Greece Mainland
The trunk of mainland Greece features some of the most breath-taking landscapes, a combination of rugged tall mountains with a background of the Mediterranean sea. Laced with the mediterranean waters and numerous beaches, mainland Greece is traversed from north to south by the spiralling Pindos mountains, the famous mount Olympus, home of the Greek Gods, the highest peak, to create an awe inspiring scenery. For mountain lovers but also other curious wonderers, there are many opportunities to trek in solitude, away from tourist masses, and experience amazing activities in the forests from mountain biking, to mushroom picking, to balloon viewing of the cherry blossoms in Emathia, to bird watch the flamingos in lake Kerkini, to climbing the awe-inspiring rocks of Meteora, just to mention a few. From a tourist point of view we can separate Mainland Greece in several areas: Attiki and Peloponnese, though they do belong in Mainland Greece, we are featuring separately due to the multitude of accommodation choices. Then we also have mountainous Central Greece featuring Delphi and its world-famous Oracle, the flat plains of Thessaly in the middle, east-central and west Macedonia in the north, mountainous Epirus and the famous picturesque Zagorohoria or aqua blue beaches of Styra on the water in the west and Thrace with unique wetlands and forests, plus the popular islands of Thassos and Samothraki off its coast in the north-east. We also separate the city of Volos and the beautifully forested mount Pelion area, home of the Centaurs in antiquity and technically in Thessaly, as it is a tourist favorite destination. Thessaloniki is the second largest city after Athens of mainland Greece, ideal destination for a city break with lots of good food, clubs, culture, hospitable people, a city with lots of vibe, a city to be enjoyed. Access to Mainland Greece from Athens is via new modern highways, whether by car, bike, motorbike or by train. Flights are available to Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Kavala, Alexandroupoli etc from Athens and abroad for those on limited time schedules or car intolerant.