SIGHTS TO SEE:

ATHENS: (ÁèÞíá) 

• the Acropolis - the ancient fortified town of Athens, dating back to the Late Bronze Age, now the site of the best buildings of the Greek Classical age: the Parthenon, the Erectheion, the Temple of Athena Nike. If you attend a university in the European Union, bring your ID and you can enter for free. The normal entrance price is 12 euros. This ticket also gives you entry to the Kerameikos, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Roman Agora, Ancient Agora, and the nearby Theatre of Dionysus.
• Ancient Agora - the site of the Ancient Agora in a very green space and a very beautiful of the Acropolis. You will see the Temple of Hephaestus, the best preserved ancient greek temple, the Attalos Stoa, the museum of the agora which is a reconstructed ancient building. From the agora you can walk towards Acropolis. Extension of the agora is the Roman Forum
• Syntagma Square - check out the Parliament building and the newly-restored Grande Bretagne Hotel. Also, catch the changing of the guards in front of the Parliament every hour on the hour. Their uniforms and walking style is fun to see but make sure you don't stand on the wrong side of them if you want to take a picture.
• The Kerameikos - the site of the ancient cemetery of Athens. It also houses the Dipylon Gate, where the Panathenaic procession would begin. It has an museum showcasing many of the grave stele and other archaeological items found on the grounds.
• The Temple of Olympian Zeus - only ruins remain. The 1896 Olympic Stadium and Hadrian's Arch are located nearby.
• Panathianiko Stadium - the stadium that housed the first modern day Olympic Games of 1896. A huge white, made of marble with a horseshoe configuration stadium.
• Lycabettus Hill - A 200m hill over Kolonaki district. You can reach the top either by walking or by the funicular railway that exists. There are restaurants and cafés and and a great view of Athens until the sea.
• Acropolis Museum - the new one (designed by Swiss star architect Bernard Tschumi) is under construction.
• Benaki Museum - visit the beautiful neoclassical main building which houses collections of Greek art, from ancient times through the Byzantine period and the modern state. Open late and for free on Thursday evenings.
• National Archaeological Museum of Athens - This is the largest and most popular of Athens' many museums, and is usually very crowded. Its vast collection includes treasures unearthed from Mycenae by Heinrich Schliemann; a staggering array of sculpture including the earliest known Greek figurines dating from around 2,000 BC; frescoes from the volcanic island of Santorini; and so much more that it is recommended visitors make several visits to absorb it all.
• Museum of Cycladic Art - small but gem-like
• Greek National Gallery Exhibits Greek art from the 18th to 20th Centuries as well as some El Greco and Post-Byzantine art
• National Historical Museum - situated in the old parliament building. Contains a large collection of historic documents such as the first constitution of Greece, furniture, equipment from the revolution. If you are lucky you may see the old session room.
• Numismatic Museum - the building of the museum is one of the most beautibul in Athens, built by Ernst Ziller and was used as the residence in Athens of Schliemann. The collection contains thousand of coins ancient greek, roman, byzantine, medieval and more contemporary european and greek.

HERAKLION: (ÇñÜêëåéï) 

• south of Heraklion. According to tradition, Knossos was the seat of the legendary Cretan king Minos. The Palace is also connected with further legends, such as the myth of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, as well as the story of Daidalos and Ikaros. Excavation has revealed that the site was continuously inhabited from the Neolithic period (7000-3000 B.C.) until Roman times.
• Koules, the Venetian castle in the Harbour (Greek: Κούλες)
• Venetian Walls (Greek: Τείχη)
• Loggia (Greek: Λότζια)
• Morosini Fountain (a.k.a. Lions Square) (Greek: Λιοντάρια)
• St. Minas Cathedral (Greek: Άγιος Μηνάς)
• St. Titus Church (Greek: Άγιος Τίτος)
• St. Chatherine of the Sinaites Church (Greek: Αγία Αικατερίνη Σιναϊτών)
• St. Mark's Basilica (Greek: Βασιλική Αγίου Μάρκου).
• Heraklion Archaeological Museum, 2 Xanthoudidou Street, tel             +30-2810-224630       , 280370, fax +30-2810-332610. Open summer daily 8am-7.30pm, closed 1 January, 25 March, Easter, 1 May, 25-26 December, admission €10, concession €5 - includes admission to Knossos Palace. Houses the most important and representative finds from Minoan civilisation and excavations across the island of Crete. Highlights include statues of the Snake Goddesses, the famous Bull-Leaping Fresco, the enigmatic and mysterious Phaistos Disk, and Minoan seals and jewelery. Also includes a number of finds from Classical Greek and Roman periods.
• Museum of the Battle for Crete and National Resistance Recounts the tale of Cretan and Allied resistance against Nazi invaders in World War II.
• Museum of Natural History, University of Crete, S. Venizelou Ave., Tel./Fax:             +30 2810 324366       .
• Historical Museum of Crete, 27, Sofokli Venizelou Ave. /7, Lysimachou Kalokerinou St., Tel: (++30) 2810 283219, 288708.
• Lychnostatis open-air Cretan folklore museum, Tel:             +3028970-23660       . Su-F 9AM-2PM. €4,50.
• CretAquarium Thalassocosmos aquarium,             +30 2810-337788       . Open daily 9AM-9PM (May-Oct 15); 10AM-5:30PM (Oct 16-Apr).
• Nikos Kazantzakis Museum focused on Crete's most prominent modern intellectual figure,             +30 2810-741689       . Open daily from 9AM-7PM (Mar-Oct); 10AM-3PM (Nov-Feb), €3.

PATRA: (ÐÜôñá)

• The impressive Rio-Antirio bridge.
• The Roman Odeon.
• The Achaia Clauss wine factory.
• St. Andrews Church: Inside this church, which was built in the 20th century, are preserved the remains of St. Andrew the Apostle. These are located in a small chapel to the back right of the church as you face the front. The remains of his X-shaped cross are kept behind it.
• The Castro, which offers a good view of the city.
• The Faro (Lighthouse) which is the symbol of the city.
• The Apolllo Theatre, situated at the central square of King George A.
• The Turkish hot baths (Hammam) which are still in use.
• some very attractive leafy squares with terrace cafes. 

THESSALONIKI: (Èåóóáëïíßêç) 

• Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum
• The Museum of Byzantine Culture
• State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki
• Thessaloniki Museum of Photography
• Museum of Cinematography in Thessaloniki
• Thessaloniki Technology Park
• Museum of Science
• Folklore and Ethnological Museum of Macedonia and Thrace
• Thessaloniki International Fair
• Jewish Museum
• Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art
• Municipal Gallery of Art
• Teloglion Foundation of Art
• Museum at the White Tower
• Museum at Aghios Demetrios
• Goulandris Museum of Natural History
• Attaturk House
• The northernmost Byzantine walls of the city and parts of the western walls are still standing, as is the city's symbol - the White Tower, one of the 16th c. AD fortified towers - which is the only surviving tower on the seafront. The rest of the walls are in the picturesque old town (Upper Town) which offers a spectacular view over the bay, especially in the late afternoon. Take a walk along the enormous seafront promenade (about 12 km altogether) with views of the amphitheatrically-built city.
• See the Archaeological Museum, the new award-winning Museum of Byzantine Culture (2005 - the best Museum of Europe), the Roman Forum excavations.
• On no account should you miss the Byzantine churches built between the 5th and 14th century ACE, such as St Demetrios, (7th c. ACE) and Agia Sophia (Holy Wisdome, 9th c. ACE), and many lovely smaller ones in the upper town (St Nicolaos Orfanos is particularly worth a look for its frescoes), which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. One of them, the Rotonda, started life as a Roman temple of Zeus, built by ceasar Galerius, and is almost as old as the Pantheon in Rome. Next to the Rotonda, see the Arch of Triumph of Galerius and the ruins of his palace.

VOLOS: (Âüëïò) 

• At first glance, Volos City Center doesn't seem particularly interesting for the traveller, but a walk in the town streets might change your first idea. Ermou street is a long paved road parallel to the promenade, Argonafton str, offering a wide variety of shops for any taste, plus a selection of "hidden" bars and cafes, especially around St.Nikolaos Square, the city cathedral, dedicated to patron saint of the sailors, St. Nicholas. There is a seaside park between the university "Papastratos building" and "Agios Konstantinos" church on the promenade. Anavros Park starts directly behind Agios Konstantinos and extends to the east all the way till Anavros beach, an open municipal strand, offering clearwater to the swimmer during the summer (and winter for the brave).
• For those that have a car, there is also Alykes municipal beach, a 5-minute-drive from the center to the southwest, in the more easygoing Alykes district of Volos, having cafes and bars offering sunbeds on the sand during late at night, where you can enjoy your cocktail and take a swim as well. The municipal beach in Alykes has an entrance fee of € 1 during the day, offering a lifeguard, showering facilities, clothes-changing chambers and a beach bar. You can easily go to Alykes with city bus (blue bus) number 6 from the city hall.
• El. Venizelou str., commonly known as "Iolkou" street among the locals, as well as "K.Kartali str." are vertical to the promenade and Ermou street heading north. A ten minute walk from the port through the center will bring you to Plateia Eleftherias, ie "Freedom Square", sporting some cafes. There are plans of renovating the massive Matsaggos building and arcade on Iolkou street, formerly a tobacco industry, to use it as a new landmark for the industrial past of the city, on the planned "Plateia Panepistimiou" or "University Square" which is under construction.
• If you visit Volos you'll most definitely take the opportunity to visit the close mountain villages of Portaria and Makrynitsa, offering you a splendid specimen of the renowned traditional architecture of the Pelion mansions. The city view from Makrynitsa is magnificent.
• In case you wander a little bit to the inner districts of the city, you will see Nea Ionia on the Northwest of the center, once a refugee camp after the disposal of the Greeks in Asia Minor after 1922, but nowadays a bustling developing city part, still offering an enormous park called Helikodromio with an open theatre inside. it can be reached with blue buses 1 and 2.

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