Explore Greece - Mainland
The Peloponnese: The island of Pelops, which was the heart of Ancient Greece and is full of bronze age, classical ancient Greek, Byzantine and medieval sites as well as lovely mountain & seaside villages, beaches, waterfalls, rivers, islands off the coast–just about everything! This is a large region and exploring all of the Peloponnese would take at least a month, so travelers need to choose which part to explore. The Rio-Antirio bridge which crosses the Corinthian Gulf means that it is easy to visit Ancient Delphi located across the gulf as well AND the ferries that take you to the Ionian islands of Kythira, Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Corfu leave from ports on the Peloponnese, and the Saronic islands of Hydra, Poros and Spetses also connect with ports in the Argolid, as well as Elafonisos with its fantastic sandy beaches.
Central Greece: This part includes the area surrounding Athens all the way to Parnasos Mountain where Delphi and the Byzantine monastery of Hosios Loukas is located, as well as many other ancient and Byzantine sites, lovely mountain villages, ski resorts, seaside villages, beaches, rivers and the town of Nafpakto (Lepando in the Middle Ages). High season is in the winter because of the popular ski resorts, but anytime of the year is a great time to visit. The ferry to the island of Ithaka is in this region.
Thessaly: To the north of Athens and this region includes the famous Meteora monasteries, located on top of tower like monoliths, Mt. Olympus, the absolutely gorgeous mountain villages and coast of Mt. Pelion (home of the mythic centaurs) and town of Volos, where one can eat delicious mezedes or tapas and take a ferry to the Sporades–the “Mama Mia” islands of Skiathos & Skopelos and Alonisos.
Epirus: The northeastern part of Greece is not high on the tourist radar, but it is an amazingly beautiful part of Greece, characterized by the Pindus Mountain and traditional Zagori villages and the lush coast opposite the islands of Corfu and Paxos, which can be reached by ferry via Igoumenitsa.
The capital of the region is Ioannina, located on the shores of Lake Pamvotida with remnants throughout the town from the Ottoman Empire. There are also important ancient sites such as Dodona and the Necromanteion of Acheron and lovely seaside towns of Parga, Syvota and Preveza, where there is a bridge to the island of Lefkada. Here is a blog post about Epirus
Macedonia: The central northern part of Greece is crowned by the lovely Thessaloniki, which was the second city after Constantinople during the Byzantine Empire and is now the second city in modern Greece after Athens. Western Macedonia is lush with rivers. lakes and mountains–on the western border is Nymfaio–one of my favorite villages and named one of the ten most picturesque villages of Europe, according to UNESCO. It is a cobble stoned village without cars, but with stone guesthouses, delicious restaurants, fringed with forest and a wild bear refuge.
Moving eastward, there is the lovely town of Kastoria with its grand lake, Florina and her waterfalls, Nemea with excellent wines, Vergina with the magnificent tomb of Philip of Macedon (Alexander’s father), and the lovely towns of Veria, Kozani, Grevena and Litochoro on Mt. Olympus. Below Thesaloniki are the three peninsulas of Halkidiki–Cassandra, Sithonia (my favorite) and the third is Mt Athos (only for men who want to visit the monasteries). Halkidiki has amazing tree lined sandy beaches. To the east are the wine famous areas around Drama, the biblical Philippi, the lovely town of Kavala, which connects to the beautiful, foresty island of Thassos. Here is the Greek tourism site for more information about Macedonia.
Thrace and the islands of Thassos and Samothrace: Thrace is the eastern most part of the Greek mainland that borders Turkey to the east and Bulgaria to the north. The towns in Thrace have a timeless Balkan feel–it is the meeting point of east vs west–Greece with a bit of Turkey. . On the border between Macedonia and Thraces lies the beautiful city and harbor of Kavala, crowned by the fortress built by the Byzantines and re-built by the Ottomans. The city is built amphitheatrically around its harbor and has Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman elements throughout the city. There are many lovely beaches, but one can also take a ferry from Kavala to visit the very lush island of Thassos.
Moving eastward, we encounter Xanthi and Komotini, with their covered markets and minarets. And on the border with Turkey is Alexandroupoli, where one can reach the amazing, timeless and devoid of tourists island of Samothrace–a mountain rising from the Aegean Sea and a paradise for hikers with rivers and mountain pools and the Sanctuary of the Great Gods where the Kaviria Mysteries were held– an ancient religious event of great importance, equal to that of the Eleusinian Mysteries – that brought the island’s fame to the top during ancient times–and in modern times as the famous Nike or Winged Victory of Samothrace was found there and now displayed in the Louvre in Paris.
