Photo: Sakistriantafyllou · CC BY-SA 3.0The lake at Agia Varvara is a broad artificial lake on the Aliakmonas, the longest river in Greece, a few kilometres south-east of Veria in Imathia, just past the village of Agia Varvara. Its clear turquoise water and the wooded slopes behind it look entirely natural, and a ravine opens beyond the dam between the Pieria mountains and Mount Vermio.
How it formed
The river once had no stable bed in the lowlands, flooded often and left marshes near its mouth. Control began with a diversion dam here in the mid-1950s, and the lake took its present form with major works completed in 2008. It now serves irrigation, the water supply of Thessaloniki and recreation.
Visit
Swimming
No reliable information
Tips
From Veria, take the provincial road towards Agia Varvara and Vergina for about 8 km, to the Stena, the narrow, steep gorge of the Aliakmonas, where the road leads to the dam. You can come by car, taxi or bus.
People come to walk and hike, cycle along the banks and do water sports; take the usual care on unmarked trails. The slopes are at their best in autumn, when the deciduous trees change colour. The royal tombs at Vergina are close by and easily combined with a visit.
Nearby lakes
Show on map
Know Agia Varvara Reservoir well?
Suggest a beach, viewpoint, trail or amenity, or tell us if something has changed. We read every message.
Sources & data
- Greece's 2022 Water Framework Directive reporting to the EEA: lake (LW) and transitional (TW) water bodies, field cArea, European Environment Agency (WISE WFD), reported by Greece, 2022
- OpenStreetMap: Τεχνητή Λίμνη Αγίας Βαρβάρας (relation 3947351), OpenStreetMap contributors
- A technical project that became a natural landscape: the Aliakmon river dam, Greek National Tourism Organisation
- Agia Varvara: an artificial lake on Greece’s longest river, Travel.gr