sea water moves for six hours from the North to the South Evian Gulf, followed by 8 minutes where the water is stagnant and immediately afterwards starts moving for another six hours in the opposite direction.

This phenomenon is interrupted during the lunar month by two periods of “clutter”, lasting three days, during which the movement of the waters does not follow certain rules. Thus, they may sometimes change direction up to 14 times during the day, while others may not move at all in one direction or the other!

Bridge of Chalkida

This unique phenomenon can be best enjoyed from the old movable bridge of Evripos, which until 1992 was the only road crossing in Evia. The spot where the old bridge is now located has a long history that goes back to 540 AD when the first bridge was built there by the Byzantine emperor Justinian.

With the opening of the new 700-metre-long suspension bridge of Chalkida in 1992, the old bridge now serves only for transport within the city. Thus the new bridge managed to relieve traffic in the centre of the capital of the prefecture significantly.

From the old bridge, however, starts the coastal pedestrian street of Chalkida, which is bustling with life every day due to the thousands of young people who visit the dozens of cafes, restaurants and famous ouzo bars of the area and the numerous weekend visitors who prefer Chalkida either for a short and pleasant stop or for a short stay in the capital of Evia.

text/photos: Yannis Tsouratzis

Photos of Chalkida