| Central Greece
Attica The plains, shores, hills and mountains of Attica
surround Athens . You will find archeological sites , small seaside
resorts, cultivated plains, contrasting with the color of the earth,
pine trees, olive trees and vines. Attica stretches down to the sea,
with Cape Sounio in the southeast, Evia in the east and with the
Corinthian Gulf in the West. Here the climate is typically Mediterranean.
ATHENS
What to
see in Athens
Ancient Athens
 
- The Acropolis (the Parthenon) and the Acropolis museum.
- At the foot of the Acropolis, the Dionysus theater,
the Herodion Atticus Odeon and the Aeropagites.
- The Agora (the ancient
marketplace), near to the Monastiraki metro station.
- The temple
of Zeus and Adrian 's Gate.
- Keramikos (the ancient cemetery), close
to Thesion metro station.
- The National museum (one of the world's
most beautiful museums) where the evolution of Greek art can be traced
from the Neolithic to the Roman period.
Byzantine Athens:
 
- The Athens Cathedral on Mitropoleos street .
- Kapnikarea Church (XII A.D).
- The Aghii Assomati Byzantine church ( close to the Agora ).
- The Byzantine museum, where you will find a rare collection of
objects dating from the beginning of Christianity, from the Byzantine
and the post-Byzantine era , as well as sculptures and splendid icons
and frescoes .
- The Benaki museum where beautiful icons, antiquities and folkloric
costumes are displayed.
Modern Athens:
  
Syntagma- Parliament Square
This is surrounded by luxurious hotels , banks, outdoor cafes, kiosks
and luxury boutiques. You will watch the change of the guard ( the
evzones ) in front of the monumen t of
the Unknown Soldier . The picturesque costume worn
by the evzones was originally worn by the veterans
of the war of Independence .
The flea market near Monastiraki (Tube Station)
full of antiques for sale, restaurants with live music and full of
life especially in the week ends.
Kolonaki
  A
residential district at the foot of the hill of Lykavitos (cafes,
restaurants, boutiques).
The hill of Lykavitos
The cable-car will take you to the summit, where you can
view the entire city of Athens whilst having lunch or a drink.
Omonia
The equivalent to Piccadilly Circus is noisy, congested
and popular . The three avenues: Stadiou, Panepistimiou and Akadimias,
between Syntagma and Omonia, form the center of Athens , where some
handsome neoclassic buildings dating from the XIX century can be
seen.
Plaka
 
At the foot of the Acropolis, in the old Athenian neighborhood
which retains its old buildings and streets. You will find small
Byzantine churches, restaurants, cabarets, bars and tourist shops.
Piraeus
 
This is the primary Greek port since the Themistocles
era . A typically Mediterranean port, commercially and industrially
very active, Piraeus , in contrast to the small marinas of Passalimani
and Microlimano with their fish restaurants and their cafes, tempts
you to set off for the Greek islands.
Cape Sunion
Poseidon's temple (The God of sea) in Cape Sounion
, built between 444 and 440 BC. It is recommended, in order to appreciate
it, to take a whole day excursion in order to see the ruins and enjoy
the fabulous sunset
Evia
The largest of the Sporadic islands, lies parallel
to the Attica coast, 100 kilometers north of Athens , is linked to
the mainland of Attica by a bridge . E via is a
mountainous island with tranquil landscapes.
Delphi
  
Easily accessible and 165 kilometers from Athens ,
its visit will require an entire day. You will see the sanctuary
of Apollo, the stadium, the sanctuary of Athena and the museum with
its splendid ancient Greek, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman statues,
with the jewel of the museum's collection The Charioteer of Delphi
one of the most admired statue from the 5thC BC .
Old Temple of Athena it's a Doric style
temple built the 6thC BC.
Tholos it is built the 4C BC as a
shrine to goddess Gaia (Earth)
Gymnasium built the 4C BC and rebuilt
by the Romans at a later stage by adding two more levels.
Kastalian Spring is the site where,
the myth claims, in order to avoid Apollo's attention. Castalia the
nymph drowned herself. Here the pilgrims performed purification rituals
before entering Apollo's sanctuary.
Asklipiio This sanctuary dedicated
to Asklipios was built the 7C BC. The legend claims that this was
the area where all the sacred serpents were kept. Inside the temple
was a statue of Asklipios in gold and Ivory seated on a throne.
Ossios Loukas (40 kilometers from
Delphi) is a Byzantine monastery amongst the finest in Greece ; you
will find icons from the XVI century and frescoes from the XI century.
Pilio
 
Pelion is a land of legend and myths which has captivated
ancient and modern writers. It will be difficult to choose the most
handsome amongst its 24 villages, the most charming landscape, and
the most inviting beach. A visit to the mountains of Thessaly is
a must.
Meteora
In the northwest corner of Thessaly is a group of
huge rocks. On top of these rocks monasteries known as Meteora are
built. This site is very popular with tourists.
The extraordinary
site of Meteora is one of the most impressive in Greece seen from
whatever direction. A Panoramic road takes you around the site
offering the best angle on the Meteora, the monasteries at the top
overlooking the plains down below.
Monasteries that can be visited:
- The Great Meteoron Monastery founded
in1356 by St Athanassios at a height of 752 feet.
- Varlaam Monastery originally founded
by a monk named Varlaam in 19C and finished by two rich brothers
from Ioanina at a later stage.
- Agios Stephanos monastery it was
founded by a hermitage the 12C and the 14C were given by the Emperor
Andronicus Paleologus a lot of gifts and manuscripts.
- Holy Trinity Monastery built between
15C and 17C .There are plenty of artifacts and manuscripts. Unfortunately
the German occupation army looted this place amongst others.
- The monastery of Roussanou it was
rebuilt the 16thC .Today is accessible by two bridges instead of
the mobile ladders.
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