Christmas travel : Wonderful Greece part 1

Among the most beautiful and glorious countries, Europe, Greece is the best. It is located in Southeast Europe. Do you know, there are some other names for Greece. Greece is also known as the ” Hellenic Republic ” or ” Hellas. ” As well as the country of Greece is called “The Cradle of Western Civilization.” The capital city of Greece is Athens. It is the second-largest city in Greece. Greece is made up of thousands of islands throughout the Aegean and Ionian seas. Greece has the world 11 the most extensive coastline. That coastal belt adds extra beauty to the country.

Islands of Greece are traditionally grouped into clusters. Those clusters are the Argo Saronic Islands, the Cyclades, the North Aegean Islands, Dodecanese, Sporades, and the Ionian Islands. Do you know that eighty percent of this country consists of mountain ranges and hills? It makes Greece one of the most mountainous countries in Europe. There are so many destinations in Greece for you to visit. Those places can be listed as follows;

• Athens
• Meteora
• Crete Region 
• The Cyclades including Santorini
• The Ionian Islands including Rhodes 
• The Aegean Islands including Samos
• Delphi
• Peloponnese
• Halkidiki
• Mykonos
• Oia
• Corfu
• Thessaloniki 
• Archaeological Site of Olympia
• Agios Nickolas etc.

All the above-mentioned places are the most critical places in the country of Greece. Among those places, this article will provide you some more information about the following locations. I’m pretty sure that you can get a clear understanding of the following locations by reading this article. Those places are;

1. Athens 
2. Meteora 
3. Crete Region

   

Athens

• Introduction.

Athens is the Capital City of Greece. It is the largest city in Greece. Its geographical region is Central Greece. Its administrative part is Attica. This city has a total land area of 412 km2. This city presents a complex blend of historical and modern features. The city of Athens is famous all around the world for many reasons. Among all those specialties, it is most famous for its archeological ruins and monuments. Examples for the pillars are the famous Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Ancient Agora, and the Theatre Dionysos. Athens is one of the most powerful economic centers in Europe.

• Prevent environmental pollution.

Greece is a country that is rich in natural beauty. But as well as most of the other beautiful places in the world, environmental pollution takes place in Athens. Air pollution takes place there because of the high mountain ranges all over the country. 

The government has implemented various kinds of rules and regulations to prevent pollution. So as the visitors to the city of Athens we should be kind enough not to do such things. Visitors should follow the implemented rules and regulations. They also should follow the proposed garbage disposal methods. 

• Climate.

  

The city of Athens is a place having a variety of climate changes throughout the year. It has a hot-summer Mediterranean Climate. Mainly the climate alternates between long dry and wet summers and winter. In the winter season, rainfall occurs sometimes. The average rainfall of the city of Athens is around 432 millimeters.

• Tourism.

There are so many places to visit in the city of Athens. Almost all the visitors to Athens should visit at least a few of those places. There are beautiful parks and zoos, architectural buildings and museums, etc. Because of such exciting places, Athens has been a destination for European travelers. It was proved when Athens was awarded as the third best European city to visit in the year 2015. The most exciting tourist attractions in Athens are the Museums.

• Museums.

In the city of Athens, there are many famous museums for visitors. Some of those museums are not only important for the locals but also those museums are famous internationally. Some of those museums have branches all over Greece. Many museums have archeological important. Some museums have collections of ancient and modern coins, antique paintings and portraits, and so many.

Examples for some such museums are listed below.

• National Archeological Museum 
• Benaki Museum 
• Byzantine and Christian Museum 
• Numismatic Museum 
• Museum of Cycladic Arts
• New Acropolis Museum 
• Jewish Museum of Greece 
• Kerameikos Archeological Museum.

Meteora 

• Introduction.

Meteora is a Greek word to mean ” Suspended in the air. ” It is a massive rock in the Central region of Greece. The six original monasteries are built there. It is a place located in Thessaly, Greece. Also, it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. 

• Monasteries.

  

Monasteries are the building or buildings occupied by a community of monks living under religious vows. In the sixteenth century, there were twenty-four monasteries. Today a large number of monasteries from those are ruined. Only six monasteries are in function. Those six monasteries are now tourist attraction sites. Among those the most famous monasteries are;

1. Monastery of Great Meteoron
2. Varlaam Monastery
3. Monastery of Rousanou
4. Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapauses
5. St. Stephen Monastery
6. Monastery of Holy Trinity

Crete Region

• Introduction.

Crete is Greece’s largest island. It is located in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is the 88 largest island in the world. Crete Region has a land area of 8450 km 2 (3260 square miles). Its capital city is Heraklion. Crete Region is world-famous for its wide range of beautiful sanded beaches and mountainous environment. This island has an elongated shape. 

• Tourism.

  

Crete Region is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Greece. There are many holiday homes for the tourist in front of the beaches or at the top of beautiful mountain ranges. Therefore it has become one of the most popular tourist destinations. Not only for holidays but also there are so many exciting places to visit. There are mountain ranges, valleys, gorges, rivers, lakes, some other surrounding islands, archeological sites, and museums, and many others.

Nowadays the infrastructure facilities for tourists have also improved. So the tourist can be comfortable there. There are many holiday resorts for various price ranges. Also, there are many luxurious hotels too. Top tourist attraction sites in Crete are as follows;  

1. Palace of Knossos
2. Heraklion Archeological Museum 
3. Gortyna
4. Photos
5. Zakros Place

• Natural Beauty.

Crete is an isolated island in belongs to Europe. Therefore it is surrounded by an eye-catching coastal belt with fine sands and Most of the visitors prefer to enjoy themselves on those beaches and In the inner parts of the country, there are so many beautiful mountain ranges, gorges, valleys, rivers, lakes, and so on. The lists of most beautiful natural sites can be mentioned as follows.

Mountain ranges

• White Mountains / Lefka Ori
• The Idi Range 
• Kedros
• The Dikti Mountains 
• Thrips

Valleys and Plateaus

• Amari Valley 
• Lasithi Plateau 
• Omalos Plateau

Gorges 

• Imbros Gorge
• Samaria Gorge
• Ha Gorge
• Platina Gorge
• Gorge of the Dead
• Richter Gorge

Rivers

• Geropotamos River 
• The Koiliaris
• The Anapodiaris
•  Megas Potamos

Lakes

• Lake Kournas (Freshwater)
• Agia Lake(Freshwater)  
• Lake Voulismeni (Seawater)  

Surrounding islands

• Gramvousa
• Elafonisi
• Chrysi Island
• Paximadia Island
• Dionysius Islands

So it was evident that the above mentioned three places are among the most exciting and beautiful places in Greece to visit. Also, I am pretty sure that this article will provide you a clear understanding of the country of Greece as well as the most beautiful places to visit there.