Karababa Castle

A 17th-century Ottoman hilltop fortress on the mainland side of the Euripus, set on the high ground overlooking the strait and the city. Walk up from the mainland end of the old bridge in twenty to thirty minutes for the best wide view of Chalkis and the strait below.

The fortress itself is partly ruined but freely accessible. There is a small park inside the walls. Bring water in summer; the climb has no shade.

things to do sight fortress
A story
The Ottomans built Karababa in 1684, after a Venetian assault from this mainland hill came close to retaking Negroponte (the Venetian name for Chalkis). The Venetian guns had been able to fire down on the city from the unprotected high ground, so the Ottomans simply put a fortress on top of it. Two centuries later, the Greek revolutionary forces took it in 1833.