Top Attractions - Greece

Attractions - Athens

Thessaly, Greece

If you’re travelling between Athens and Thessaloniki, why not spend a couple of days in Thessaly, mythological home of the centaur and starting point of Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece? Amble around the lush Pelion peninsula or marvel at the moonscape qualities of the Meteora mountains, but make sure to savour the tasty regional stews and breads before you leave.

A good starting point in Thessaly is the unmissable Pelion peninsula. On your way there, though, do try to spend a night in Volos. It was from here that Jason and the Argonauts started their quest for the Golden Fleece. Modern Volos has plenty to offer as well, not least its status as the spiritual home of the ouzeri. These tapas-style bars specialise in tsipouro, a distilled spirit that is quite like ouzo, but a good bit stronger. The routine in an ouzeri is to order a round of tsipouro followed by a round of mezedes (tasty snack food) and keep repeating the process. Before you become too attached to the ouzeri, head on south and east into the lush Pelion peninsula. You’ll find this area quite different to the rest of Greece. Its fertile soil has produced an incredible profusion of olive and fruit trees which battle chaotically for the sunlight in forests of walnut, beech and oak. Visit a few of the characteristic Pelion villages that are to be found throughout this woodland area. Generally centred around a small Byzantine church, these traditional clusters are full of charming whitewashed half-timbered houses and luxurious mansions.

Turn west from Pelion and visit the spectacular Meteora mountains. Jutting dramatically toward the heavens, their weird pockmarked appearance and unique cylindrical shape have inspired a variety of descriptions. In the 14th century, with Byzantine power crumbling and invasions on the increase, many of Thessaly’s monks fled to Meteora in an effort to escape the bloodshed. At first, they hewed out cavernous lodgings in the dark mountain faces but, as the violence worsened, the monks were forced upwards and eventually built the spectacular monasteries that now perch like the icing on Meteora’s cake. Give yourself at least a day to explore all of the monasteries, and check the specifics of their dress codes before you set off. Thessaly has plenty more to offer – not least the beautiful vale of Tembi that will take you north to Macedonia – and is well worth ambling around at a leisurely pace, especially if you have access to your own transport.

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