Thessaloniki, formerly Salonika, lies on the western Chalkidikí peninsula at the head of a bay on the Gulf of Thérmai. The city was founded in 316 BCE and named for a sister of Alexander the Great and became the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. As a military and commercial...
We spent the whole day in the Olympus National Park, there is located Mount Olympus, the highest peak (2917 m) in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Gulf of Thérmai of the Aegean Sea. Olympus National Park hosts more than 1700 plant species, some rare and endemic, as well...
We were not sure, how to enter Olympus National Park with our truck, so we did pay a visit to the local office in Litochoro, where we got all the necessary information for our tomorrow’s exploration of the national park and mythic Mount Olympus. This little town stretches up the...
Just 18 kilometers from Litochoro, on the way to Karay, there is a mysterious place called Levithra Magnetic Field, where water can flow uphill, and even a vehicle put in neutral can travel uphill. We had never seen anything like this before and it sounded exciting. The basic laws of...
After the visit to Platamon Castle, we drove a few minutes down to Skotina Beach. It is a sandy beach divided into two parts, one part belongs to a nearby army base where only army personnel can enter. There are many budget hotels and apartments in the area, so some simple touristic...
The Crusader castle built between 1204 and 1222 is located in a strategic position that controls the exit of the Tempe valley southeast of Mount Olympus. The castle (🎫 3 EUR till 15:30) is at the location of the ancient city of Heraclea, most probably, there was already a Byzantine castle...
We drove from Volos (🛣️ 10 EUR / Class 3) through Larisa, where we bought some food at Lidl, to the extraordinary rock formations of the Meteora. The rock masses were formed some 60 million years ago, their distinctive and varied shapes sculpted over time by earthquakes, rain, and wind...
We took a ferry from Evia Island to the mainland (🎫 41,70 EUR / 9 m) and drove (🛣️ 9,50 EUR / Class 3) to a dramatic mountain range, collectively known as Mt Pelion. The Pelion Peninsula curves south and east from Volos, cradling the Pagasitikos Gulf within its protective arm. Its higher...
Late in the evening, a curvy road brought us to the famous beach resort of Northern Evia – Pefki. It lies in a lush landscape with pine trees facing Pagasitic Gulf. It has four kilometers long pebble beach with sandy spots. Along the beach, there are many restaurants, cafes, and a popular...
We drove from Athens (🛣️ 8.30 EUR / Class 3) late afternoon to beautiful Evia Island. It is the second largest island in Greece after Crete. Along with Lefkada in the Ionian Sea, it is one of the two islands connected to the mainland by a bridge. It’s just a short drive from Athens. but...