EUBOEA
Euboea is situated along the coast of Boeotia and Attica forming a natural continuation of central Greece. It is 180 km long and its width varies from 7 to 50 km. It has a total area ( together with its islands ) of 3.908 square kilometers and a population of about 170.000 people.
Euboea is largely mountainous, but it is few small plains are fertile and the whole island has plenty of forests and olive groves.
CHALKIDA
Chalkis, the capital of Euboea ( 88 km from Athens ), is situated on the Strait of Euripus, famous from ancient times for the phenomenon of the strong tidal current, which flows through the channel at a speed of 4-16 knots, changing direction roughly every 6 hours. Chalkis was an important and powerful city-state of ancient times and a main strategic town during the Byzantine, Venetian, and Turkish occupations. Now it is a charming town with many ancient and medieval remains.
Every part of Euboea has its own individual charm. Among the most popular sites in the south are:
Eretria ( 23 km from Chalkis ). It is a picturesque small town with interesting ancient remains ( a remarkable ancient theater, a collection of marvelous Eretrian vases in the Museum, and others ).
Amarynthos ( 8 km from Eretria ). It is a fascinating village in an idyllic bay.
From Lepoura ( 23 km from Amarynthos ) the road turns to the north and ends at the so-called “balcony to the Aegean Sea” Kymi near the ruins of Ancient Kymi ( the first of the Greek city-states to send colonists to Italy where they founded the city of Naples ).
From Lepoura another branch of the road goes south, passes through the beautiful villages Krieza, Styra ( near to the Homeric city Styra ), Marmari, and others, and ends at the charming town of Karystos, the most southern part of Euboea ( 128 km from Chalkis ). It has, among others, the famous Venetian castle “Castel Rosso” and it offers the possibilities of reaching the beauties of Mountain Ochi.
Another road leads from Chalkis to the picturesque village Steni ( 33 km ), the starting point for the climb up the Mountain Dirphys ( through fantastic forests and ravines ).
A wonderful trip can be made to the northwest from Chalkis.
A fascinating valley is situated near Prokopion ( formerly known as Ahmet Agha, 58 km from Chalkis ), a unique summer resort.
Mantoudi ( Village in Greece ) and Limni offer a pleasant combination of landscapes of the mountain and the sea.
Through Istiaia ( the ancient Histiaia, Municipality in Greece ) the road reaches the Cape Artemission, the site of the famous sea battle between the Greek and Persian fleets in 480 B.C.
The well-known spa resort Edipsos ( 172 km from Chalkis ) is also connected by ferry boats with Arkltsa and Glyfa. It attracts many visitors mainly in the summertime. They come here to benefit from the health-giving properties of the hot springs and to enjoy a holiday with all modern amenities. The Itinerary north of Chalkis as far as Edipsos is one long perfection, taking the visitor through forest-clad hills and a landscape rich in varied vegetation – plane trees, oleander, mulberry, and walnut trees.
Prokopios, formerly known as Ahmet Agha is 58 km from Chalkis and lying in a valley known to travelers since the days of Lord Byron. Artemision, on the way to Edipsos, is the site of the famous sea battle between the Greek and Persian fleets in 480 B.C. The bronze statue of Zeus in the Archaeological Museum of Athens was found nearby.
SKYROS
Skyros ( one of the Northern Sporades islands ), across from Kymi, is very Interesting. Its small town, called Chora, clambers up the hill in a white half-circle and is dominated by its ancient acropolis, one of the best strongholds In the Aegean. In the Middle
Ages, it was made into a fortress and there are Byzantine and Venetian ruins to be seen on the site today. Skyros is famous for its handicrafts and folk arts. Every Skyrian house is a museum in miniature of popular art.