Greece Travel holds the travel articles of this site: the best Greek islands, the Cyclades and the Dodecanese, ancient Greek sites, temples, the Parthenon and the Oracle of Delphi, Greek food, coffee, desserts and wine regions, Greek traditions, festivals and dances, mountains, waterfalls and national parks, and the weather of Greece through the year. Each article answers the questions travellers ask in plain words and points to the tours that fit its subject. Multi-day trips across the country are on the Greece tours page.
Battle of Thermopylae day trips run from Athens to the narrow pass in Phthiotis, in central Greece. In 480 BC, Leonidas I of Sparta and his Greek allies met the army of Xerxes I there. Leonidas, Xerxes, the Immortals, Demophilus, Ephialtes, Mount Kallidromo and Dienekes each get a short answer. Simonides, molon labe and a … Read more
Public holidays in Greece come to twelve national days a year. They draw on state history and church feasts. This post starts with the national list and Easter Monday. It then turns to 25 March, when the War of Independence is honoured. A section on the Monday of the Holy Spirit comes next. Short answers … Read more
Christmas in Greece tours are small-group trips held across the mainland and the islands through the festive weeks. Topics here start with the kalanta carols and the Nativity hymn of Romanos the Melodist. Christopsomo bread, the Twelve Days and the church calendar come next. Aristotelous Square, the Mill of Elves in Trikala, the pomegranate and … Read more
Byzantine churches in Greece rise in Thessaloniki, Athens, Veria, the Peloponnese and the islands. Outings with a host run through these same regions. Thessaloniki holds Hosios David, St Nicholas Orphanos and St Panteleimon. The Athens area holds Daphni and the Little Metropolis. Veria keeps frescoes by the painter Georgios Kalliergis, and Hosios Loukas, Mystras and … Read more
Gorges in Greece cut through Crete, the Peloponnese, Mount Olympus and the Ionian Islands. Small-group trips through Greece with a local host take place across these regions. Lepida on Mount Parnon, the Nedonas by Kalamata and Ziliana on Olympus are mainland examples. Poros sits on Cephalonia, while Myli, Astrakiano, Theriso, Ambas and Mesona lie on … Read more
Greek music has deep roots on the mainland and across the islands. Expert-led trips through the country take place in both settings. This page looks at the two branches of the music, Mikis Theodorakis and the Byzantine lyra. It then covers entekhno and four short answers on Vangelis, Iannis Xenakis, the aulos and Nikos Skalkottas. … Read more
Greek seafood joins Greek kitchens to the Aegean and Ionian seas. Small-group cooking classes and fishing trips with a host take place in Athens, Crete, Rhodes, Kos and Santorini. Topics run from the common octopus and calamari to red mullet, lavraki, sardines, marida, swordfish and soupies. Kakavia, garum, sponge diving and the Trata fishing dance … Read more
Ancient Greek sculpture survives in marble, bronze and clay across Greece. Expert-led trips through Greece take place in the regions where these works are kept, from Athens to Delphi. Topics here run from the Dedication of Nikandre and the Moschophoros to the Peplos Kore and Polykleitos. Later sections treat the Grave Stele of Hegeso, the … Read more
Greek War of Independence sites lie across the Peloponnese and western Greece. Expert-led trips through the country take place in both regions. This page looks at the revolt of 1821 to 1829 and Theodoros Kolokotronis. It then covers the Battle of Dervenakia, Laskarina Bouboulina and the third siege of Missolonghi. Georgios Karaiskakis and four short … Read more
Greece in autumn spans the three months from September to November. Small-group trips take place on the mainland, on Crete and among the islands. Station figures come from Tympaki, Veria, Ios and Amphissa. Moustalevria, the ancient olive harvest, Ano Doliana chestnuts and Krokos saffron follow. Feast days, migrating birds and autumn flowers also appear. Separate … Read more
Greek honey comes from bees all over Greece. Food outings with a host take place on Crete, Naxos, Paros and Kefalonia, and in Athens. Pine, thyme and fir honey stand beside Hymettus, the Greek bee, old top-bar hives and the Malia Pendant. Honey sweets, drinks and myths follow. Pages on Greek food, Olive oil tours … Read more
Greek mythological creatures give trips through Greece a cast of monsters tied to real places. Those places run from Crete and the Argolid to Corinth, Arcadia, Boeotia and the Mani. Topics include Echidna and Typhon, the Minotaur of Knossos, Cerberus at Tainaron and the Lernaean Hydra. Pegasus, the Stymphalian birds, the Calydonian boar and the … Read more