# Athens Sightseeing --- Private Tours all over Greece #

Friday, April 6, 2012

Welcome to "Athens Private Travel & Tours Ltd."

"Athens Private Travel & Tours Ltd.", is based in Athens-Greece and is providing pre-booked private transfers and tours under license, all around Athens and Greece, with new air-conditioned, fully insured and comfortable sedans of up to 4 passengers, or minivans of up to 7 passenger, mini buses and luxary coach vehicles, with online reservations system, that lets travelers book quality travel experiences, quickly and easily.

At "Athens Private Travel & Tours Ltd.", we have more than fifteen years of experience in tourist market, organizing wonderful tours in Greece for travellers coming from every part of the world, with a great success which is a result of hard work, reliability, competitive prices, high quality services and of course because of you, showing your preferences to our services.

We offer Athens private tours, but also wonderful tours in other beautiful Greek locations like the archaeological area of Marathon, Thermopylae, Delphi, Ancient Olympia, Meteora, Ancient Olympia, Epidaurus, Mycenae, Ancient Corinth, Sparta, Mystras, Peloponesse peninsula, Vergina, Thessaloniki and many more.

---Airport Private Sedan and Mini-Van, Service---

-Private Sedan
Ride in luxury, comfort and discreet way to Athens city center for up to 3 passengers in our full size sedans with modest luggage. Your sedan will be waiting when your flight arrives, at the airport.

-Private Mini-Van
Do you need group transportation to Athens City or the winder area of Greece? Athens Private Tours & Travel offers Private Mini-Van service - a direct ride to, for you or your group only for up to 7 passengers plus lots of luggage in our big vans, it includes "meet and greet" at the airport.

-Non Airport Rides
In addition to our airport, train station, cruise terminal services, we transfer groups, both big and small, between local destinations. We welcome any reason you need a ride.
Available vehicles for, Meetings/Conference/Various Events.
Give us some detail and we will respond promptly to your inquiry, getting you in the right vehicle...from sedan and mini-van to mini coach and coach bus .
There's no contract required to enjoy it.

The wide selection of Greece Tours, covers many different themes of interest: art, history, religion, archaeology, food, wine, shopping and more and they are all designed to provide the highest possible level of quality.

Our services include, day-trips, shore excursions for cruise passengers, wine tasting sessions and more than one day trips around Greece.

We focus exclusively on private tours because we want to make sure to give the best possible experience to our clients. We also offer large group tours or bus tours, so please contact us if you are interested in booking for small or large groups or if you need to book a specific vehicle for your transfer or tour.

Our philosophy is to be your trusted friend in Greece, providing knowledge and caring to make you enjoy a lovely time in our country.

Whatever you decide to do, at any time of year, we will make you feel more than welcome, upon visiting various places, archeological or any other iterested sites in Greece, quiding you around by the English speaking and non-smoking licenced taxi drivers, with our new, air-conditioned and comfortable sedans of up to 4 passengers, or minivans of up to 7 passenger, mini buses and luxary coach vehicles.

In case you are interested to know more about Greek history, you may require for a licenced tour quide, in your language.

We have therefore the experience of how to organise private tours, and we will continue to provide you, with high quality services.

We appreciate once again for your preferences to "Athens Private Travel & Tours" and we will try to improve even more, every time for the best.

For the "skippers", they are interested in sailing, we can take them to and from any of the many marinas, they are situated around Greece.

You can start here to browse through the list of our tours.

-Sightseeing Athens

-Excursions all over Greece (next page)

Υου can contact us at:

avtravel-tours@otenet.gr
info@athenstaxi-tours.gr

or call: (+30) 6977 454 783

Also join us at: "AV Travel & Tours"

SIGHTSEEING ATHENS
The City where democracy was born, centuries ago.

Parthenon: The Parthenon, dedicated by the Athenians to Athena Parthenos, the patron of their city, is the most magnificent creation of Athenian democracy at the greatest peak of its power and wealth, the golden age of Perikles. It is also the finest monument on the Acropolis in terms of both conception and execution and like other monuments of the Acropolis stand in harmony with their natural setting. These unique masterpieces of ancient architecture combine different orders and styles of Classical art in a most innovative manner and have influenced art and culture for many centuries. Built between 447 and 438 BC, is the most accurate reflection of the splendour as part of the greater Periklean building project, this so-called Periklean Parthenon (Parthenon III) replaced an earlier marble temple (Parthenon II), begun after the victory at the battle of Marathon at approximately 490 BC and destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC. This temple had replaced the very first Parthenon (Parthenon I) of c. 570 BC. The Periklean Parthenon was designed by architects Iktinos and Kallikrates, while the sculptor Pheidias supervised the entire building program and conceived the temple's sculptural decoration and chryselephantine statue of Athena...

Zeus Temple: The Olympeion was the sanctuary of Olympian Zeus. Here stands one of the greatest ancient temples of Zeus and, according to Vitruvius, one of the most famous marble buildings ever constructed. The archaeological site of the Olympeion comprises the temple of Olympian Zeus, Roman baths, Classical residences, a basilica of the fifth century AD, and part of the city's fortification wall. Hadrian's Arch is located just outside the site's fence.
The temple remained unfinished for approximately 400 years, until Antiochus IV Epiphanes resumed its construction in 174 BC. It was completed in AD 124/125 by Emperor Hadrian, who associated himself with Zeus and adopted the title of Olympios. A large poros temple dedicated to Apollo Delphinios was also built on the site around 450 BC. It was abandoned in the third century AD. The temple was Doric peripteral with two columns in antis on the front and back. In the second century AD, Hadrian built a Roman temple of the Doric order, with a built enclosure and an outdoor altar, probably of Kronos or Rea. A Roman peristyle for the meetings of the Chapter of the Panhelleloi was also constructed in the same area, and a possible residence of a prominent member of the Chapter was added on the rock of the Olympian Land in the Late Roman period.

Marble Stadium: It was the Panathenaic Stadium, which hosted the 1st Olympic Games of the modern era, in 1896. However, its history goes way before the 19th century AD...
The site of the Panathenaic Stadium was originally a small natural valley, between the two hills of Agra and Ardettos, over Ilissos river. It was transformed into a stadium by Lykourgos in 330-329 BC for the athletic competitions of "Panathinea", the greatest festivities in ancient Athens.
Between 140 and 144 AD, Herodes Atticus restored the Stadium, giving it the form that was found at the 1870 excavation: the horseshoe construction with a track 204.07 meters long and 33.35 meters wide. It is believed that the Stadium had a seating capacity of 50,000 people.
In the Roman times it was used as an arena with the addition of a north semicircular wall.
The modern times restoration of the Stadium was conducted by G.Averof at the end of the 19th century, for the first Olympic Games that were reborn in 1896. The Stadium was rebuilt with marble from Mt Penteli, the same kind that was used 2,400 years before, for the construction of the Parthenon on the Acropolis. It could now hold over 60,000 spectators. The total cost was 1 million GrD, a huge amount of money in those days.

Academy of Athens: The Academy of Athens forms part of the so-called "Neoclassical Trilogy" of the City of Athens: Academy - University - Library. It consists of aesthetically distinct parts that form a harmonic ensemble of built mass. A corridor connects the two lateral wings to the main body of the building, which -in its proportions of line and mass- is set-off by its Ionian-style entrance and its big pediment. The entrance has elements originating from the eastern side of Erechtheion, on Acropolis. The predominant material on the facets is marble. Overall, the building is a characteristic example of mature Neoclassicism.
It was built in two phases, in 1859-1863 and 1868-1885. The main donator to finance the construction was the family of the Baron Simon Sinas, Ambassador of Greece in Vienna, Berlin and Munich. In 1887, the architect Hernest Ziller, acting as proxy of Sinas' heirs, delivered the building complete to the then Prime Minister Charilaos Trikoupis.

Evzones: In the state capital, Athens, members of the elite Evzones light infantry unit, provide a 24-hour honor guard, with an hourly guard change, at the Presidential Mansion and at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, off Syntagma Square at the foot of the Hellenic Parliament. The Changing the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in particular has become a tourist attraction, with many people marvelling at the guards, who stand motionless for two 20-minute intervals, during their 1 hour shifts.Every Sunday at 11:00 a ceremonial change of guards takes place. A parade of Evzones and a military band starts from the camp of the Evzones (just behind the Parliament Building) and through Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, reaches the Tomb of the Unknown soldier where a ceremonial change of guards takes place. On this occasion all the three official uniforms of the Evzones can be seen. For the needs of the ceremonial change of guard, Vasilissis Sofias Avenue and Amalias Avenue are briefly closed to traffic from approximately 10:55 to 11:05 on Sunday mornings.

Hellenic Parliament

Presidential Residence

The current parliament, a neoclassical three-floor structure designed by Friedrich von Gärtner and completed in 1843, originally served as a palace for the Greek monarchs, hence sometimes still referred to as the "Old Palace".

The design of the "New Palace" (Presidential Residence today) was entrusted to architect Ernst Ziller. He designed an estimated 900 buildings all over Greece for both official and private use.

Greek Agora: The Agora was the heart of ancient Athens, the focus of political, commercial, administrative and social activity, the religious and cultural centre, and the seat of justice.
The site was occupied without interruption in all periods of the city's history. It was used as a residential and burial area as early as the Late Neolithic period (3000 B.C.). Early in the 6th century, in the time of Solon, the Agora became a public area.
See also, Stoa of Attalos and Temple of Hephaistos .
Roman Agora: It was built between 19 and 11 B.C. with a donation of Julius Caesar and Augustus. During the reign of Hadrian the court was paved with slabs. After the invasion of the Herulae in A.D. 267 the city of Athens was restricted to the area within the Late Roman fortification wall, and the administrative and commercial centre of the city was transferred from the Ancient Agora to the Roman Agora and the Library of Hadrian.
During the Byzantine period and the Turkish occupation the area was covered with houses, workshops and churches along with the Fethiye Mosque.
Plaka: One of the neighborhood in Athens, which stretches almost to Syntagma, in the shadow of the Acropolis, Plaka is like a village within the city, an island for those who don't have the time to visit the Greek Islands.

Plaka: One of the neighborhood in Athens, which stretches almost to Syntagma, in the shadow of the Acropolis, Plaka is like a village within the city, an island for those who don't have the time to visit the Greek Islands.
Plaka is the oldest section of Athens. Most of the streets are pedestrians, where you will find a lot of restaurants on either side, jewelry stores, tourist shops, and cafes. Though it is quite commercialized, it is still a neighborhood and arguably the nicest neighborhood in central Athens. Most of the restaurants are typical tourist places with good quality typical Greek food. Here you can find anything from kitsch and souvenirs to chandeliers and beautifully crafted armoires.

Monastiraki: Monastiraki was the site of one of the largest monasteries in Athens. Most of this 'Great Monastery' was demolished during archaeological excavations in the nineteenth century. So little was left of the complex - only the church remains - that it was ironically named 'monastiraki' or 'little monastery', which eventually gave the neighborhood its name.
Monastiraki today, is the place that most of all represent tradition and tourist sightseeing in Athens at the same time. It is placed under the shadow of Acropolis at the South West section of the magisterial Sacred Rock and next to the Ancient Market and Attalos loft. Monastiraki is famous for the flea market and together with Plaka, is a great place for a Sunday morning walk.

---Shore excursions for cruise passengers from main port, Piraeus---

Thank you for considering our service for a ride to/from the Cruise Piraeus Terminal.
Cruise Ship Mediterranean travelers, can enjoy sightseeing privately, with our luxary, fully air-conditioned and comfortable ride, vehicles.
-Sedans, are a discreet way for your city tour, transfer to the airport, or anywhere else.
-Mini-Vans, are our main vehicles for private group tours from cruise ships and airport transfers, with lots of luggage or any other transportation you might need.
We focus exclusively on private tours because we want to make sure to give the best possible experience to our clients. We also offer large group tours or bus tours.

Having visited, the most important archeological sites within the city of Athens, a tour that may last about 5-6 hours, you may now browse down the page, to get some more ideas of places of interest, located around Athens and Greece.
Please see also on the next page, shore excursions we organise for other archeological sites of interest over Greece, away from Athens.

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Since we believe, that a picture=1000 words, this site with photo gallery and videos, "shows" you some of the places we recommend you to visit and places we have already visited with tourist. You will find more informations further down, that will help you decide where you would like to go upon visiting Greece. You can also find more informations in our main site:

"AV Travel & Tours"

Enjoy watching our photo gallery!

Acropolis

Temple of Poseidon-Sounion

Temple of Apollo-Ancient Corinth

Ancient Theater-Epidavros

Lions Gate - Mycenae

Tholos of Athena-Delphi

Filippeion-Ancient Olympia

Meteora-Monasteries

Zeus Temple-Athens

Modern Academy of Athens

Palamidi Castle-Nafplion

Zeus Temple-Athens

Zappeion-Athens

Ancient Olympia

Zeus Temple-Athens

St.George chapel in Lecabettus from Zeus Temple-Athens

Stoa of Attalos

Caryatides

Zappeion-Athens

Herodion Theater-Athens

Ancient Theater-Delphi

Greek Mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece and are part of religion in modern Greece and around the world as Hellenismos. Modern scholars refer to, and study the myths in an attempt to throw light on the religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece, its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.

Greek mythology is embodied, explicitly, in a large collection of narratives, and implicitly in Greek representational arts, such as vase-paintings and votive gifts.

Greek myth attempts to explain the origins of the world, and details the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines, and mythological creatures. These accounts initially were disseminated in an oral-poetic tradition; today the Greek myths are known primarily from Greek literature. The oldest known Greek literary sources, the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey, focus on events surrounding the Trojan War.

Two poems by Homer's near contemporary Hesiod, the Theogony and the Works and Days, contain accounts of the genesis of the world, the succession of divine rulers, the succession of human ages, the origin of human woes, and the origin of sacrificial practices. Myths also are preserved in the Homeric Hymns, in fragments of epic poems of the Epic Cycle, in lyric poems, in the works of the tragedians of the fifth century BC, in writings of scholars and poets of the Hellenistic Age and in texts from the time of the Roman Empire by writers such as Plutarch and Pausanias. Archaeological findings provide a principal source of detail about Greek mythology, with gods and heroes featured prominently in the decoration of many artifacts. Geometric designs on pottery of the eighth century BC depict scenes from the Trojan cycle as well as the adventures of Heracles. In the succeeding Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods, Homeric and various other mythological scenes appear, supplementing the existing literary evidence.

Greek mythology has exerted an extensive influence on the culture, the arts, and the literature of Western civilization and remains part of Western heritage and language. Poets and artists from ancient times to the present have derived inspiration from Greek mythology and have discovered contemporary significance and relevance in these mythological themes. Greek mythology is known today primarily from Greek literature and representations on visual media dating from the Geometric period from c. 900–800 BC onward.

Athens (Lycabettus) 1875

Athens (Lycabettus) 2013

Acropolis - Lycabettus - New Acropolis Museum

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A Modern Version of Zorba The Greek

Priestesses in Ancient Olympia

Priestesses in Ancient Olympia

Temple of Olympian Zeus

Godess Athena

Bourtzi at Nafplion

---------------------EXCURSIONS ALL OVER GREECE----------------------

TEMPLE OF POSEIDON - Cape Sounion

Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion is trully an amazing site that should not be missed during your vacation in Athens. This splendid rocky promontory that rises out of the Aegean is one of the best sights in Athens carrying on at its highest point the Temple of Poseidon. The Temple was constructed around 600 BC, it was destroyed in 480 BC by the Persians and in 440 BC it was rebuilt by Pericles. Looking closely at the Doric columns rising above the coast, on one of them you will see the signature of Lord Byron who was so captured by its beauty and the grace of the temple that he included it in his paean to Greek independence in his poem "Isles of Greece".

BATTLE OF MARATHON

In the 6th century BC, the Greek towns faced the threat of the Persian Empire, under the rule of King Xerxes who had views on invading Greece and consequently the entire Europe. The Persian Wars lasted from 492 - 449 B.C. and include the Battle of Marathon. In 490 B.C. (possibly on August or September 12),about 25,000 Persians, under King Darius' generals, landed on the Greek Plain of Marathon. The Spartans were unwilling to provide timely help for the Athenians, so Athens' army, which was about 1/3 the size of the Persian's, supplemented by 1,000 Plataeans, and led by Callimachus (polemarch) and Miltiades (former tyrant in the Chersonesus), fought the Persians. The Greeks won by encircling the Persian forces. This was a momentous event since it was the first Greek victory in the Persian Wars. Then the Greeks prevented a surprise Persian attack on Athens by a quick march back to the city to warn the inhabitants. Supposedly, a messenger (Pheidippides) ran about 25 miles, from Marathon to Athens, to announce the defeat of the Persians. At the end of the march he died of exhaustion. The defeat of the Persians at Marathon made their king Darius more determined. Before he could attack the Athenians again, he died and was succeeded by his son Xerxes.

LEONIDAS AT THERMOPYLAE

In summer of 480 BC, Xerxes, the king of Persia, was attacking Greece with a big and well-equiped army. As he had already conquered northern Greece and he was coming to the south, the Greeks decided to unite and confront him in Thermopylae, a narrow passage in central Greece. Leonidas and his army, 300 soldiers, went off to Thermopylae to join the other Greek armies. The Greeks alltogether were about 4,000 soldiers, while the Persian army consisted of 80,000 soldiers. Xerxes waited for 4 days before he attacked, believing that the Greeks would surrender. When Xerxes sent his heralds to the Greeks, asking for their weapons, as a sign of submission, Leonidas said the historical phrase "Come and get them!", declaring the beginning of the battle. The first days, the Greeks were resisting, until a local man, Ephialtes, revealed to the Persians a secret passage to circle the Greeks and win the battle. Seeing that the Persian army were about to circle them, Leonidas asked the other Greeks to leave the battlefield. He proposed that he and his army would stay back to cover their escape, while the other Greeks would leave to protect the rest of Greece from a future Persian invasion. Therefore, Leonidas with his 300 Spartans and 700 Thespians, who refused to leave, stayed back to fight the huge Persian army. They were all killed in the battlefield, in this deathtrap, protecting theie homeland and their values. After all, it was disgraceful for a Spartan to return to Sparta beaten in war. A Spartan would either return from war as a winner, or he should not return at all. Today, a modern monument lies on the site of the battle in Thermopylae opposite the historical hill of Kolonos and represents Leonidas in full armour, to remind of this courageous action, while the tomb of this legendary king lies in his homeland, Sparta.

ANCIENT CORINTH

The site of ancient Corinth was first inhabited in the Neolithic period (6500-3250 B.C.). The peak period of the city, though, started in the 8th century B.C,, when Corinth became one of the leading powers of the Greek world, founder of colonies in the west Mediterranean, such as Syracuse, and lasted until its destruction by the Roman general Lucius Mummius in 146 B.C. Representative of its wealth and pioneering spirit in architecture, is the Doric temple of Apollo which was built in 540 B.C. The city was reinhabited in 44 B.C. and gradually developed again. In 51/52 A.D., Apostle Paul visited Corinth. The centre of the Roman city was organized to the south of the temple of Apollo and included shops, small shrines, fountains, baths and other public buildings. The invasion of the Herulians in A.D. 267 , initiated the decline of the city though it remained inhabited for many centuries through successive invasions and destructions, until it was liberated from the Turks in 1822. Limited excavations were conducted in 1892 and 1906 by the Archaeological Society of Athens under the direction of A. Skias. The systematic excavations of the area, initiated by the American School of Classical Studies in 1896, are still continuing today.

MYCENAE

Mycenae 'Rich in Gold', the kingdom of mythical Agamemnon, first sung by Homer in his epics, is the most important and richest palatial centre of the Late Bronze Age in Greece (~7000 B.C). Its name was given to one of the greatest civilizations of Greek prehistory, the Mycenaean civilization, while the myths related to its history have inspired poets and writers over many centuries, from the Homeric epics and the great tragedies of the Classical period to contemporary literary and artistic creation. The archaeological site of Mycenae comprises the fortified acropolis and surrounding funerary and habitation sites, which are located mainly to its west and southwest. Most of the visible monuments date to the centre's great floruit, from 1350 to 1200 BC. Great Cyclopean walls surround the almost triangular acropolis, which is accessed from the northwest through the famous Lion Gate, the symbol of the Mycenaean rulers' power. The gate was named after the two opposing lions carved in relief and set into the relieving triangle, a typical feature of Mycenaean architecture, over the door.

ANCIENT EPIDAURUS

Among the greatest monuments of Greek Antiquity, the famous theatre at the Asklepieion of Epidaurus, the finest and most renowned of its kind, combines perfect acoustics with elegance and symmetrical proportions, qualities praised already in the second century AD by traveller and geographer Pausanias. During the overall construction of the Asklepios sanctuary, the theatre was built on the west side at the end of the classical era, in 340-330 BC. Until the third century AD, it hosted music, song and drama competitions during the Asklepian games taking place every four years in spring, after the Isthmia celebration, as well as drama performances in the worship of Asklepios. In the peaceful hinterland of Epidaurus, with its mild climate and abundant mineral springs, is the sanctuary of the god-physician Asklepios, the most famous healing centre of the Greek and Roman world. It is considered the birthplace of medicine and is thought to have had more than two hundred dependent spas in the eastern Mediterranean. Its monuments, true masterpieces of ancient Greek art, are a precious testimony to the practice of medicine in antiquity. Indeed they illustrate the development of medicine from the time when healing depended solely on the god until systematic description of cases and the gradual accumulation of knowledge and experience turned it into a science.

NAFPLION

A special place, mysterious, blessed, full of natural beauty and culture, for centuries, continues to flourish and charms every visitor who without understanding, was initiated in the Beauty, Harmony, and in front of that dream become a reality. The place is authentic and that's the magic of the search of every wayfarer he will visit Nafplion. The son of Poseidon, Nafplio, built by giving his name and memory was the first link in the chain of great cultural history, which does not reach the 850 stairs of the Castle Palamidi to the count. The Naples of the Orient "as they called the Venetian naval, stretched its roots, with respect to the historiC city and the current Nafplion, first capital of Greece in 1828, with the arrival of Kapodistrias still decorated with all the traditional elements , untouched by time. The reference point of the city, Bourtzi continues to keep alive the legends, polyfotismeni presence in the Gulf of Argos, built on the small island of St. Theodore.The fort of Palamidia, which has been preserved in excellent condition, is one of the greatest achievements of Venetian fortification architecture. The hill of Palamidi, which takes its name from the Homeric hero Palamidi, does not seem to have been systematically fortified until the second Venetian occupation. The construction of the fort was basically carried out during the time of Venetian General Superintendent of the Fleet, Agostino Sagredo, from 1711 to 1714, marking the fort not only as a major feat in terms of its fortifications, but also in terms of the speed with which it was constructed.

ANCIENT OLYMPIA

In western Peloponnese, in the beautiful valley of the Alpheios river, lies the most celebrated sanctuary of ancient Greece. Dedicated to Zeus, the father of the gods, it sprawls over the southwest foot of Mount Kronios, at the confluence of the Alpheios and the Kladeos rivers, in a lush, green landscape. Although secluded near the west coast of the Peloponnese, Olympia became the most important religious and athletic centre in Greece. Its fame rests upon the Olympic Games, the greatest national festival and a highly prestigious one world-wide, which was held every four years to honour Zeus. The origin of the cult and of the festival went back many centuries. Local myths concerning the famous Pelops, the first ruler of the region, and the river Alpheios, betray the close ties between the sanctuary and both the East and West. In 776 BC, Iphitos, king of Elis, Kleosthenes of Pisa and Lykourgos of Sparta reorganized the Olympic Games in honour of Zeus and instituted the sacred ekecheiria, or truce. Soon the quadrennial festival acquired a national character. The sanctuary continued to function during the first years of Christian rule under Constantine the Great. The last Olympic Games were held in 393 AD, before an edict of Theodosius I prohibited all pagan festivals. In 426 BC Theodosius II ordered the destruction of the sanctuary.

BASSAE

The temple of Apollo Epikourios, one of the most important and most imposing temples of antiquity, stands in the bare and rocky landscape of Bassae. It is unique in the history of ancient Greek architecture because it combines a variety of novel ideas both in its external appearance and in its internal arrangements. Indeed, Pausanias considered it to be among the finest temples of the Peloponnese in terms of sheer beauty and harmony, second only to that of Tegea. The building is dated to 420-400 BC and is believed to be the work of Iktinos, who succeeded in combining masterfully several Archaic features imposed by the conservative tradition of the Arcadians with the characteristics of the new Classical style. The surviving temple is not the first one to have been constructed on the site. The territory of Bassae is located between Arcadia, Triphylia and Messenia, on the western slopes of Mt. Kotilion near the ancient city of Phigaleia. The mountain is scored with ravines (vassai), which give the place its name. In this bare, rocky landscape, 1131 metres above sea level, the people of Phigaleia founded a sanctuary in honour of Apollo. The sanctuary was dominated by one of the most imposing monuments of ancient Greece: the temple of Apollo Epikourios, whose cult was established in the late eighth-early seventh century BC. The god was given the surname 'epikourios', either because he was thought to have helped the Phigaleians in their struggle against Sparta in 659 BC, or because he prevented the plague from spreading during the Peloponnesian War.

SPARTA & MYSTRAS

Mystras occupies a steep foothill on the northern slopes of Mt. Taygetos, 6km. NW of Sparta. The castle on the top of the hill was founded in 1249 by the Frankish leader William II de Villeharduin. After 1262 it came under Byzantine control, and at the middle of the 14th century became the seat of the Despotate of Moreas. In 1448 the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine XI Palaeologos, was crowned at Mystras. In 1460 the hill was captured by the Turks and in 1464 Sigismondo Malatesta of Rimini managed to capture the city but not the castle. For a short period Mystras came under the control of the Venetians (1687-1715) but was again taken over by the Turks. It was one of the first castles of Greece to be liberated in 1821. The foundation of modern Sparta by king Otto in 1834 marked the end of the old town's life.

DELPHI

At the foot of Mount Parnassos, within the angle formed by the twin rocks of the Phaedriades, lies the Pan-Hellenic sanctuary of Delphi, which had the most famous oracle of ancient Greece. Delphi was regarded as the centre of the world. According to mythology, it is here that the two eagles sent out by Zeus from the ends of the universe to find the navel of the world met. The earliest finds in the area of Delphi, which date to the Neolithic period (4000 BC), come from the Korykeion Andron, a cave on Parnassos, where the first rituals took place. The remains of a Mycenaean settlement and cemetery were discovered within the sanctuary. Between the sixth and fourth centuries BC, the Delphic oracle, which was regarded as the most trustworthy, was at its peak. It was delivered by the Pythia, the priestess, and interpreted by the priests of Apollo. The archaeological site of Delphi includes two sanctuaries, dedicated to Apollo and Athena, and other buildings, mostly intended for sports. Visitors arriving from Athens first encountered the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia. To the northwest of the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia lay the gymnasium, a place for exercise and learning, the palaestra and the baths. Further up the slope was the Castalian spring, the sacred spring of Delphi, were travellers quenched their thirst after a long voyage and purified themselves before consulting the oracle. The central, most important part of the site was the sanctuary of Apollo, which was surrounded by the usual peribolos, or enclosure wall, with a main gate at its southeast corner.

METEORA

Meteora -"Suspended Rocks"- is from the biggest and most important group of monasteries in Greece after those in Mount Athos. We can locate the first traces of their history from 11 century A.D when the first hermits settled there. The rock monasteries have been characterized by Unesco as a unique phenomenon of cultural heritage and they form one of the most important stations of cultural map of Greece. The most important monasteries of Meteora are: - The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron. - The Holy Monastery of Varlaam is the second, after the Great Meteoro, big in size monastery. - The Holy Monastery of Rousanou. - The Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapausas. - The Holy Monastery of St. Stephen. - The Monastery of Holy Trinity is very difficult to reach.

VERGINA

On the discovery of the Royal Tombs of Vergina (Aigai) in 1977, an immediate programme was launched to preserve the magnificent murals which adorned them. At the same time a conservation laboratory was set up on the spot to save and restore the extremely important portable objects they contained. For the preservation of the Royal Tombs themselves a subterranean structure was built in 1993 to encase and protect the ancient monuments by maintaining a constant temperature and humidity, both indispensable for the preservation of the wall paintings. Externally the structure has the appearance of an earth mound; inside it are the treasures found in the Royal Tombs, which have been on exhibition since November 1997. The visitor descending into the underground area of the tombs begins his tour with a reconstruction of the Great Mound, the monument that originally marked the site of the Royal Tombs and which no longer exists. Next are grave stelai and finds from tombs of ordinary Macedonian citizens, who after their death became neighbours of the king, and whose presence provides a yardstick of comparison. The ruined 3nd century B.C tomb, the collapsed heroon, cult place of the kings, the fascination and sorrow inspired by Persephone's abduction prepare the visitor as he approaches the dead king. The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Professor Manolis Andronikos, the archaeologist who brought the treasures to light and had the knowledge and perceptiveness to recognise them for what they were.

THESSALONIKI

Thessaloniki is the second largest city of Greece . It is the seat of the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia and the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace . The foundation of the city in the Hellenistic era coincides with a critical phase in the history of the Macedonian Kingdom , which starts from the untimely death of Alexander the Great and to claim the throne of Macedon king from his descendants . General Cassander order to claim the throne of Macedonia , he married his half sister of Alexander the Great in Thessaloniki , in whose honor the town founded uniting 26 townships located around the Thermaikos Gulf. A city of diverse beauty and hospitable people. Thessaloniki has always been a crossroad of civilizations, a place where the East and West meets, where great cultures and religions have been mixed. Gastronomy, events, world-class heritage sites, shopping are some of the things that visitors can indulge in. Not to mention the distinctive student vibe that is an integral part of its charm as the city hosts country’s largest university campus, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The compact size of the city and the walking distance proximity of the top-attractions make Thessaloniki an ideal city-break destination. The population of the conurbation is currently estimated at 790,000 inhabitants (2011).

About Ancient Greece

What can you tell in a few lines, for a history of almost 8000 years! Here is, in a few lines, a few words about Ancient Greece. Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity (ca. 600 AD). Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the period of Classical Greece, which flourished during the 5th to 4th centuries BC. Classical Greece began with the repelling of a Persian invasion by Athenian leadership. Because of conquests by Alexander the Great, Hellenistic civilization flourished from Central Asia to the western end of the Mediterranean Sea. Classical Greek culture, especially philosophy, had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire, which carried a version of it to many parts of the Mediterranean region and Europe, for which reason Classical Greece is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the foundation of Western culture.