| Northern Greece | |
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| State | Greece |
|---|---|
Northern Greece is a region of the Greece.
To know
Territories and tourist destinations
39 ° 57′0 ″ N 23 ° 4′12 ″ E
Northern Greece fruit salad - The region that pivots on Thessaloniki, the second urban center of the country. There Halkidiki is the region that attracts the largest number of tourists coming mostly fromEastern Europe. The monastic republic of Mount Athos occupies the easternmost peninsula of the Halkidiki.
Thessaly - An agricultural region of which the Magnesia and the Mount Pelio. The monasteries of the Meteor are located on the border withEpirus.
Urban centers
- Alexandroupolis (Αλεξανδρούπολη, Alexandrupoli) - Capital ofEvros, Alexandropoli is the port of Thrace from which we embark for the island of Samothrace.
- Ioannina - Capital ofEpirus, Giannina lies on the shores of Lake Pamvotida and preserves atmospheres of the Ottoman era described in the novel the Count of Montecristo di Alexandre Dumas.
- Kastoria - Another city on the banks of a lake, famous for its many Byzantine churches.
- 1 Kavala - Located near the archaeological site of Philippi, Kavala is a picturesque port from which you can embark for the island of Thasos.
- Komotini - City of Western Thrace, inhabited by Muslim minorities and with a strong oriental flavor.
- Preveza - A provincial town at the entrance to the Ambracian gulf, Preveza has a very long coastline surrounded by hotels that are filled with vacationers in the summer.
- Thessaloniki
- Volos - Birthplace of the painter Giorgio de Chirico, Volos is the port from which you can embark for Northern Sporades and forms the basis for excursions to the Mount Pelio.
Other destinations
- Meteor - Orthodox monasteries built on top of high sandstone spurs in unique landscapes in Europe.
- Mount Athos - Monastic republic that occupies the easternmost peninsula of Halkidiki.
- Mount Pelio - Mythical home of the centaurs.
- Olympus - The mountain considered home of the gods.
- Prespa Lakes National Park - Transfrontier park that occupies the lakes of the Piccola and Grande Prespa.
- Samothrace - Off the coast of Thrace, Samothrace is a destination for youth tourism.
- Northern Sporades - Famous islands off the coast of Thessaly of which only three are inhabited (Skied, Skopelo, Alonnisos).
- Thasos - Famous for its green landscapes, Thasos is an island popular with tourists from Eastern European countries.
- Zagori - Region famous for the villages with characteristic stone houses and for the Ottoman-era bridges that span numerous rivers and streams.
How to get
On the train
- The train ride from Athens to Thessaloniki and vice versa it lasts on average 4 hours and 30 min.
- The line Thessaloniki-Alexandroupolis does not allow high speeds. However, the train is recommended in the Stavroupoli-Xanthi as it closely follows the course of the Nestos river and its gorges of considerable scenic interest.
- From Alexandroupolis begins the railway that follows the course of the river Evros which marks the border with the Turkey. Currently (2020) the trains terminate in the village of Dikaia and do not continue to the city Bulgarian of Costrengrad, just across the border.
- Since 2011 the railway connection has also been interrupted for Istanbul.
- The only international connection in operation is that Thessaloniki-Sofia.
- The restoration of the railway link Thessaloniki-Skopje, scheduled for 2020, has been postponed, officially due to the coronavirus pandemic.
How to get around
By car
Northern Greece is crossed by a modern highway, the Via Egnazia (
) which helped to unify a region marked for centuries by a lack of adequate land transport. There starts from the port of Igoumenitsa and ends at Kipi, the border crossing with la Turkey.
What see
- Amphipolis
- Dion - Archaeological site at the foot of Mount Olympus with remains from the 4th century BC
- Dodona - Ruins of a city ofEpirus home to an ancient oracle.
- Philippi - Ruins of an ancient city named after King Philip II of Macedonia. Conquered by the Romans in 168 BC. it was the theater in October 42 BC. of the battle between the troops of Octavian and Antonio against those of the killers of Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius, who were defeated. It has a well-preserved theater where shows are staged in the summer season.
- Pella - Ancient capital of the Kingdom of Macedonia Pella was the birthplace of Philip II and Alexander the Great.
- Vergina - Necropolis of the Iron Age where in 1977 the tomb of Philip II of Macedon was found.
