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| Greece |
| Attica |
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Attica (Attiki) borders Sterea Ellada to the north and the Saronic Gulf to the south. Athens, the capital of Greece, and Pireaus, the major port, are in Attica. |
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The climate is mediterranean, pleasant and healthy due to its distinctive dryness. Washed by the celebrated Attica light, it is full of memories of the past: In Sounion the sanctuaries of Poseidon and Athena, in Vravrona the sanctuary of Artemis, in Rhamnous that of Nemesis, in Marathon the famous victory of the Greeks against the Persians, in Eleusis (Elfsina) the sanctuary of Demeter, as well as Byzantine monuments such as Kaisariani and Daphni monasteries. The visitor based in Athens can enjoy either sea or mountains by travelling just a few kilometres.
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Another special characteristic is the great variety of landscapes, from the beautiful mountains of Parnitha, Penteli and Hymettus to the coastal resorts, teeming with life around the clock and especially in the summer. |
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| Athens |
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| The capital of Greece took its name from the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge. This is where democracy was born. This is where that marvel of architecture, the Parthenon was created. This is where art became inseparable from life, and where Pericles gave the Funerary Speech, that monument of the spoken word. |
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Athens is the symbol of freedom, art and democracy in the conscience of the civilised world. In Athens the memory never fades. Wherever you stand, wherever you turn, the city's long and rich history will be alive in front of you.
In the centre of town there are two hills, the Acropolis with the monuments from the age of Pericles and Lycabetus with the picturesque chapel of Ag. Giorgis.
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| Athens today is a modern city, busy and vibrant. Modern but also romantic, with lively streets and squares, shop windows a riot of colours, and narrow streets in neighbourhoods such as Plaka and Mets. |
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In the countless shops, the visitor will find whatever he may need. In the tavernas and restaurants he can enjoy any taste sensation. In the night-clubs, pubs, discos and bars he can drink and dance the night away, because in Athens, the fun never stops. |
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| Pireaus |
| Pireaus (Pireas) has been the port of Athens since antiquity. The modern city built on top of the ancient city is a major shipping and financial centre. All the ships that link the capital with the islands of Greece and the rest of the world, leave from this historic port. |
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Piraeus is to the south-west of Athens, around 10km from the centre of town. It is connected to the city by buses and the Metro. Beyond the port, the most impressive spots are the hills of Profitis Ilias and Kastela with their neo-classical mansions and modern buildings which look as if they are hanging over the sea.
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Piraeus' small natural harbours are among the busiest and most popular tourist areas: Mikrolimano, Passalimani, Zea, Freatida and Hatzikiriakio. Countless seaside tavernas provide delicious seafood washed down with the uniquely Greek drink, Ouzo. The fresh smell of the sea and the sounds of an assortment of caiques, yachts and sailing ships, which are moored next to the tables, complete the ambience and atmosphere. |
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| Â Saronic Gulf Islands |
| A group of small islands that lie in the Saronic Gulf, to the south of Attica. |
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Aegina (Egina), famous for its pottery, is covered with pistachio trees. Its beautiful green villages are surrounded by pine forest. Aegina is also the home to one of antiquity's most famous temples, Aphaia.
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Salamina, is much closer to the mainland and is also the largest island in the group. It has beaches, the ruins of an acropolis, and the Phaneromeni monastery notable for its frescoes. |
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| Poros, with its immaculate beaches sliding out of the pine forests and the picturesque Zoodohou Pigis monastery is well worth a visit. |
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Hydra (Idra) is next in line. The island is famous for its maritime tradition. Hora is picturesque and beautiful, with high and colourful sea captains mansions lining the waterfront while a stark grey hill rises in the background. Between the mansions are narrow streets with tavernas and shops, where people visit when they reach the small port of this charming island. |
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| Spetses also famed for its maritime tradition, is furthest from Athens. Charming horse-drawn carriages are the form of travel, as cars are not allowed on the cobbled streets. Bougainvillaea flow over the white washed garden walls that enclose the pebbled yards of the mansions. Antique cannons decoratively guard the scenic harbour and the dozens of shops and cafes that line the shore. Arresting green beaches on the back of the island can be reached by caique. |
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| Cyclades |
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The island group in the central and southern Aegean. An imaginary circle centred on Delos washed by sunshine and breathing the sea breeze.
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One of the most important Mediterranean civilisations was born here, the Cycladic. It is also probable that the lost continent of Atlantis was around here. Calm crystal clear water, bright sky, radiant sun, and austere architecture on naked rock, the Cyclades are filled with light and sunshine. The climate is dry and healthy with mild winters and cool summers thanks to the 'meltemia' winds. |
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Kea (Tzia) is very close to Athens and offers relaxing vacations and pristine beaches. The picture of the island that remains of little valleys with vineyards and orchard between mountainous masses, leading to idyllic coves. One and two storey houses with tiled roofs, stone-paved alleyways, chapels, windmills and monasteries, the most important of which is the Kastriani monastery. |
| On small Kithnos, the ground is high and rugged with green tufts of vine and fig scattered about. The shores are heavily indented and the island has thermal springs with great curative powers. The churches are beautiful and are graced with fine wood carvings and icons painted by the Cycladian painter (1700) Skordilis. |
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Serifos has a strange charm that captivates, it is naked waves of mountains and small fertile valleys, singular houses, narrow stone-paved streets, magical shores and a castle surrounded by windmills. |
| Grey trails line the rocks of Siphnos and white chapels lie between them, here green alternates with dazzling white. An island of rare beauty and spellbinding views it is a maze of yards, alleyways and workshops where the famous Sifnian pottery is made, with 365 churches, chapels and important monasteries. |
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Kimolis is a small mountainous island, white as the chalk it produces, far from the summer crowds. Houses in the authentic Cycladic style surround the castle. |
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Milos was born of a volcano and hides many secrets above and below its surface: rich deposits of minerals, the famous catacombs, sea caves, pristine beaches, early Christian remains. One of its secrets, the Venus de Milo, rests in the Louvre. |
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Andros, the birthplace of famed ship masters, with its steep mountain ranges torn by gorges and ravines; valleys blanketed by vines, olive, fig, orange and lemon trees, streams and brooks untypical of the otherwise classic Cycladic landscape; slopes that end in cliffs; hills that vanish quietly into rocky shores; valleys that extend into sandy beaches. |
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Tinos is the holy island of the Virgin Mary. Numerous beaches can be seen from the peaks of the unending mountain range that crosses it lengthwise. The dove-cotes on Tinos, made of white-washed native stone, are works of art in their own right. The island's twenty exquisite villages are unique examples of folk architecture. |
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Mykonos is the cosmopolitan centre of the Cyclades. Its low rocky hills slope down to enchanting golden beaches. Grey-green boulders sprout prickly pears and windmills. Despite the dazzling light the summers are refreshing. One can find beaches that are almost empty. White-washed cube-shaped houses are scattered about. In the narrow streets of the town chapels and picturesque tavernas hide among folk art shops and stores selling jewellery and furs. Trends that will sweep the international scene are born in the intense nightlife of this modern resort. |
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The ancient holy island of Delos is a vast archaeological site. For many centuries it was the religious centre of Greece. It was the centre of the circle of the Cyclades islands and the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. |
| Siros on the other hand is the modern administrative, commercial and cultural centre of the Cyclades. The Hora, full of fine neo-classical buildings, old mansions, marble squares and magnificent churches, is built amphitheatrically up the hillsides around the port. The hills and the valleys provide variety in the scenery, alternating between cultivated fields, orchards and brush. Beautiful locations and scenic beaches sum up the island. |
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Paros has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Now, this mainly flat island with countless vineyards, is a modern tourism centre. This popular island is fragrant with basil and honeysuckle. The marvellous church of Panagia Ekatontapliani greets visitors as they arrive in the harbour. White-washed stone benches beneath the jasmine and summer celebrations, such as the wine and fish festivals characterise the island.
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Opposite, the golden sands and natural beauty of the small island of Antiparos, is home to the famous and enchanting cave of St. John. |
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Naxos is the largest and most fertile of the Cycladic islands. Byzantine churches and medieval towers abound. Vast beaches with boulders rising up from the deep blue of the sea, fertile valleys, springs with rushing water, picturesque villages, begin to give an idea of this special place. A distinctive feature of Naxos are the two ancient Kouroi. |
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Unlike Naxos, Amorgos is mountainous and barren, with sheer rocky coasts, scattered ruins, notable archaeological finds, and places of worship built with the characteristic ecclesiastical architecture of the twin church. |
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Folegandros is a small rocky island with the special wild beauty of alternating cliffs and sandy beaches. The church of Panagia and the golden cave with its stalactites and stalagmites are worth a visit. |
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Sikinos has retained its island feel and colour in its wonderful villages with their stone mansions, the island is also known for is spectacular castle and the monastery of Zoodohou Pigis. |
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Ios (or Nios as the locals call it) is decorated with small scenic bays, countless chapels, vineyards and olive tress, all set under the clear bright Cycladic sky. |
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Its ecological particularities, its past and its imposing scenery, single out the Cycladic island of Santorini (Thira). Bright white domed houses clinging to the cliff sides of the caldera, formed by the volcano's explosion in 1500BC, have an incredible view of Kamenes, (burnt ones) the coal coloured islets in the middle. Some of the most spectacular beaches can be found on Santorini: some with dark pebbles and others with black sand. A whole civilisation is coming to light at the archaeological sites at Akrotiri, the prehistoric city, and Messa Vouno, where the ruins of ancient Thira lie. The missing piece of Santorini's once perfect circle is Thirassia, the wounded islet that closed the caldera, which is Thira in miniature. |
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A rock on its own in the sea is Anafi. The crystal clear waters and serenity of the island's beauty offer a calm relaxing place both for visitors and for inhabitants. The only disturbances are the picturesque celebrations and local fairs.
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| Dodecanese |
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The Dodecanese islands are located south of Samos and Fourni, east of the Cyclades, east of Asia Minor, and north-east of Crete. It is an enchanted world where the sun paints pictures and the sea gives life. The mild winters and refreshing summers give the Dodecanese one of the healthiest climates in the Mediterranean. |
| The largest island in the group is Rhodes, also known as the island of the Sun. The capital, the City of Rhodes, is like a valuable coin with two faces. One face is the old town, a fairy-tale place surrounded by medieval walls and traversed by the Street of the Knights of St. John. On either side of the road is the old town with the 'Inns', the Hospital of the Knights and the Palace of the Grand Master. The other face is the modern city with intense nightlife, broad streets, beautiful buildings, large hotels and hundreds of shops where anything can be found. |
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The entire island is crammed with sights worth visiting, from the archaeological sites to the fabulous beaches, from the Valley of the Butterflies to the ruins of ancient Rhodes, from the Acropolis of Lindos.
Naturally, the strong sunlight and the beautiful sea are as present in Rhodes as they are throughout the Dodecanese, as they are throughout Greece.
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| Southeast of Rhodes lies Kasterlorizo, whose capital town of the same name is built amphitheatrically and reaches right down to the waterfront. A small island with important sights, such as the Blue Grotto, one of the most gorgeously coloured caves in Greece, and the cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helena. |
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Between Leros and Ikaria is the 'ascetic shape' of Patmos, called the Jerusalem of the Aegean due to overwhelming atmosphere of the island during the great celebrations of Christianity. Here, in one of Patmos' many caves, St. John the Theologian had a vision of the Apocalypse. An imposing monastery devoted to the Saint dominates the heights above the picturesque houses and mansions which appear to be 'hooked' to the roots of the monastery.
The image the visitor will keep from Patmos will be enhanced by an excursion to its rocky coves and pleasant shores before passing over to the nearby islets of Fourni, Lipsi and Agathonissi.
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| Lipsi or Lipso is very attractive with enchanting beaches and traditional fish tavernas offering local wine.
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Leros is a hilly island with deep green coves, idyllic valleys, indented shores and the imposing Frankish-Byzantine castle over the Hora. |
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Grey, gold and green, framed by the blue of the sea and the sky, are the colours composing the portrait of Kalimnos: naked rock, golden beaches and verdant valleys. The capital Pothia is built amphitheatrically with multi-coloured geometrically shaped houses, churches and scenic roads. Beautiful areas with picturesque villages, thermal springs and idyllic spots for swimming, fishing and relaxing holidays are everywhere. |
| Astipalea: Small white houses with brightly painted windows open to the sun, a row of windmills, caves with stalactites and stalagmites at Vathi and Vetses. |
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Kos is a splash of deep green located between Kalimnos and Nissiros. Among the thousands of impressive sights are the Asklepeion, the house dating from the Roman era with the fabulous mosaics, the Palace of the Knights of St John, in the town of Kos, the early Christian churches with their noteworthy frescoes. The island also has many villages famous for their charm, quiet fishing villages and beaches. |
| The visitor will be impressed by the contrast formed by the white houses on Nissiros' grey volcanic soil, just before he ends up in one of the beautiful fishing villages for some quiet sea and sun.
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Tilos is fine sandy beaches, untouched nature, medieval castles and a respect for the island's traditions. |
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You will know you are on Simi by the mountains and small valleys, wonderful coves, strong sense of tradition and the monastery of the Archangel Michael with its Byzantine frescoes. West of Rhodes lies a small mountainous island, Halki. A thousand songs pay tribute to this quiet place that is ideal for relaxing holidays. |
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The inhabitants of beautiful Karpathos are famous for their strong sense of tradition and the island is known for its scenic mountains in the north, as well as for its lovely beaches with their charming fishing villages. |
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