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I have no doubts that anyone who ever considered traveling somewhere at all, must have had Greece on their list of potential candidates for the trip. Be it one of the islands in the Mediterranean flooded with perfect beaches, or some of the popular archaeological sites found across the region, all of it is world-famous. Some say that mainland Greece is not worth it but I dare to disagree. It might not be as picturesque as the islands, though there are some widely known exceptions like Athens Acropolis, Meteora, or Vikos Gorge, but the strength of the heartland of Greece lies in its rich and plentiful historical or mythological sites found across Hellenic territories like Delphi, Olympia and much more. The key to enjoying them is understanding them. So, I invite you to do some research before doing your trip to this beautiful country because it will greatly increase the quality of your time during the magical visit to Greece.
In this article, I’ll try to provide some general information about the most popular tourist and road trip destinations on mainland Greece by introducing some of the rich historical sites in this mythical land of ancient Greeks. Hopefully, this will unlock these locations and will help you to kick-start your understanding of the geography and history of the country.
Many people from all corners of the world seek Mount Olympus to experience bits of its majestic legend. Though entangled with its mythical romanticism, the home of 12 Greek Gods is not for everyone. Be aware that if you dare to brace it, be ready for long hikes, winter-cold streams, and hordes of clueless tourists. Even given that it is possible to reach 1,000 m / 3,280 ft by car, it is not your typical mountain – you´ll have to work hard for some kind of reward. If you are afraid that you’ll fail to capture the majesty of the highest mountain in Greece, consider hiring a guide to Mount Olympus.
The main base to challenge Mount Olympus is the town of Litochoro, situated just 16 km / 10 mi from the Aegean Sea on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia. It hosts all the infrastructure required for climbing, hiking, or residing by Mount Olympus.
Mount Olympus has been the base of the Greek Gods since the times when Zeus and his siblings waged war against his father, Cronus. It is told that the Greek pantheon of 12 Gods lives on the mountain and that its peaks reach the divine aether that only immortals could breathe. The 12 main Gods of Greek mythology are: Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Hephaestus, Hermes, and either Hestia or Dionysus. There is no consistent list of the Olympians as different writers mention different names of Gods living on Mount Olympus. One thing was consistent – number 12 of deities. This number could refer to some of the peaks of Mount Olympus, but today modern people count as many as 52 peaks with Mytikas being the tallest of them at 2,917 m / 9,570 ft.
Mount Olympus has seen a lot of war waged by mortals as well, but if there is one great thing about mountains, in general, is that they withstand time. No wonder, various cultures thought them to represent Gods or their habitat. As we know, Mount Olympus is a perfect example of it.
During the rule of the Ottoman Empire, some people refused to surrender and moved to the mountains to continue their resistance. These people were known as klepths and the militia recruited to oppose them were known as armatoloi. Both parties had a refuge in Mount Olympus at some time. The holy mountain was the stronghold for the resistance between 1941-1944 during the Nazi occupation, and most recently, it was Litochoro where the Greek Civil War started in 1946. Despite it, the mountain of Greek Gods has calmy outlived it all. Without any hustle, Mount Olympus humbly reminds us that it is the place meant for Gods as the actions of mortals haven’t impacted its great stature.
This breathtaking sacred area is probably the most picturesque spot in mainland Greece, making it a growingly more popular destination in modern-day tourism. Meteora is known for its monasteries atop tall finger-shaped mountains, which have been slowly sculpted out of rocks by natural erosion forces, wind, and rainfall. Though these monasteries were built between 400-600 years ago, the human appreciation of Meteora dates back much further into history. In fact, in terms of share size, it is the largest archaeological site in Greece. The area has been inhabited by humans at least for 50,000 years, possibly as long as 130,000 bridging it to the times of Neandertals. The most famous archaeological site in the area is Theopetra Cave, which hosts the oldest known man-made structure in the world, a stone wall, built probably to protect people from the winter cold.
Situated on about 300 m / 1000 ft tall cliffs, about 300 m / 1000 ft above the sea level, the pillars of Meteora rise as high as 630 m / 2,066 ft above the sea level (Aghia). It was the 9th century when the first orthodox hermit monks decided that these unique geological formations are a perfect spot to embrace a life closer to the divine. They lived an ascetic life in natural caves carved out in the rocks, and depended on the support of the local people from the surrounding villages. The locals saw them as spiritual dwellers of the mountains and it was a good omen to assist them.
Only in the 14th century, the monks decided to organize themselves to create a more structured Orthodox sanctuary to continue their devotion to the higher powers. The following two centuries were the Golden Age for the Meteora complex as more and more monasteries were constructed atop different stone pillars. Unfortunately, an era of decline followed the Ottoman rule. If you want to learn more about this fascinating sacred site, I highly recommend taking a guided tour to Meteora monasteries.
Today, it is the second most important site of Easter Orthodox Monasticism, falling just behind Mount Athos. Out of the peak 24 monasteries only 6 remain in service and open to the public. Each of them costs 3eur to enter and is constantly flooded by tourists. Nevertheless, these sacred ancient lands are a real treat to one’s eyes and soul, one step closer to the divine.
Due to its green scenery and generally rich flora, Zagori feels like a misfit in Greece and that could be applied to the whole region of Epirus. We joked with our friends that nobody of us would have guessed the country if we saw picture before our visit to mainland Greece. Zagori is mostly known for Vikos Gorge – one of the deepest canyons in the world, but once you dig deeper, the region has much more to offer. Even the famous canyon hides many of its secrets hidden from regular visitors. If you can spare some extra time, you might want to consider a guided hike to Vikos Gorge to unearth as much as possible given probably your very limited time.
The name of the region derives from a Slavic language, meaning “beyond mountains”. This makes sense, given that Slavic nations were constantly attacking the region from beyond the mountains during the Byzantine era. Many other place names are of Slavic origins like one of the Zagorochoria Villages, Kapesovo, which means “garden”.
During Ottoman rule, the Zagori people managed to negotiate some level of autonomy, forbidding the entrance of the Empire’s soldiers, but it was the classical Greek times when Epirus experienced its genesis and the Godel Age. Pyrrhus, the Hellenic King of the Molossian tribe in Epirus, and a second cousin to Alexander the Great, whose mother, Olimpias, was from Epirus. At some point, he expanded his domains through large parts of Greece including Macedonia, and won a few battles against Romans in Magna Graecia and Carthaginians in Sicily. Some historians, and Pyrrhus himself, thought that he prepared the battleground for the First Punic War. These skirmishes of the great general of Epirus didn’t affect the Zagori region directly but it was the original land of the Molossian people.
To me, this region is a straightforward dark horse of mainland Greece and I’m sure it would surprise many first-timers. To sum things up, Zagori is a perfect place in the country to stimulate one’s soul in the face of picturesque green mountains, rich flora, and authentic old stone villages reminiscent of ageless life.
In ancient Greek mythology, River Acheron is one of the five rivers connecting the world with the underworld. By most classical poets, River Acheron is considered the principal river where the ferryman Charon transported the souls of the dead to Hades for judgment. According to the mythology, those who lived neutrally in life remained on the banks of the river. Later, Roman poets located Charon at the mythical River Styx, another of the five underworld rivers.
River Acheron is situated in the northwestern part of current-day Greece, not far from the Capital of Epirus, Ioannina. Another branch of the river is thought to be located in current-day Turkey, in Acherusian Cape, and, famously, was seen by the Argonauts on their journey, according to Apollonius of Rhodes. Both branches were thought to be connected through the underworld, Plato thought River Acheron to be the second largest river after Oceanus.
It is not that difficult to understand why ancient Greeks have seen this exceptionally beautiful river in these colors. At the location, Acheron Springs, numerous springs could be seen hurling out of the underground and cliffs. I’m confident that walking upstream of River Acheron is, and would animate your imagination just as it did mine. It is truly a remarkable place to visit despite the fact of being affected by over-tourism – I guess many souls are wondering what lies in the future for them.
Pro tip: Acheron River with Nekromanteion, Kiana, and Souli makes a good day trip.
Though Athens is the most important Greek city throughout the times, Peleponeses Peninsula is undoubtedly the heartland of the classical Greek times and Mycrneans from the Bronze Age. It includes famous city-states like Sparta, Corinth, Mycenae, Argos, Pilos, and Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games.
Without a doubt, most of the people who know a thing or a few about history, in general, will know at least a few names from the peninsula. In fact, we all know the Olympic games and Sparta, thanks to popular culture. People who have read the Christian Bible are probably aware of Corinth, from Paul’s letters or Sisyphus’s myth. Despite being completely demolished by Romans in 146 BC in Carthaginian style, the city contains relatively well-preserved ruins of the temple of Apollo and Temple E. If you want to learn more, I would recommend taking a one-day tour to Corinth from Athens as it is situated very close to the Capital city.
From a historical perspective, Mycenae might be the second most important historical city on the mainland of Greece, next to Athens. After winning out over Knossos in Crete, it dominated the Greek culture in the Bronze Age even more than Athens did in the Classical times. Despite that, today’s modern Mykenes is town of just over 300 inhabitants. Nevertheless, the village is not shy of visitors because it hosts an archaeological Site from the Bronze Age and a very probable tomb of the legendary King Agamemnon, the Greek leader of the Trojan War. The same people shared the land in a neighboring Argos city, which is one of the longest inhabited settlements in mainland Europe with more than 7,000 consecutive years. Together with the nearby archeological sites, Mycenae makes a good day-trip destination from Athens.
For a long time, Olympia was a Hellenic center of religious importance but in 776 BC, the King of Elis traveled to the oracle of Delphi with a question of how to detain the wars between Greek city-states. The oracle suggested making permanent games during which a truce must be declared between all warring Greeks. The Olympic truce was at first a month long but later on extended to three months so all the Greeks could travel safely back to their homelands. The Olympic games were held every four years ever since.
Pro tip: If you manage to get early to the site, the queues to buy the ticket should be short but after midday, it is highly recommended to buy a skip-the-line ticket to Olympia.
Without any doubt, Athens has been the most important and influential center since Classical Greek times. The Capital of Greece is known worldwide as the birthplace of democracy and its various schools of philosophers. Athens had a huge influence on Roman culture, through which it affected the whole Western world. Despite, being ravaged and sacked many times by various barbarians and empires, some monuments still stand vigilantly after about 2,500 challenging years.
Based on archeology Acropolis Hill has been inhabited for at least the 4th millennium BC. Parts of the wall fortifications visible beneath the Parthenon survive from the Bronze Age, during the times of Mycenaean Greeks, but only during the times of the famous Athenian general and politician, Pericles (495 – 429 BC), when Acropolis gained its current grandiose shape. He rebuilt this sacred hill after the Persian army sacked Athens in 480 BC during their second invasion of Greece. This skirmish ended after the decisive battle that took place in the same year on the nearby island and is known as the Battle of Salamis.
The Golden Age of the city ended when Sparta dared to challenge the hegemony of Athens and managed to achieve a military victory in what is now known as the Peloponnesian War. Despite that, everyone included in the conflict suffered heavy losses. Athens were forced to dismantle their defensive walls, which they tried to erect again preparing for the siege by Alexander the Great and his father Phillip II in 338 BC. Macedonians took the city, but opposite to the local’s expectations, Alexander the Great embraced and respected the beauty of Athens.
It was not the case with the Roman Commander Sulla, who sacked Athens in 86 BC after the Greek states sided with the King of Pontus Mithradates IV. The siege of Athens was long and demanding, given the coup d’etat in Rome by Gaius Marius and Cinna, and the influx of refugees from Rome including Sulla’s family, made the Roman Commander desperate and brutal. Athens were punished severely for siding with Mithradates IV. Sulla not only managed to capture Athens, but defeated all of his enemies in Greece and Rome, including much older Gaius Marius. Both men are considered to be at the top of the list of great Roman Commanders of the Republic.
Future Roman Emperos like Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius showed much more respect for Athens and its sacred history and initiated the further development of the city. Further on, the city was sacked by the barbarian Germanic tribe led by Heruli in 267 AD, but the most damage was done during the Moorean War in 1687 when the Ottoman’s gunpowder stored in the Parthenon was hit by the Venetian bombardment and exploded.
Today, Athens is sought by tourists from across the world to embrace its audacious stature. There are many ways to experience the bliss of this ancient Capital of democracy. The most famous is, of course, Acropolis. Due to the crazy popularity of this historical monument, long queues often line up in front of the cash desks. Given the crazy heat during the summer, it is highly recommended to book skip-the-line tickets to Acropolis. This will not only save you some time for other attractions or for bracing the monument but will be better for your health if you’re not used to 40C. If you want to learn more about the history of the site and see artifacts found in the area, I highly recommend visiting Acropolis Museum as well. It has AC, making it a perfect activity during the hottest hours of the day.
Other interesting historical sites you might consider visiting in Athens include the Temple of Zeus, Agora, the Amphitheater of Dionysos and much much more making Athens a perfect tourist destination for any history enthusiast or somebody who simply wants to embrace the location, where democracy was born.
All things considered, thanks to its high-quality variety the mainland of Greece makes a very good tourist or road trip destination. Every region of the country has its own flavor to make every destination special. From beautiful dreamlike beaches to picturesque villages, from important historical sites to the mythical landmarks that animated human fantasy for thousands of years. I’m sure that foodies will also find enough delicacies among countless traditional Greek and Ottoman dishes. Once you put all cards on the table, it becomes clear why Greece is so popular among tourists.
On the same hand, tourism makes up about 25% of the country’s total GDP, which to my mind are insane numbers. Other popular Mediterranean destinations account only for half the number. This creates a huge dependency on foreigners for many households, which at some point might get annoying but generally, that was not an issue and I found Greeks to be great hosts. What surprised me the most is the respect for their own craftsmen as it was not that difficult to find authentic handmade souvenirs across the country.
The richness of the country’s historical and mythological background is enough for me to come back and explore the beautiful homeland of one of the most interesting cultures the world has seen. Greece is highly recommended for any type of trip for any type of traveler.
Experience Ancient Greece in a day from Athens to Delphi. Explore hilltop ruins, the Temple of Apollo, and more in a carbon-neutral tour.
Learn moreDive into UNESCO-listed Mycenae, witness Epidaurus' ancient theater, and pause at Nafplio's coastal charm.
Learn moreTraverse Attica's scenic south coast, pausing at Cape Sounion. Marvel at the Temple of Poseidon and savor sunset vistas over the Aegean.
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