SPORADES ( Skyros, Skiathos, Skopelos, and Alonissos ) The four islands Skyros, Skiathos, Skopelos, and Alonissos are situated opposite the northern-east coast of Euboea. They are known as the Northern Sporades and all four are accessible from Volos by boat. Life on these Islands ambles along at a leisurely pace, offering simple, carefree holidays with…
Epirus, which is Greek for the continent, is a superb mountain region covering an area of 9,203 square kilometers in northwestern Greece. It has a population of 350,000, and its capital town is Ioannina. Protected in the east by the mighty Pindus range and the serried peaks of Panaetolikon, Epirus is a region with vast…
Igoumenitsa – Prarga Igoumenitsa is situated at the head of a bay, opposite the island of Corfu ( Kerkyra ). It is one of the main gateways to Greece and so visitors’ comforts are well-looked after by small modern hotels as well as other amenities. The daily car-ferry services from Italy and the many more…
Strung along the shores of Western Greece, the Ionian Islands reveal yet another totally different facet of the Greek landscape. Green and luxuriant, they have been for centuries the crossroads between mainland Greece and Western Europe, and as such, they were able to develop their own culture, literature, art, and music. Corfu, Paxi, Lefkas, Cephalonia,…
Corfu Corfu is the gateway to Greece for those arriving from Europe. The island has been mentioned by Homer in his «Odyssey». The island’s most flourishing period began in 734 B.C., when its first colonists, the Corinthians, arrived here. In the following centuries, Corfu shared the fate of the rest of the Ionian Islands. There…
At a distance of 21 km from Delphi is situated Amphissa in the middle of one splendid extensive olive grove. It is the capital of the Province of Phokis and has some remains of ancient walls and a ruined Frankish castle. Itea ( 19 km from Delphi ) is a picturesque port built at the…
Pyrgos ( 319 km from Athens,96 km from Patras,153 kms from Tripolis ) is a colorful agricultural and trading town, the capital of the Province of Eleia. From Pyrgos, the road forks eastwards through the fertile valley of Elis, one of the ancient city-states of the Peloponnese.In the middle of this valley, where the rivers…
A theatre of ancient Greek A theatre of ancient Greek drama where the plays of the great dramatists( Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Menandrus ) were first presented. It lies at the foot of the Acropolis, to the south, next to the “Sanctuary of Dionysus”. Originally the theatre had wooden seats which were replaced by seats…
This theatre at the foot of the Acropolis was built in the 2nd century A.D. by Herodes Atticus as a memorial to his wife Pegilla. It is in the typical form of an ancient Roman Theatre with a seating capacity today of 5,000 spectators. The seating was restored in 1950-1961. Originally it was used for…
Only 11 km from Athens along the Athens-Corinth highway, this beautiful Byzantine Monastery dating from the 11th century lies in a tree-shaded grove. In addition to its architecture, the Church of the Monastery is decorated with some of the most brilliant examples of mosaic art of the Byzantine period. Near the Monastery is a tourist…
Everything and everyone in Athens seems to be drawn irresistibly towards the Acropolis, the 156 meters high limestone rock that crowns the city. Clearly visible from any part of Athens, the delicately poised and dazzling white columns of the Parthenon stand out against the blue background of the sky, an immortal symbol of the spirit…
Only 13 km from Antirrion, Nafpaktos is a bright and open seaside town, better known to many people as Lepanto, the proud name of the great sea battle in 1571, which brought Turkish naval supremacy in the eastern Mediterranean to an end. The two small castles built by the Venetians on either side of the…
The old town, next to the sea, with its tall handsome houses and narrow streets, retains much of its Venetian character. At its center rises the “Kasteli”, a Venetian fortress. The new town is pleasant and lively, with large and modern houses which stand in gardens filled with flowers all the year-round. In its outlying…
The main museums of Athens are the National Archaeological, the Byzantine, and the Benaki Museums. There is also the Acropolis Museum, the National and Historical Museum, the Museum of Greek Popular Art, the National Picture Gallery, the Theatrical Museum, the Geological and Paleontological Museum, and others. The National Archaeological Museum It is one of the…
Plaka is to Athens what Covent Garden is to London, what the Latin Quarter, or rather, Montmartre, is to Paris. Plaka for the Athenians is the quarter of the gods. Plaka, sited at the foot of the rock of the Acropolis, was from ancient times the center of Athens. At every step, in every alleyway,…
Piraeus This main port of Greece, and one of the largest in the Mediterranean, is a city in its own right. It has a population of nearly one million and is only 10km from Athens. Its strategic importance was established during the Classical era, about 450 B.C. when Themistocles built the famous Long Walls which…
The museum stands in the southeastern corner of the Acropolis and houses priceless archaeological finds kept in chronological order, starting with the Archaic ( 800-600 B.C. ), and going to the Classical( 500-400 B.C. ), Hellenistic ( 300 B.C. ), and Roman periods. Among other outstanding works of art housed in the Museum’s 9 rooms…
One of the most powerful means which help men all over the world to know each other, to understand and love each other is art, the language of which is understandable to all people alike. Dance is the art as old as man himself which, still today covers a great part of all peoples life….
CRETE Crete is the largest of the Greek islands, offers yet another acceptable impression of life-enhancing friendliness, beauty, fertility, and the accumulated spoils of time. An Island of larger space and population ( 500,000 inhabitants ), Crete has almost unlimited advantages for a holiday. The obvious ones are well known by now, but less common…
historical sites in greece by tour-europe: The dawn of Europe’s history, when the kingdoms and empires of the Oriental civilizations rose and fell, begins with the arrival of the Greeks. The first slow stages of the climb from primitive culture to the heights of civilization began in the Aegean area during the Bronze Age…
Photos of the crystal clear water and the amazing beaches – Halkidiki Greece. Nikiiti Beach – Sithonia Nikiti – crystal clear water Sarti Beach – Sithonia Vourvourou sea view – Sithonia Mount Athos Beach Mount Athos The crystal clear water of Halkidiki Toroni Beach – Sithonia Insel Kelifos – Sithonia, Kassandra Chaniotis Beach – Kassandra
Naoussa is a picturesque town at a distance of 94 km from Thessaloniki. It is well-known for the beautiful textiles its factories turn out, and also for its excellent wine. There are annual carnival festivities held there, among them the “Bula” Boules dance, an interesting local folk event. It has lovely holiday resorts both in…
Katerini, capital of the Prefecture of Pieria, stands on the plain between Mt Olympus of the myths and the Pieria mountains, 50 km from Thessaloniki and 6 km from the sea. It is a relatively new town. Nearby are the fine beaches of Methoni, Makriyalos, Olympiaki Akti, Plaka Litochorou, and, best of all, Platamonas. Katerini…
Cosmopolitan Kallithea, with its long, pine-clad Beach and modern hotels, lies at a distance of 85 kilometers from Thessaloniki. From its main square we can enjoy the view of the mountain peaks in the background, and the blue waters of the Gulf of Cassandra, and then take the steps which lead down to the beach….
THESSALONIKI The capital of Northern Greece is the second Greek city of importance after Athens. With the establishment in recent years of many factories, it has experienced amazing economic and industrial growth. Moreover, it is an important cultural center as well. It possesses one of the biggest Balkan universities, a Teaching Academy, the Ecumenic Institute,…
The history of Greece can be traced back to the 3rd to early 2nd millennium BC when the Proto-Greeks are assumed to have arrived in the Greek peninsula. Later came early farmers and the civilizations of the and Mycenaean kings. After a period of wars and invasions, known as the Dark Ages, in about 1100…
Ancient Greece art in general Expressions of the antique Greece artisans have a gigantic impact on the society of numerous nations everywhere throughout the world, especially in the form of figures and structural planning. In the West, the craft of the Roman Empire was to a great extent inferred from Greek models. In the East,…