The prefecture of Serres occupies the eastern part of Greek Macedonia, stretching from the gulf of Strymon to the Bulgarian border. It is a landscape of broad plains surrounded by mountains — Kerkini, Vertisko, Menikio, Pangaio — with the river Strymon running through from Bulgaria to the sea.
The main draw for visitors is the natural environment. Lake Kerkini is one of Greece's most important wetlands, home to thousands of water birds, herds of water buffalo, and vast carpets of water lilies. The forest of Lailia, 25 kilometres from Serres, shelters brown bears and rare birds in a landscape of tall trees, deep ravines, and granite cliffs. In the south, the ravine of Aggitis has extraordinary rock formations and forest. The capital, Serres, is a historic city with Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, and the Anastenaria fire-walking ritual at the village of Agia Eleni each May is one of Greece's most remarkable folk traditions.
