Cities on route
This is one of the great cities of the world and an unmissable one. If you have never been to Athens then a trip to Skopelos provides an ideal excuse for exploration of this historical marvel. The metro system is wonderful and there is also an excellent over ground suburban train service and three tram lines. Not wishing to make the place sound like Switzerland means that we should point out that many of the other aspects of Athenian life remain as charmingly chaotic as ever.
It is an ancient city, starting life around 3000 BC as a settlement around the Acropolis and eventually becoming one of the great city states, but it was the victory in the Greco-Persian wars which led to the golden age of Athens and left us so much to marvel at today. The destruction of many major buildings during this war led to the construction of much of the Acropolis (particularly the Parthenon) a site that everyone should visit at least once in their lives. It is open usually from 8.00 am and closes about 7.00pm (or sunset in winter) and is generally very busy (tickets €12). The best way to have “quality time” there is to get in first thing in the morning and as most tour groups are lectured as they climb up towards the Parthenon, on various interesting points, you can walk straight past them and have the place virtually to yourself for the first 20 minutes. Also there are many views of the Acropolis which are stunning and the Hill of the Pynx is recommended for a late evening sight of the white marble structures turning from yellow to gold to red as the light fades.
Of course there are many other antiquities to see in Athens; temples, agoras, monuments etc abound and the city itself, although often seemingly a 70’s concrete nightmare, harbours many gems of the neo-classical city which developed from the middle 19th century (when Athens was rediscovered and became the capital of Greece).
Athens is in general a safe city, there is little serious crime, but petty crime is unfortunately increasing (and of course there are always scam artists in any big city). It’s not as bad as many southern cities but it’s best to be aware and just be sensible. If it’s too hot or it rains another world class visit must be to the newly restored Archaeological Museum which even for museumphobes carries some artefacts and statues which are wonderful and should be seen. It is on the corner of Alexandras Ave and Patission, not far from Omonia Sq and of course the magnificent new Acropolis Museum is worth the trip by itself.
Arriving
Eleftherios Venizelios Airport is most peoples first sight of Greece but it is situated some way out of Athens. However the metro into Athens is approximately every 20 minutes and it takes about 35 minutes to reach central Athens . It is usually the best bet as the road system remains in the slightly chaotic bracket and although taxis can be quite cheap they can easily take longer than the metro. At night between 11 and 6.00 the metro closes. There is also an express bus service into town but I am at a loss to know why anyone would take it in preference to the metro which only costs six euros for a single or eleven euros for a single ticket for 2 people. Check your ticket into the machine before you get on.
Being There
Athens is a big city with many districts all different in nature so the choice is from chi-chi to red-light depending what atmosphere appeals.
Plaka – most tourists stay in the Plaka which is the old town of Athens strewn around the base of the Acropolis. It is certainly charming and definitely aware of its target audience. There are thousands of tavernas and even more gift shops if that’s what you are looking for but it is central and close to other districts which are a little more real.
Psiri – right next to Plaka is this ex industrial area which is great for restaurants, bars, cafes etc. It’s a real mix of traditional and modern and not very touristy at all, a bit of a hidden gem and at night is thronged with the cognoscenti.
Monistiraki – also next to Plaka and with the eponymous metro station that serves all three of these areas, this is an interesting place that encompasses some red-light activities as well as major archaeological sites, tavernas, cafes and night life.
Thission – also a good area to stay in the same central cluster as those above.
Syntagma – or Constitution Sq, this houses the most famous hotel in Athens, the Grand Bretagne where Churchill amongst many others stayed. It does have reasonable priced hotels too. The metro station is one of the best in the world housing many artefacts unearthed when construction of the new metro was underway and is worth a visit in itself.
Kolonaki – Think posh, think Chelsea, this area is for the affluent but worth while sitting in a cafe and watching the rich at work, drinking frappes and eating ice-cream, however, there are good restaurants and many are reasonably priced.
The second city of Greece is virtually unknown to the outside world and tourism is largely restricted to people transiting through the airport to the resorts of the Halkidiki peninsular. It does however have a fascinating history(being second only to Istanbul as a Byzantine city) and is a pleasant place to spend some time with excellent restaurants and bars and a lovely setting on its wide open bay with mountains to its rear.
The city started in 315 BC when King Kassandros, the brother in law of Alexander the Great, decided the location would be an ideal spot to develop a new city. He named it after his wife who in turn was named after the victory over the area of Thessaly (the niki part of the subsequent cities name being greek for victory). And indeed its setting has created its place as the major port of Northern Greece which has long been the foundation of its wealth. In 168 BC the Romans made the city capital of Macedonia and the southern Balkans and with the coming of the Byzantine empire Thessaloniki became its second city after Constantinople itself. This legacy of Byzantine rule can be seen today and the buildings and relics of the time abound, the upper town (Ano Poli) being a world heritage site with it winding streets with overhanging houses and the famous White Tower, which was a part of the fortifications, now houses the Museum of Byzantine Culture.
After the Byzantine Empire fell there was a brief period of Venetian rule before the Ottoman Turks took over the city and changed its cultural and economic makeup. Thessaloniki had been in economic decline but the Turks under Murad the second turned this around largely by encouraging a mass migration of Sephardic jews fleeing the persecution in Spain. By the beginning of the 16th century they had become one of the largest groups in the city and this continued until the the 20th century. In
1890 from a total population of 118,000 there were 55,000 Jews,26000 Turks and 16000 Greeks. It became the largest Jewish city in the world but this odd combination of cultures actually worked and created a vibrant and flourishing economy which made the city a major centre. Even into the 20th century it flourished and the neo-classical city which emerged with its wide boulevards and elegant houses was a little Paris by the Aegean. The ravages of wars, both world wide and civil, a terrible fire, and the stultifying rule of the fascist junta in the 60s and 70s left Salonika in a bad state and the beautiful town was finally largely wrecked by developers. As in all of Greece the 70’s and 80’s saw many of the neo-classical buildings being bought up by these companies which ripped them down and replaced them with concrete nightmares. A disaster for the country but enough of the layout and the buildings remain to have an atmospheric and interesting city.
The excavations at Derveni and Vergina in the 1970’s have provided the cities Archaeological Museum with some of the most significant finds of recent years and have made the museum one of the most significant in the world.
Thessaloniki is a relatively easy city to transit through, the airport is small and about 20 minutes outside the centre(in rush hours allow 40), the port is in the middle of town and the bus station is about 10-20 minutes in a cab. As always taxis are cheap but remember taxi sharing is the norm here, if two fat ladies(or men) jump into your cab it’s just a part of Greek life.
It’s worth staying in Thessaloniki though, if you have time, and probably the best hotel is the Electra Palace www.electrahotels.gr which has a magnificent setting but is quite pricey (the owners also have Skopelos Village Hotel). The Hotel Luxembourg www.hotelluxembourg.gr is a cheaper price and seems
quite popular and there are many budget hotels at agood price and a reasonable standard www.hotelstogther.com is excellent search engine which compares online prices.
There are many great restaurants. The area of Ladadika is quite touristy but you could try Omilos on the Paralia(waterfront), Krikelas on Saliminos 6, Ouzeri Aristotelous on Aristotelous 6 or Diagonos near Lefkos Pirgos. It’s a small town (in the centre) so you can find them easily. Or just go to the charming area near the fish market and just take your pick.
For cafe/bars try Flou on Nik.Foka 9 or Domatia Me Thea at Pl.Aristotelous 10.
Clubs (i am told) are vibrant, they start late and finish very late, Decadence -seems apt- is at And.Georgiou 21 and Hotel is at 26th Oktovriou 25. and Back to Base is at L.Nikis 63.
Volos is a small provincial Greek town situated approximately halfway between Athens and Thessaloniki. Notable for it’s stunning location; as the principal town on it’s huge and sheltered bay; it’s history and it’s modern life as a port and lively university town.
The city of Volos is, for Greece, actually a very modern one developing after the liberation from the Ottoman Empire in about 1840. Previously it had been an insignificant Turkish hamlet but of course before that in ancient times it had been an important centre under the names of the old cities of Demetrias, Pagasae and Lolkos and in Neolithic times there had been the city of Dimini just to the west of where Volos now sits (Jason -of the Argonauts fame- was supposed to have come from the city of Lolkos).
The modern city being born at such a time led to the ideal conditions for the planning and construction of a perfect neo-classical city and this is what took place. Laid out on a grid plan with wide straight boulevards, Volos was regarded as being a miracle of planning and a architectural delight. Unfortunately the devastating earthquakes of 1954 laid waste to this lovely town and most of the buildings were destroyed. That, combined with the usual problems of developers with concrete box fixations, has left the town, as with most Greek cities, somewhat faceless. Having said that the number of neo-classical buildings left do break up the modern buildings and the long straight avenues are mixed in with pleasant squares and the waterfront is a nice place to watch the evening Volta (stroll).
There are seemingly endless cafes (some with the luxury of outdoor air-con!) and restaurants to choose from and as Volos is a major commercial centre for the area of Thessaly and the Sporades islands it has all the services and hotels you can imagine.
The Archaeological Museum, which is housed in one of the remaining neo-classical buidings is well worth a visit as despite its comparatively small size it has an excellent array of exhibits. Its painted grave stellai are fairly unique and it has very good collections of neolithic figurines, pottery and jewellery.
Just outside Volos there is a beach area and of course the delights of the Pelion peninsular are near with the narrow gauge railway still going there sometimes from the 19th century painted station in the centre of town. This picturesque station is also a real working rail hub with several trains a day to Thessaloniki and to Athens (mostly via Larrisa). Phone 302420240056 or www.ose.gr
The airport is now undergoing new development works and a train service to the city is planned and work is also underway on the runways providing a greater capacity to receive flights from a greater number of countries. Already Ryan Air, Air Berlin, Ryan Air ,Lauda Air,Belle Air and Monarch fly in and there is a bus service to Volos town and the port.
The bus station with regular coaches from Athens and Thessaloniki is about 10 minutes walk from the port but there are usually taxi’s if you are loaded down or feeling lazy and the main part of the town is around the port so if you get off the boat you are there already!
The hotel you confront as you exit the port is the Aegli which is a very nice neo classical building and has lovely views from the front rooms but there are many hotels both budget and slightly more plush. www.hotelscombined.com is an excellent site which compares the prices on all other sites and gives you the best deal. Or just use it as a search engine then contact the hotel direct. We haven’t had a bad experience in a hotel in Volos-yet!- so it’s take your pick.
Similarly the restaurants there are very good, just wandering off the street hasn’t led to any bad choices so far so it’s best to explore yourself. The Poseidonos on the front near the Aegli is seemingly very popular with the locals but maybe the owners just have lots of relatives!
There are also bars and pubs and clubs all through the town – most music clubs are out toward the railway station- and as befits a town rife with students you are never far from a drink.
For the more traditionally minded though Volos is famed for its ouzerias (tchipora being the local ouzo variant they are called tchipourias here!) where you get a little plate of food with your drink. Tidbits, as you may call them, bits of cheese, olives, octopus, fish, cucumber whatever, it’s something you should try but beware tchipoura has a magic ingredient which makes you believe having another one is a really good idea. This can lead to slight problems with vision and ability to make any sense when you talk! One is good, two is plenty, three is “knees up mother brown”- but certainly worth trying. [/one_third_last]Volos