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Greece - Places to see and things to do.

Greece is a beautiful country situated in the most southern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. It enjoys a long coastline and access to the Aegean, Ionian and Mediterranean Seas and neighbours Bulgaria and Albania, Macedonia and Turkey. Greece is considered the craddle of philosophy, politics, arts, language, sports. It is well-known for the Socratic Method, the Platonic ideals, the Olympic Games, etc. Greece is among the most visited tourist destinations in the world thanks to its lovely islands wih long beaches, the mountanous mainland, and the various historical and cultural sights. Today Greece is a well-developed country, which is a member of the European Union, Schengen Agreement and NATO. That is why all European Union nationals are welcome to enter the country with a valid ID card, while the non-members of the European Union require visas. The official language in Greece is Greek; however English is widely understood and spoken so that tourists will not have any problems with a language barrier.Also understtod are French, Germand and Italian. Widely understood are also the other Balkan languages like Bulgaria, Romanian, Serbo-Croatian and Macedonian. Of course, knowledge of several Greek terms will be much appreciated by the locals. The official currency is the euro, which replaced the local drachma as from January 2002. There are many places to exchange money, credit cards and travelers checkes are also accepted. Most goods are charged with a Value Added Tax, though there are shops that are Tax Free for non-European Union citizens. The fastest and most pleasant way to reach Greece is by plane and the national carrier is Olympic Airlines, though followed closely by its compeitor Aegean Airlines. The two companies have an extensive network of flights offering booking of tickets through Internet. The other major international airports accept the one in Athens include rge Heraklion and Thessaloniki, Rhodes and Corfu.The budget airlines are also present in Greece and these include EasyJet, SkyEurope, Virgin Express, German Wings, Hemus Air, Wizzair, etc. If heading to Greece by train, note that Thessaloniki is the hub for international railway service. Bus service is available mainly from the neighboring countries. Buses between the cities are very popular, not expensive and reliable.

Interesting to know is that Greece could be easily reached by ferry from the Italian ports Venice, Trieste, Bari, Brindisi and Ancona. There are ferries to Patras, Corfu and Igoumenitsa. From the Turkish ports at Marmaris, Bodrum, Kusadasi and Cesme there are ferries to Rhodes, Kos, Samos and Chios. The ferries that start from Piraeus and Rhodes provide transport to Alexandia in Egypt, Limassol and Larnaca in Cyprus, Haifa in Israel. Reaching the islands in Greece is most easily done by ferry but tourists should keep in mind that they are very punctual and always leave on time. Very convenient to the tourists is the fact that Greece can be entered by car from all its land neighbors and eith a ferry from Italy. Toursists should know that the Greek drivers are very aggressive when behind the wheel. The roads are well-maintained and the new motorways are paid. Car rental is pssoible in all parts of the country and the cars offered are usually with manual transmission. The country is divided into several regions and these are Thrace; East, West and Central Macedonia; Thessaly and Epirus, Sporades and Ionian Islands, West and Central Greece, Peloponnese, Crete and Attica, North and South Aegean Islands and Dodecanese. The capital of Greece is Athens, while the other large cities are Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Volos, Patras, Ioannina and Larissa. Among the most visited sights by the tourists are also Delphi, the monasteries Meteora ad Mount Athos, Olympia Mountain, Parnassos, Paritha and Olympos National Parks.

The main flow of tourists to Greece is during the summer months and the tourism season starts in April and lasts till October. The peak season is in July and August but the tourists should know that the weather is very verry hot at that time of the year. Greece has an incredible architectural and regional diversity and it is not only about the whitewashed houses with blue domes, as they are specific for only one part of the country that being the Cycladic islands. Besides idyllic beaches, Greece has also lovely mountaneous areas and rich wine-proucing valleys, as well as olive orchards and various historical and cultural sights including medieval castles, churches and temples, classical ruins. The capital of Greece, Athens, is a huge metropolis with almost four million residents.

Considered by many as the birthplace of Classical Greece and the Western Civilization, Athens is set on twelve hills, seven of which being historical, namely: Acropolis and Areopagus, Observatory Hill and Philopappus Hill, Pnyx and Lycabettus, Tourkovounia. From the hills is revealed lovely view over the Saronic Gulf and the Aegean Sea, as well as the streets of Athens below. The places of interest in Athens are walking distance away from each other, which makes the sightseeing very pleasant. The first stop for many tourists coming to Athens is the Acropolis which is an ancient city with many marble temples worshiping the city goddess Athens. The other hotspots include Plaka, Monastiraki and Thisso historic districts that are set at the foot of the Acropolis. Many cafes, restaurants, boutiques and galleries can be found in the Kolonaki residential area. The National Archeological Museu is set in the Omonia and Exarheia districts. The ancient port of Athens, Pireus, is set in the southwestern part of Athens and offers various ferry connections to Crete and the Aegean Islands. The business dstrict of the city is named Syntagma and here is situated the old Royal Palace, as well as many hotels, bank offices, restaurants, etc. Athens is a city of glamorous history, which includes the Olympic Games. The last time the cithosted this major sports event was in the summer of 2004 and thus today Athens has excellent sports infrastructure and many renovated streets based in the historical centre. Athens has beautiful architecture in neoclassical style which goes well with the nations past and the ancient ruins. The Second World War however was devastationg for the city and the neoclassical buildings were demolished to make place for concrete apartment blocks which could be seen in the downtown area othe city today. In the past two decades many euros were spend for the restoration of the historical cenre of Athens and the remaining neoclassical buildings. The most pleasant areas for walking are the Anafiotika and Plaka, the Thissio and Monastriraki districts which are characterized with lovely streets and small cafes, shops and lovely buildings, many churches and delightful views over the city. Besides visiting the Acropolis which we mentioned above and which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, tourists should also visit the Ancient Agora which has a lot of greenery and reveals one of the best views over Athens. Here are situated the Temple of Hephaestus and the Attalos Stoa Museum. Worth visiting are also the Temple of Olympian Zeus although it only comprises of ruins now, as well as the Panathianiko Stadium which is a huge marble stadium with horseshoe form. Athens is full of museums and galleries and almost all of them have collections that simply have to be seen, so tourists should dedicate a lot of their time for that. To name just a few of the museums that would be the National Archeological Museum, the Greek National Gallery, the National Historical Museum and the Numismatic Museum, as well as the National War Museum.

The next city that will be featured here is Heraklion, which is the capital city of the largest Greek island, Crete. Once a historical centre, today Heraklion has many remains that have to be seen, but also a heavy traffic and a huge industrial zone. The very heart of the city is surrounded by Venetian walls and is ideal for walks and sightseeing. The major landmarks include the Minoan Palace of Knossos which is 5 km outside the city and is associated with various legends; the Venetian castle Koules which is set near the harbour, the Marosini Fountain and the St. Minas Cathedral, as well as the St. Titus Church and the St. Marks Basilica. Heraklion has many museums and galleries as well and these include the Archeological Museum where could be found excavations dating back to the Minoan civilization; the Museum of the Battle for Crete and the National Resistance against the Nazi regime during the Second World War; the Museum of Natural History and the Historical Museum of Crete. Worth visiting are also the open-air folflore museum Lychnostatis and the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum. Besides cultural and historical sightseeing, the city of Heraklion offers Summer Arts Fetival which lasta from June to September, and a lovely beach area called Amoudara which has sandy beach and many pleasant cafes, as well as an open-air theatre.

The third city to be presented here is Patras, which also happens to be the third largest settlement in Greece after Athens and Thessaloniki. Patras is famous for its many ferry connections with Italy. Its sights that are worth visiting include the Rio-Antirio Bridge, the Achaia Clauss wine factory and the Roman Odeon. Interesting to visit are also the St. Andrews Church, the Faro which is the symbol of the city and the Castro area wherefrom are revealed lovely views towards Heraklion. The other attractions include the Apollo Theatre and theTurkish hot baths.

Thessaloniki is among the most visited cities in Greece by the tourists. It is located in the Central Macedonia region of the country and has approximately one million inhabitants. The city enjoys a history of three million years and has preserved relics and remnants from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman past. Many of its sights are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Thessaloniki has many museums and galleries, to name just a few these would be the Archeological Museum and the Museum of Byzantine Culture, the State Museum of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Science. Interesting to see are also the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography and the Museum of Cinematography, as well as trhe Thessaloniki Technology Park. Worth visiting are also the Museum at the White Tower, the Attaturk House and the Jewish Museum. The symbol of the city is the White Tower which is the only seafront tower that survived the centuries. Also preserved are the Byzantine walls in the northernmost part of the city and the western walls. The old town is well-preserved with old traditional houses and small cobbled streets, as well as a Byzantine citadel and an Eptapyrgion fort. Here from are provided delightful views over the bay. A pleasant way to spend the late afternoon is walking through the seafront promenade of the city, which is approximately twelve kilometres long. Thessaloniki has also many Byzantine churches included in the UNESCO List, as well as many Synagogues. Interesting to visit are also the market places, especially the Bezesteni which is an Ottoman closed market for jewellery and the Alatza Imaret which is an Ottoman poorhouse. The largest open-air square with many cafes, family restaurants and shops is called the Aristotelous Square. Every year in Thessaloniki are being organized an International Trade Fair in September and an International Film Festival in November.

Set in the middle between Athens and Thessaloniki, is situated the city of Volos which is the third largest port towns in Greece. The places to be seen in Volos include the Athanasakeion Archeological Museum, the El. Venizelou Street and the Plateia Eleftherias or the Freedom Square. Good to visited are also the St. Nikolaos Square and the city cathedral, the seaside park and the Alykes municipal beach, as well as the large park Heikodromio which has an ioen-air theatre.