Athens travel guide

Athens is a place of great cultural interest, as well as a vivid and modern city. The harmonious and perfectly balanced fitting between the old and the new age makes this city unique. Both sides of Athens are extremely appealing to tourists. There are many interesting museums to visit and various cultural activities to attend to, that cater for all tastes. Travelers attracted to Athens by an interest in the history of the ancient world’s cultural capital have many choices to make.
The Acropolis of Athens was both a fortress and a sanctuary mainly for the worship of the goddess protecting the city, goddess Athena, after whom the city was named.
The capital of Greece, despite its actual disorganized appearances, has many things to offer to the visitor. Our portal site proposes a large range of information: athens, history, geography, ancient sites, churches, map, beaches, pictures, restaurants, car rentals and much more such as a large range of hotels. (more…)

Attractions of Athens

Athens Attractions:
The Plaka
The Plaka is the oldest section of Athens. Most of the streets have been closed to automobile traffic, though you should still keep a watchful eye for a speeding motorcycle or delivery truck. At one time it was the nightclub district, but most of these closed down when the government out-lawed amplified music in the area in the seventies in an effort to get rid of undesirables. The strategy was very successful and it is now an area of restaurants, tourist shops, and cafes. Though it is quite commercialized it is still a neighborhood and arguably the nicest neighborhood in central Athens. Most of the restaurants are typical tourist places but the quality of food is not bad, you should have a few enjoyable evenings and not be unpleasantly surprised by the bill. (more…)

Akrocorinth Travel

Akrocorinth
The steep rock of the Acrocorinth rises to the south-west of ancient Corinth, surmounted by the fortress, also called the Acrocorinth, which was the fortified citadel of ancient and medieval Corinth and the most important fortification work in the area from antiquity until the Greek War of Independence in 1821. It is 575 m. high and its walls are a total of almost 2.000 m. in length.
Courses of roughly dressed polygonal masonry allow us to suppose that the Acrocorinth was fortified as early as the time of the Kypselid tyranny (late 7th c. early 6th c. BC). The surviving parts of the ancient fortifications, however, which are at many points beneath the medieval enceinte, belong mainly to the 4th c. BC. In 146 BC, Mummius destroyed the fortifications of the lower city and the acropolis. The destroyed sections were subsequently reconstructed from the same ancient material in Late Roman times. (more…)

Cape Sounion Travel

Cape Sounion
One of the most romantic spots in Greece can be found south of Athens at Cape Sounion. The ruins of an ancient temple built on a cliff-top offer spectacular views of the Aegean Sea and a picture perfect sunset. The temple (dating back to the 5th century BC) was dedicated to Poseidon, god of the sea. It can be reached in an hour from Athens, by following a scenic route along the Apollo Coast. There are excellent beaches along the road to Sounion, so don’t forget to pack your bathing suit.
Cape Sounion, about 43 miles (69km) east of Athens, is a popular seaside resort used by locals and visitors alike. On the cliffs above the town is the 5th-century BC Temple of Poseidon, where, according to legend, King Aegeus waited for his son, Theseus, to return from Crete after slaying the Minotaur. Sounion is easily accessible by bus from the city. (more…)

Corinth Travel

Corinth
The ruins of ancient Corinth, a short drive from the modern city, are spread around the base of the rock of Acrocorinth, which forms a natural acropolis for the city. Most of the surviving buildings are Roman rather than Greek, dating from the city’s prosperous age after Caesar rebuilt much of the original Greek city, Roman armies having sacked it. The ruin that stands out particularly is the beautiful 6th century BC Temple of Apollo, built on a hill overlooking the remains of the Roman marketplace (agora). Much of the city has been toppled by recurring earthquakes over the centuries. In the southwest corner of the site is an archaeological museum containing some worthwhile collections of mosaic floors, pottery and works of art. The top of Acrocorinth can be reached via a road up the mountainside where the remains of the ancient fortifications can be seen. (more…)

Delphi Travel

Delphi
It is well worth visiting the archaeological site of Delphi, its history begins in 1400 BC and is directly connected to the Oracle of Delphi. Kings and warriors came to Delphi to consult the oracle of Pythia (the priestess). In exchange they offered treasures and a specific tax called “pelanos�. In this way the Oracle became one of the wealthiest sanctuaries of the ancient world.
Like at Olympia, games were held at Delphi, know as the Pythian games. They took place every four years in honor of the god Apollo and included contests among poets, musicians, philosophers etc. (more…)

Epidavros Travel

Epidavros
The Sanctuary of Asclepius Little indeed is left of the most important sanctuary, which was formed mainly during the 3rd and 4th centuries B.C.
In the centre of the enclosure stood the temple dedicated to the healer god Asclepius himself.
Surrounding it were colonnades where the sick could rest and take cures (one such being known as the Avaton or Enkimitirion where patients would spend the night seeing visions of Asclepius in their dreams and thus become cured) as well as places of worship among which the Tholos, designed by the architect Polyklitos Junior and renowned for its decorative sculptures. (more…)

Ioannina Travel

Ioannina
The extreme mountainous locality gives a unique beauty and appearance to the nome of Ioannina. In the north section of the perfecture the GreekAlbanian borders- the Mt. Pindos range begins following the other mountain range of Grammos-Smolikos-Tymphi. After Metsovo, one sees, South Pindos along with Lakmos and the Athamanika Mountains. In the midst of all these mountain ranges various plateaus are generated, the most significant of those being the one where the city, and capital , Ioannina/ Yiannena is located.with the famed lake of Pamvotitha.
The Lake of Ioannina, or Limni Pambotis, is fed by torrents from the precipices of Mitsikeli. It is l0-ll km long, averages 3km across, and ranges in depth from 9-20m, with shallow reedy shores. (more…)

Mani Travel

Mani
Mani, the southernmost and middle peninsula of the Peloponnese or Morea, straddling the districts of Lakonia and Messenia in southern Greece, is a treasure trove of Byzantine and post Byzantine churches, Frankish castles and stunning scenery. The isolated aspect of this beautiful area, combined with the independent nature of its inhabitants meant that some traditions developed separately from the rest of the Peloponnese so that a distinct society made its mark on the landscape. To this day the architecture of the area is famed for the tower houses and fortified family dwellings from the period of the Ottoman occupation of Greece.

Monemvasia Travel

Monemvasia
Monemvasia (sometimes spelled Monemvassia or Monemvasiá) is often called “the Gibraltar of Greece.� The town, on the southeastern coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, is a massive walled fortress that once housed an estimated 50,000 Byzantine Greeks. Today, fewer than a hundred people live year-round on the Rock of Monemvasia; most of the town’s 5,000 residents prefer the port, where cars, supermarkets, and other modern conveniences make up for the lack of historic atmosphere.
Monemvasia, that rocky outcrop connected to the mainland by a mere strip of land (from which fact it derives its name meaning “sole entranceâ€?, rises proudly above the surrounding area, and with its back to the Aegean resembles a ship about to set sail for distant lands. It appears to be doing us a favour by being berthed, thereby making it easier to visit and no longer hiding anything threatening behind its imposing walls. (more…)

Meteora Travel

Meteora
The Meteora monasteries are perched upon the summits of some precipitous and isolated rocky pinnacles, which rise above the almost flat valley of the Pinios river, 9 km beyond Kalambaka, where visitors can find accommodation. The monastic history of Meteora goes back to the 11th century AD, when the monks constructed inaccessible eagle’s nests in the crannies of these rocks. The first monasteries were not built until the 14th century A.D., but it was not until the 16th century A.D. that most of monasteries were constructed along with the renovations made to the older ones. It is said that over 20 monasteries were inhabited. Today only four are occupied, these are Megalo Meteoro, Moni Varlaam, Moni Agias Triadas and Moni Agiou Stefanou. (more…)

Metsovo Travel

Metsovo
Situated close to the peak of Katara and below the beautiful artificial Lake Aoou, Metsovo is one of Greece’s best known tourist destinations. It is approximately 60 km from both Ioannena and the town of Kalambaka. The route to Metsovo (constant hairpin bends) can present problems in winter, but only in cases of heavy snowfall and ground frost is extra caution required.
It extends along one of the highest peaks of the Pindus, exciting the visitor with its “Alpineâ€? architecture and its striking scenery. The church of Agia Paraskevi has an interesting carved icon screen and its wall mosaics are copies of the ones at Ravenna. Also worth a visit are the Monastery of Agios Nikolaos with its 17th century frescoes and the Tossitsa Mansion, which has been converted into an excellent museum of Ipiros folk art. Metsovo’s craftsmen and women keep alive the traditions of woodcarving and weaving, while the area produces some of the country’s most delicious cheeses and a wonderful robust red wine. (more…)

Mycenae Travel

Mycenae
Mycenae, is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. In the second millennium BC Mycenae was one of the major centres of Greek civilisation, a military stronghold which dominated much of southern Greece. The period of Greek history from about 1600 BC to about 1100 BC is called Mycenean in recognition of Mycenae’s leading position.
The acropolis or “high city� of Mycenae is believed to have been fortified as early as 1500 BC, as evidenced by grave-shafts dating from that period. In around 1350 BC the fortifications on the acropolis, and other surrounding hills, were rebuilt in a style known as “cyclopaean,� because the blocks of stone used were so massive that they were thought in later ages to be the work of the one-eyed giants known as Cyclops. Within these walls, parts of which can still be seen, monumental palaces were built.
In later periods the Mycenaeans stopped burying their kings in grave shafts, and instead built enormous circular tombs called tholoi, often built into the sides of hills. (more…)

Mystras Travel

Mystras
Suspended on the side of Taigetos Mountain, 5 km on the West side of the town of Sparta, the dead city of Mystras casts a silent gaze over the waters of Evrotas river. Once upon a time, it was the capital of Byzantine and Medieval Mystras. The entire region is protected by a powerful fort built at the top of the hill by William II of Villehardouin in 1249, which was built in the attempt of the Franks to establish their supremacy over the Peloponnese, and it is considered as the most beautiful castle of Peloponnese, as it is referred to characteristically in the Chronicle of Morias.
The beauty of the town remains unchanged. On the north part there are palaces and homes of the nobility and houses of the publicans and churches to the south. That was Pano Hora (the Highlands). At the end of the 13th century houses were also built round the outer part of the city wall, called Kato or Mesohora (Low or Midlands). (more…)

Nafplion Travel

Nafplion
Nafplio (or Nafplion) was the first capital of Greece after independence. Today Nafplion is a lovely seaside town about a 2.5 hour drive southwest of Athens on the Peloponnese Peninsula. Many visitors to Greece use Nafplion as a base for visiting the many ancient archeological sites nearby. Cruise ships love Nafplion because of its picturesque harbor, which is dominated by three citadels—the vast Palamidi Fortress, the Akronafplia Fortress, and the Bourtzi Fortress. Cruise ships anchor in this wonderful harbor and passengers take a tender ashore.
Although Nafplion is a charming town featuring elegant Venetian homes and towering fortresses over the harbor, the town is also a good place to use as a base for shore excursions to two nearby World Heritage sites—Epidaurus and Mycenae.
Nafplion is located in the northeast corner of the Peloponnese, approximately 146 kms from Athens. (more…)