52nd ΙΑΒΑ Reunion Weekend

Other places to visit in

Other places to visit in Greece

Home to some of the world's most important historical sites, along with some 6,000 islands, Greece is known for its natural beauty and fascinating culture. Ancient archaeological sites, cliffs tumbling into sparkling blue water, sand and pebble beaches, and a balmy Mediterranean climate make Greece one of Europe's prime tourist destinations.

Besides the capital, , top things to see on the mainland include Ancient and the monasteries of . But most people come here to catch a ferry to the islands; Santorini, Mykonos, , and are the most popular. Plan your trip with our list of the top attractions in Greece.

Check www.discovergreece.com/en to find a full spectrum of choices in Greece

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1. Santorini

Even though some of you may have already participated in our previous reunion in Santorini organized by Anna Despotidou (LL.M. 89) you may wish to visit the stunning island Santorini, the most dramatic of all the Greek isles. It is best known for the west coast cliff-top towns of Fira and Oia, which appear to hang over a deep, blue sea-filled caldera. Made up of typical Cycladic whitewashed cubic buildings, many of which have been converted into boutique hotels with infinity pools, both Fira and Oia are considered romantic destinations, popular for weddings and honeymoons.

Things to do in Santorini include sunbathing and swimming at the black volcanic-sand beaches on the south and east coasts and visiting the archaeological site of Akrotiri, an Ancient Minoan settlement buried below lava following the volcanic eruption that created the caldera, some 3,600 years ago. The island has an airport and is served by ferries and catamarans from Athens' port, Piraeus.

Recommended Accommodation:

Perivolas, Oia Santorini, Greece Tel: Tel: (+30) 22860 71308, www.perivolas.com

Perivolas Hideaway, Oia Santorini, Tel: Tel: (+30) 6976 970 783 www.perivolashideawav.com

Astarte suites, Kaldera-Akrotiri, Santorini Tel: Tel: (+30) 22860 83388 www.astartesuites.gr

Chromata, Imerovigli Tel: Tel: (+30) 22860 23227 www.katikies.com/chromatasantorini/

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2. Mykonos

Greece's most glamorous island destination is Mykonos. After-dark activities center on Mykonos Town, noted for its chic boutique hotels, classy seafood restaurants, and live music venues. Other attractions include Paraportiani (a whitewashed church in Mykonos Town) and numerous sandy beaches along the island's south coast (served both by bus and taxi-boat from Mykonos Town). The island is particularly popular with international celebrities. Mykonos has an airport and is connected by ferry and catamaran to Athens' port, Piraeus, and Rafina.

Recommended Accomodation:

Grecotel Mykonos Blu hotel, Psarou, Mykonos Tel: (+30) 22890 27900 www.mvkonosblu.com

Agios Stefanos, Mykonos Tel: (+30) 22890 20000 www.mvkonosgrace.com

Mykonos Town Tel: (+30) 22890 274667 www. semelihotel. gr

Ornos Bay, Mykonos Tel: (+30) 22890 23220 www. santa-marina. gr

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3. Delphi

Delphi

On the Greek mainland, Delphi is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Built on the lower slopes of Mount Parnassus, overlooking a dramatic ravine, the site was sacred to the ancients, who came here on pilgrimages to worship Apollo (god of light, prophecy, music, and healing) and to ask advice from the mythical Oracle. It is made up of the crumbling ruins of numerous temples, a theater, and stadium, dating from between the 8th century BC and the 2nd century AD. Nearby, stands the Delphi Archaeological Museum, displaying an impressive collection of finds from the site. Delphi lies 180 kilometers northwest of Athens.

Recommended Accommodation:

Amalia Hotel 1 Apollonos str. Delphi, Tel: (+30) 2265082101, (+30) 2265082290 www.amaliahoteldelphi.gr email: [email protected]

Kastalia Boutique hotel, Vasileos Pavlou & Freiderikis 13, Delfi Tel: (+30) 2265082205 www.kastaliahotel.com email : [email protected]

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4.Corfu

5. Meteora Monasteries

Paleokastritsa view on Corfu Island

One of Greece's top tourist destinations, Corfu sits in the Ionian Sea off the west coast of the mainland. The capital, Corfu Town, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, thanks to its elegant Italianate architecture — it was ruled by the Venetians for several centuries. Explore its romantic pedestrian-only streets to discover two 16th-century fortresses and the arcaded , lined by old-fashioned cafes.

Away from the main town, the island is lushly beautiful, with rugged limestone rocks tumbling into the sea in its north and velvety green hills in its south. The most popular beach area is Paleokastritsa, on the west coast, about 25-kilometers from Corfu Town. Here, you'll find a collection of deep, curving bays sheltering sand and pebble beaches stretching into a clear blue sea.

Recommended Accommodation :

Corfu Holiday Palace Nausikas 2 str., Kanoni Kerkyra Tel: (+30) 2661036540 www.corfuholidayplace.gr [email protected]

SIORRA VITTORIA Padova 36 str., Corfu Town Tel: (+30) 26610 36300 Fax: (+30) 26610 40777 www.siorravittoria.com

Stay at the smart Cavalieri Tel: (+30) 661 39 041 and Bella Venezia Tel: (+30) 661 46 500

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5. Meteora Monasteries

Meteora Monasteries

One of the most unusual things to see in Greece has to be the Plain, where bizarre rocky outcrops are capped by the centuries-old monasteries of Meteora. On the UNESCO World Heritage list, six of the monasteries are open to the public. You need to climb up several flights of stone steps carved into the rocks to reach each monastery, and inside, you'll find flickering candles, religious icons, Byzantine frescoes, and burning incense. Opening hours vary, and to see all six monasteries, you need to spend at least one day in the area. The nearest town is Kalambaka.

Recommended Accommodation:

Divani Meteora Hotel, National Road, Trikalon - Kalambaka Tel: (+30) 2432 023330 https://divanimeteorahotel.com info@divanimeteora. gr

Amalia Hotel Kalambaka Theopetra, Kalambaka Tel: (+30) 2432 072216 www.amaliahotelkalambaka.gr [email protected]

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6. Town

Lying on the Aegean Sea, close to Turkey, Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese islands. Its capital, UNESCO-listed Rhodes Town, is one of Greece's top tourist destinations. It is enclosed by an impressive system, including monumental towers and gates built by the Knights of St. John after they took control of the island in the 14th century.

The car-free cobbled streets of the are a joy to explore on foot. Nearby attractions include the pretty hillside coastal town of Lindos, and Marmaris on the Turkish coast, which can be visited by excursion boat. Rhodes is served by an airport, as well as regular ferries from Athens' port, Piraeus.

Recommended Accommodation:

Rodos Palace Hotel Iraklidon Avenue (Trianton) Rhodes Tel: (+30) 22410 97222, Fax: (+30) 22410 25350, info@rodos-palace. gr.

Mitsis Grand Beach Hotel Akti Miaouli, Papanikolaou &, Rodos Tel: (+30)2241 [email protected] www.mitsi shotel s. com/hotel s/grand-hotel grandhotel, info@,mitsi shotel s. com

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7. Samaria Gorge (Crete)

Samaria Gorge

On the island of Crete, the Samaria Gorge is a top attraction for lovers of the great outdoors. Measuring 16 kilometers in length and, at its narrowest point, only four meters wide, it runs from Omalos (1,250 meters) in the White Mountains down to Agia Roumeli, on the Libyan Sea.

Depending on your level of fitness, it will take five to seven hours to walk. It is steep in parts and rocky, so you should wear good hiking shoes and carry plenty of water. The gorge lies within the Samaria National Park, and is on the UNESCO tentative list. Through summer, organized tours depart from and Rethymnon.

Recommended Accommodation:(+30) Crete Metohi Kindelis Hotel, Chania, (+30) 28210 41321 www.metohi-kindelis.gr [email protected]

Ammos Hotel, Irakli Avgoula Str., Chania, Crete Tel: (+30) 28210 33003, 33025 mobile (+30) 6946 009686 www. ammoshotel. com [email protected]

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8.

Overlooking the Aegean Sea in , Thessaloniki (Salonica) is the country's second biggest city after Athens and the capital of Macedonia. Founded in 316 BC due to its position close to both Bulgaria and Turkey, it has always been a crossroads of various cultures and religions. Its main sightseeing attractions are its UNESCO-listed Byzantine churches, but there are also several Roman monuments (including the Triumphal Arch of Galerius and the 4th-century Rotunda), the 15th- century White Tower on the seafront, and an excellent Byzantine Museum.

Recommended Accommodation:

Electra Palace Thessaloniki Aristotelous 9, Thessaloniki Tel: (+30) 231 029 4000 www.electrahotels.gr [email protected]

Makedonia Palace Leof. Meg. Alexandrou 2, Thessaloniki Tel: (+30) 231 089 7197 www.makedoniapalace.com [email protected]

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9.

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Nafplio

Often cited as Greece's most beautiful city, Nafplio is a popular weekend destination for wealthy Athenians. Built on a small peninsula on the east coast of the Peloponnese, it became the first capital of modern Greece in 1828 before Athens took over in 1834. The car-free old town is filled with Neoclassical mansions and proud churches and overlooked by the 18th-century Fortress. Nearby attractions include , Theater, and Ancient . Byzantine Mystra is just the other side of Sparta, two-and-a-half hours' drive westward through the Arcadian mountains and the valley of the River Eurotas. , palace of the Mycenaeans - were King Agamemnon, returning victorious from the war of Troy, took a bath and was axed there by his wife and her paramour - is about 90 minutes' drive to the north. The mighty stone walls of another Mycenaean stronghold, Tiryns - where Hercules was born and from where, on the orders of his usurping cousin King Eurystheus, he set out to perform his Twelve Labours - is an hour away, near the elegant Venetian city of Nafplio, with its three castles and great marble-paved .

Recommended Accommodation: Hotel REX Tel: (+30) 27520 26907 Fax: (+30) 27520 28106 www.rex-hotel.gr info@rex-hotel. gr

Amalia Hotel Nafplio Tel: (+30) 27520 24400 www.amaliahotelnafplio.gr

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Messinia

The gloriously under-the-radar Peloponnese peninsula is one of mainland Greece’s greatest secrets. With more than 4,500 years of history, the region is a blissfully uncrowded alternative to the better-known islands, and along its remote south-western comer lies one of the country’s smartest and most ambitious destinations, Messinia. Messinia in the southwest Peloponnese, in one of the most unspoiled and breathtaking landscapes in the Mediterranean.

Recommended Accommodation:

Kalamitsi Hotel - Kardamyli Tel: (+30) 2721073131 www.kalamitsi-hotel.gr

Costa Navarino

T: (+30) 27230 96000 | F: (+30) 27230 96500 [email protected]

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10. Milos Island

The luminous Greek Island of Milos has the best beaches in the Aegean, a fascinating history and superb seafood - and yet it is so often overlooked. All the better for the few who do go there, entirely alone in its turquoise bays.

Milos's colours and wealth and the shaping of its history derive from its having been flung out of the sea by volcanoes that blew around two million years ago, the principal crater forming one of the largest harbours in the Aegean at Adamas ('diamond' in Greek).

The island’s villages are lovely too: the stately Plaka (the island’s capital), the harbour of Adamantas, the beautiful Hivadolimni, the marvellous Emporios with the little lagoon of Revary and the old iron mines.

Recommended Accommodation: In Pollonia: the intimate Tania Milos, the emphatically white, cave-like Salt and the more classical Melian. Just outside Adamas and close to Papikinou beach are the Santa Maria Luxury Suites. www.taniamilos.gr Pollonia- Milos, Tel: (+30) 22870 41062 www.salt-milos.com Pelekouda. Polonia Milos, Tel: (+30) 22870 41110 www.melian.gr Pollonia - Milos, Tel: (+30)22870 41150

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