Mainland

Although most tourists head first to the Greek islands, the mainland of Greece also offers amazing places to visit. As the mainland has been the center of development and warfare since the antiquity, it constituted the main region where the ancient Greek civilization flourished. Other regions of Greece also developed, including Crete in the Minoan times, Macedonia in the post-classical times and Epirus in the Hellenistic period, but Sterea and Peloponnese kept their leading roles all through the historical course of Greece. That is why there are so many important archaeological places and ancient temples in the mainland: the Acropolis in Athens, Ancient Epidaurus, Mycenae and Olympia in Peloponnese, Delphi in Sterea, Ancient Dodoni in Epirus, Dion and Ancient Philippi in Macedonia. Although these are not as popular destinations as the Greek islands, they provide interesting sightseeing and they can be easily accessed with tours from Athens or other large cities. Apart from these archaeological sites, the Greek mainland also has beautiful beach places and impressive nature. The most tourist developed places in the mainland are Halkidiki, Pieria, Parga and various towns of Peloponnese. It provides gorgeous nature to hike in spring, sightseeing to explore off the beaten track and even ski centers for the wintertime.