Must-see attractions in Central Greece

  • Sunset view of Athenian treasury at the ancient delphi site in Greece

    Sanctuary of Apollo

    Delphi

    Serving as the heart of Ancient Delphi, the hillside Sanctuary of Apollo is where pilgrims would journey to hear prophecies from the god Apollo, voiced…

  • Delphi, Greece - September 21, 2017: The mythical Sphinx of Naxos statue stands on the pedestal in Archaeological museum,Delphi, Greece; Shutterstock ID 1071661235; your: Erin Lenczycki; gl: 65050; netsuite: Digital; full: poi
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    Delphi Archaeological Museum

    Delphi

    Delphi’s magnificent modern museum, 500m east of town, perfectly complements the ancient site alongside. Which you visit first doesn’t matter, but the…

  • Interiors of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Meteora - complex of Eastern Orthodox monasteries, Greece
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Kalambaka, Roussanou Monastery, Orthodox Church, Convent, Cloister, Dawn, Fresco, Scenics, Religion, Ancient, Famous Place, Architecture, Rural Scene, Indoors, Outdoors, People, Meteora, Thessaly, Greece, Tree, Plant, Summer, Cliff, Mountain Range, Mountain, Ceiling, Monastery, Church, holy trinity, Orthodox, UNESCO World Heritage Site

    Moni Agias Triados

    Meteora

    Of all the Meteora monasteries, Moni Agias Triados, which featured in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, feels the most remote. A long down-then…

  • Meteora, Greece
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    Moni Agias Varvaras Rousanou

    Meteora

    Dramatically perched atop a steep pinnacle and accessed via a high narrow wooden bridge, Rousanou convent has an intimate atmosphere. Its small community…

  • DISTOMO, GREECE - Apr 20, 2019: Hosios Loukas, a historic walled monastery, one of the most important monuments of Middle Byzantine architecture and art; Shutterstock ID 1537582967; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi
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    Moni Osios Loukas

    Central Greece

    The monastery of Moni Osios Loukas, a World Heritage site, overlooks a remote valley 23km southeast of Arahova, between the villages of Distomo and…

  • Picturesque view on Apollo temple

    Ancient Delphi

    Delphi

    Of all Greece's archaeological sites, Ancient Delphi has the most potent spirit of place. Centring on the mountainside Sanctuary of Apollo, home to the…

  • Moni Agiou Nikolaou

    Meteora

    The 15th-century Moni Agiou Nikolaou is the first monastery you reach from Kastraki, 1km from the village square. Many visitors, keen to press on to the…

  • Moni Megalou Meteorou

    Meteora

    The Meteora’s largest monastery looks down on Kastraki from the highest rock in the valley (613m). Founded by St Athanasios in the 14th century, it grew…

  • Thermopylae

    Central Greece

    One of the greatest military feats of antiquity, still legendary 2500 years on, took place at Thermopylae, signposted off the road to Athens 17km…

  • Sanctuary of Athena Pronea

    Delphi

    For ancient pilgrims, Delphi’s first stop was the Sanctuary of Athena Pronea, now set just below the road 800m east of the Sanctuary of Apollo. This…

  • Theophilos Museum

    Pelion Peninsula

    This inconspicuous and faded mansion in little Anakasia preserves fanciful and colourful murals by Theofilos Hatzimihail (1866–1934). A wandering self…

  • Moni Varlaam

    Meteora

    Beside the road a few hundred metres short of Moni Megalou Meteorou, Moni Varlaam was first occupied by the hermit Varlaam around 1350. It’s now…

  • Agathon Monastery

    Central Greece

    A tortuous mountain road climbs 7km west from Ipati to reach the lovely, still functioning Byzantine Agathon Monastery, into which visitors can freely…

  • Thiva Archaeological Museum

    Central Greece

    This superb and much-expanded museum explores the rich history of Thiva, which as ancient Thebes played a major role in Greek civilisation from the Bronze…

  • Museum of Hellenic Culture

    Kalambaka

    This enjoyable museum focuses on a beautifully displayed collection of antiquarian books, from versions of Aesop’s Fables to a 1567 edition of Homer. The…

  • Diachronic Museum of Larissa

    Meteora & Thessaly

    Filled with exquisite artefacts that range from stone arrowheads and Neolithic effigies to ancient Greek tombstones and 19th-century wall paintings,…

  • Parnassos National Park

    Central Greece

    Towering northwards above Delphi and Arahova, Mt Parnassos was sacred to the gods Dionysos and Apollo. The modern Parnassos National Park holds three…

  • Garden of the Heroes

    Central Greece

    Just inside the Gate of Exodus, where Ottoman forces massacred escaping Greeks in 1826, this memorial garden contains a prominent statue of Lord Byron …

  • Moni Panagias Proussiotissas

    Central Greece

    An attractive road through a high mountain valley leads for 34km south of Karpenisi to the village of Prousos. To reach the 12th-century Moni Panagias…

  • Dimini

    Meteora & Thessaly

    The remains of a walled Neolithic settlement, where perhaps 250 people lived 7000 years ago, stand atop a low mound just north of the village of Dimini,…

  • Tsitsanis Museum

    Meteora & Thessaly

    Trikala's best museum, housed in the city’s former Ottoman baths (later a prison), houses an intriguing and unusual mixture of exhibits. Displays…

  • Moni Profiti Ilia

    Central Greece

    East of Amfissa towards Delphi, the 19th-century convent of Moni Profiti Ilia rests on a hillside with superb views across the olive groves to the Gulf of…

  • Moni Agiou Stefanou

    Meteora

    High above Kalambaka, at the end of the road, Moni Agiou Stefanou suffered considerable damage during and after WWII, and is less architecturally…

  • Natural History & Mushroom Museum

    Kalambaka

    Once you pass its forbidding modern exterior, this museum comes as a quirky surprise. Downstairs, dioramas display stuffed birds and animals ranging from…

  • Sesklo

    Meteora & Thessaly

    First inhabited before 6000 BC, and thus the oldest acropolis in Greece, this Neolithic site occupies a gently sloping hillside 14km west of Volos. Well…

  • Church of Porta Panagia

    Meteora & Thessaly

    To reach this superb little 13th-century Byzantine church in a lovely riverside setting, cross the Portaikos river in modern Pyli, 18km southwest of…

  • Museum of Folk Art

    Pelion Peninsula

    To find out what the Pelion’s historical mansions looked like in their prime – before being transformed into luxurious guesthouses – follow a circuitous…

  • Archaeological Museum

    Meteora & Thessaly

    Set behind a pretty rose garden, this excellent museum is just back from the seafront at the southeastern limit of Volos. As well as some amazing…

  • Museum of History & Art

    Central Greece

    The ground floor of this neoclassical mansion on the central square holds a fine collection of Byron memorabilia. Treasures range from statues and…

  • Fortress of Trikala

    Meteora & Thessaly

    Trikala’s castle crowns a hilltop just back from the northern side of the river, 400m west of the central squares. Although it stands on the site of…

  • Archaeological Museum

    Central Greece

    Lamia's medieval castle commands great views atop a wooded hill directly above the centre, a steep 1km hike or longer drive up. Within its walls, the city…

  • Osman Shah Mosque

    Meteora & Thessaly

    The amazing brick-built dome of this imposing mosque, built in the 16th century for the nephew of Süleyman the Magnificent, rises above the southern…

  • Gorgopotamos Railway Bridge

    Central Greece

    On 25 November 1942, in one of the greatest acts of sabotage of WWII, a combined Greek and British guerrilla force blew up the Gorgopotamos Railway Bridge…

  • Archaeological Museum of Amfissa

    Central Greece

    This handsome museum, housed in an impressive mansion, holds a wonderful assortment of local finds dating from the Bronze Age to the early Byzantine…

  • Castle

    Central Greece

    The well-preserved fortress and Venetian kastro that overlook Nafpaktos consist of a series of five terraced stone walls, built by successive conquerors …

  • Sikelianos Museum

    Delphi

    Fans of Greek drama should head to this intimate 1920s mansion-turned-museum, which overlooks Delphi both ancient and modern. It's dedicated to Greek poet…

  • Moni Agiou Vissarion

    Meteora & Thessaly

    Founded during the 16th century, Moni Agiou Vissarion sustained heavy damage during the Greek struggle for independence, though its central church still…

  • Folklore Museum of Chrisso

    Delphi

    An imposing mansion and former school in the traditional village of Chrisso, 6km southwest of Delphi by road, now holds an enjoyable museum of local life…

  • Tsalapatas Brickworks Museum

    Meteora & Thessaly

    From 1926 until 1975, Tsalapatas Rooftile and Brickworks, 1.5km west of the port at the Old Town’s South Gate, formed part of the cultural fabric of Volos…