Things to do Greece

Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. The classical Athens was a powerful city-state. It is widely referred to as the cradle of western civilization and the birthplace of democracy largely due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements during the Vth and IVth centuries BC.

The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented by a number of ancient monuments and Art works, the most famous of all being the Parthenon, widely considered a key landmark of early Western civilization. The city also retains a vast variety of Roman and Byzantine monuments, as well as a smaller number of remaining Ottoman monuments projecting the city's long history across the centuries.

The Acropolis (The Parthenon)

The word Acropolis means a city by the edge. The visitors to the Acropolis can inspect the remains of the stairs that lead to the Parthenon. This latter is the world-famous temple that stands at the heart of the Acropolis. It was build during the “Golden Age of Pericles” between 447 and 432 BC.

Indeed, the temples’ main function was to shelter the monumental statue of Athena that was made by Phidias out of gold and ivory. The Parthenon epitomizes all the ideals of Greek thought during the apogee of the Classical era through artistic means. The idealism of the Greeks as a way of living, the attention to detail, as well as the understanding of a mathematically explained harmony in the natural world, were concepts that in every Athenian’s eyes set them apart from the barbarians.

These ideals are represented in the perfect proportions of the building, in its intricate architectural elements, and in the anthropomorphic statues that adorned it. Moving towards the east and looking up towards the exterior of the cella, a visitor would be mesmerized with the masterful depiction of the Parnathenaic procession as it appeared in cinematic fashion on the frieze which was visually interrupted by the Doric columns of the exterior.

It seems certain that the master planners of the Parthenon conceived it as a theatrical event. The temple was constructed with the movements of the viewer in mind, and by the arrangement of the temple, the monumental sculptures of the pediment, and the detailed frieze. The emotions of the visitors were choreographed to prepare them for the ultimate glimpse of the majestic Athena Parthenon at the interior of the naos, and to maximize the effect of an awe-inspiring visit.

The Zappeion

The Zappeion Hall is one of the most important and prestigious venues for conferences, exhibitions and special events in Europe.

Located in the historic centre of Athens, within walking distance from the Acropolis and the marble Panathinaic Stadium of the 1896 Olympic Games, it is surrounded by over 200 000 square meters of gardens with winding paths, fountains and over 70 neoclassical sculptures.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus

The Temple of Olympian Zeus is the largest temple in Greece exceeding even the Parthenon in size. Indeed, the tyrant Peisistratus initiated the building of this vast edifice in 515 BCE so to gain public favour.

Although there were several attempts over many years to finish the temple, it was not completed until 132 CE by the Emperor Hadrian. After the construction of the temple of Zeus, the Athenians honoured Hadrian by building an arched gateway in the northwest corner of the sanctuary in 131 CE.

Heraklion is the largest city and capital of the Crete. This latter is an island that is located in the south of the Aegean Sea and one of the Mediterranean region’s most fascinating and vibrant cities.

Heraklion is also the fourth largest city in Greece and it is served by a brand new freeway reuniting the island. Addingly, Heraklion is also the first Cretan port. The city offers a landscape of mountains, plains and trays, papered with olive trees as far as the eye can see.

In conversion, the coast, as for him, since the heights of Ligaria up to the village of Limenas Hersonissos, is covered with hotels, of the simplest in the most high-end east of Heraklion.

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is one of the great museums of Greece and the best in the world regarding the Minoan art as it contains the most notable and complete collection of artifacts of the Minoan civilization of Crete.

It is located in the center of Heraklion city. Moreover, during the Venetian occupation period the Catholic Monastery of Saint Francisco used to be in the same place. Until its destruction in the earthquake of 1856, it had been one of the richest and most important monasteries in Crete and had contained great Byzantine frescos.

The construction of the Heraklion Archaeological Museum started in the beginning of the 20th century and finished by 1940. Furthermore, all exhibits in the Heraklion Museum come exclusively from archaeological sites in Crete. The exhibits of the museum are arranged chronologically.

As soon as the visitors start their tour in the Heraklion Museum they can see the evolution of pottery from the Neolithic period (5000-2500 BC) until the Post-Palace Period (1400- 1100 BC).In addition to that, there are excellent samples of plastic art such as the Bull's Head made of steatite and the ivory "Bull Leaper".

Double axes are to be found throughout the Heraklion Museum's rooms; the double axe used to be a holy symbol of the Minoan civilization. The Sarcophagi on display are mostly made from clay; their elegance, size and simplicity alone make them worthy of admiration.

The Venetian Castle in the harbour of Heraklion

The Venetian Castle of Heraklion is called Koules, which means “fortress” in Turkish. It is an impressive fortress that surrounds the harbor of Heraklion, Crete. The Koules Castle is a massive fortress with two storeys that used to secure the entry to the port.

The Venetians constructed the Castle in the early XIIIth century, when they conquered the town. Indeed, the Fortress was primarily built for the storage of the foodstuff and the military supplies. It also served as the quarter for the officers and as a prison. A devastating earthquake destroyed the Castle in 1303 and it was rebuilt by the Genoese. The fortress was again restored between 1523 and 1540 and got its ultimate form.

During the Ottoman rule, the Castle was again transformed to a prison. Several Cretan heroes who revolted against the Ottomans had been imprisoned in the castle and had been killed in the dark dungeons.

The architecture of the Castle is the typical Venetian architectural style. The construction was such that the walls of the Castle could protect the breakwater of the harbor. The Castle was made of stones. The ground floor has vaulted roof with broad fanlight. The walls were very thick and were divided into 26 apartments serving as the residence of the “Kastelanos”, the officer responsible for the well-being of the castle, as well as the dwellings of the captains and other officers. A part of the ground floor was also used as the storeroom.

There were three carvings of the Lion of St. Mark in the Castle. The one at the seaside of the castle exists to these days. The Ottomans added the upper floor and the basis of a minaret in the original construction. Today the Koules Venetian Castle has been cleaned and restored many times. Thousands of people enjoy visiting the town of Heraklion each year and this has been known as its perpetual trademark.

Thessaloniki or Salonika is the second largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia founded by Kasandr who was the king of ancient Macedonia.

In addition to that, Thessaloniki is Greece’s second major economic, industrial, commercial and political centre.

More importantly, it is a city with a continuous 3000-year history, preserving relics of its Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman past and of its formerly dominant Jewish population.

The palace of Galerius

The Roman palace of Galerius was built in A.D. 300 in the center of the Roman Thessaloniki. It is a big complex with a wide atrium and a peripheral peristyle, comprising the throne hall, the royal session hall, temples, barracks, dormitories, fountains, a cryptoporticus etc.

OTE Tower

OTE Tower constitutes a modern landmark located in the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre. The OTE Tower is immediately recognizable and very hard to miss, towering some 76 meters above the surrounding landscape.

This television antenna is located within the grounds of the Thessaloniki Trade Fair. Built in 1966 and completely renovated in 2005, the OTE Tower is actually home to a very popular revolving restaurant, which is located part way up and offers diners with an  impressive views of the city, as it slowly rotates around.