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Greece: Locations

Athens

The glorious history of Athens and its tremendous influence on western civilisation are seen to rank alongside Rome and Jerusalem. The modern city of Athens, though, unlike Rome, is a place that it would be difficult to fall in love with.

The choking traffic and horrible urban sprawl that characterise the Athens of today, the congestion and the pollution all make for a tragic shadow of the city's past glory. Perhaps it is appropriate, then, that the main attraction of Athens should be its ruins.

Christina Chang at the Acropolis: Highlight of a trip to Athens

The Acropolis is one antidote to the suffocating heap that is Athens. Situated upon a small plateau above the city, the place has a kind of timelessness and a sanctuary-like feel to it, a mesmerising beauty, and it also has a truly fascinating history, well documented in the Archaeological Museum of the same site. It is far better to visit the Acropolis at less crowded times, like early in the morning.

6 miles west of Athens lies the Dafni Monastery, in which lies a fine collection of Greek mosaics. The Dafni Monastery is Attica's most important Byzantine monument.

Peloponnese (Southern Mainland)

Corinth

Modern Corinth suffered a devastating earthquake in 1928, which some say it has never really recovered from. It's a thoroughly modern city with smart hotels, shopping boutique and the usual amenities. A short journey by bus, ancient Corinth, meanwhile, 5 miles southwest of the city, was once one of Greece's most wealthy and wanton cities.

There is only one ancient Greek monument here and that is the imposing Temple of Apollo; the others are Roman. The Acrocorinth is a citadel which towers over the site, built upon a huge outcrop of limestone.

Mycenae

The entrance to Mycenae is the Lion Gate; Europe's oldest monumental sculpture. This is a fascinating, golden place to visit, described by Homer as 'rich in gold'. Here are the fabulous beehive tombs, and the site of the excavated 'Mask of Agamemnon'. Mycenae is well worth a full day of exploration.

Olympia

Ancient Olympia, like ancient Corinth, is separate from the modern town, and is surrounded by the green foothills of Mt Kronion. The quadrennial Olympic Games here were dedicated to Zeus and it is the Temple of Zeus, which dominates the site. The place was also a sacred area of public buildings, priest's dwellings and temples.

Nafplio

Nafplio, on the Argolic gulf, is one of the prettiest towns in Greece. The Palamidi fortress towers over old, narrow streets lined with elegant Venetian houses and neoclassical mansions.

Nafplio has been a major Greek port since the Bronze Age, and it became the first capital of Greece after independence. These days it fulfills a more peaceful as a seaside resort highly popular with weekend visitors from Italy, and is a good location as a travellers' base from which to explore other areas. It's a great place to shop, eat seafood and hang out for the day, but be sure to book a room in advance during season as it's an extremely popular town.

Central Greece

Delphi

Stunning Delphi became a sanctuary of Apollo by the 6th century BC, at which time thousands of pilgrims came to consult the oracle, who was always an old, local peasant woman. Wars were fought, voyages begun and business transactions embarked upon on the strength of the oracle's prophecies.

Meteora

The gigantic columns of rock that dot the landscape of Meteora were created by millions of year's worth of wave action. The amazing thing is, perched atop these bizarre creations are a number of fourteenth century monasteries. There was once one on every one of the 24 pinnacles, but now only five remain occupied.

By Villy Ioannou