Have you seen all the main sites in Athens and are looking to explore more a bit further out? Here are our favourite picks from our friend Matt Barrett's recommendations. All of the destinations can be reached in an hour or less from central Athens.

Rafina

One of my favorite places is Rafina on the other side of Mount Pendeli and Himitos. It's like driving to an island. Every year I visit Athens, whether it is summer or winter, I make a point to spend one afternoon in Rafina. If I can't get my family or friends to come I go alone. But it's almost like a pilgrimage for me. There are numerous restaurants that specialize in fried squid (kalamarakia), small fried fish(mareedes), shark with garlic sauce (galeos me skordaya) and other things from the sea. The most popular one is Agoni Grammi, the last one on the dock or the first one you come to when you get off the ferry. If you love fried fish, beer, ouzo, wine and afternoons where you can drink and relax and not worry about tonight or tomorrow, spend an afternoon in Rafina.

There are ferries going to the Cyclades and Evia, going in and out of the harbor and lots of fishing boats. It's just like being on an island. There is a long beach there that is usually only crowded on Sunday. The town itself has a few too many apartment buildings for my taste but the waterfront is nice. There is nothing like spending the day with some close friends, some fried fish and several bottles of ouzo. For more on Rafina, please click HERE.


Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion

The temple at Cape Sounion was the first and last sign of 'civilization' Athenian sailors would see to and from their journeys. It's a magnificent site on top of a hill on the tip of the Attika peninsula. Not a bad place to watch the sunset either after a late lunch at a beach side taverna and there are two pretty good ones right below the temple. The small beach has sea almost as clean as you will find on the islands. Its one of the nicest beaches within striking distance of Athens. For more on Cape Sounion, please click HERE.


Lavrion

Lavrion which is the closest town to Sounion, has a lively waterfront and town center full of restaurants, ouzeries, cafe-bars and a very nice fish market. In fact you should stop and see the Lavrion mineral museum as well as the ancient site of Lavrion which has one of the best ancient ampitheaters. If it were not for the silver mines of Lavrion the ancient Greeks would not have defeated the Persians in the battle of Salamis since that was how they were able to build their fleet. For more on Lavrion, please click HERE.


Marathon

Everyone has heard the story of the Persian defeat at Marathon at the hands of the Athenians. Imagine marching several thousand miles only to be wiped out 27 miles from the city you came to conquer by an army a fraction of your size. Marathon is an interesting place to visit. There is not much to see of the battlefield really. There is a burial mound in an olive grove and a plaque that commemorates the great victory and a nice statue. You are not supposed to climb up the mound but from the looks of the worn footpath many people do, including me. There is also the place where the race begins. The beach at Marathon is pretty nice and nearby Schinias is even better. But the most amazing thing about Marathon is the marble dam that holds the water that supplies Athens. It is the only marble dam in the world and it is quite spectacular. For more on Marathon, please click HERE.


Schinias

Schinias is the most beautiful beach in Attika. It is one of the few beaches that has a pine forest that comes right down to the sea and there are several fish tavernas which run on diesel generators since there is no electricity there. The sea is shallow, generally clean, and if you come in the off-season which means anytime but August and weekends in July, you may be surprised at how few people are here. Because it is shallow you don't need more than a few days of sunshine for it to be warm enough to swim and this is usually the first and last place I swim every year. For more on Schinias, please click HERE.


Vouliagmeni

Besides being somewhere to go for the day, Vouliagmeni is close enough to Athens so that you can stay on the beach and still get into the city to see the sites. Astir beach at Vouliagmeni is one of the nicest beaches near the city and it is one of the few beaches in the world that has the ruins of a temple, to Apollo, the Sun God, of course. You have to pay to get into the beach but once you get in there are umbrellas, cabanas to change, beach chairs and a bar and snack bar.  For more on Vouliagmeni, please click HERE.

Porto Germenos

Porto Germanos is the best place to swim in Attika. The sea is postcard blue in color and the beach and town sit at the end of a large bay that faces west, with pine covered mountains on three sides. There is a modern looking town with houses and small apartment buildings, like condos, but the impression, at least in early May, is of a small coastal village somewhere more remote than Attika. If you have a free day and want to swim in the kind of sea you usually find in the Sporades, its worth the trip. But the most impressive part of Porto Germanos is the fortress and ruins of ancient Egosthena. The 4th Century BC fortress itself is the most impressive in Greece from that period with much of the walls and the towers still intact. For more on Porto Germenos, please click HERE.

Author and blogger, Marissa Tejada, from Travel Greece Travel Europe, travels to Nafpaktos and shares her favourite things to do!

The Venetian Castle of Nafpaktos is one very large and incredibly preserved structure that you simply can’t miss. It can be seen from the harbor and from many points in town. The castle is what gives this place – set on a sparkling aqua blue corner of the Corinthian Gulf – its defining charm.

The Botsari Museum is part of the Venetian Tower of Botsaris. It is a historic landmark that is run by the charitable Botsaris Foundation. It is worth a stop to view a collection replica paintings and engravings that give insight into the great Battle of Lepanto of 1571.

Every coastal town, big or small, in Greece has beautiful beaches and Nafpaktos is no exception. The names of the two city beaches are known as Psani and Gribovo and have been accredited with Blue Flag status.

To read this article in full, please visit: Travel Greece Travel Europe

It is finally on its way. In a few days’ time the 1st “Greek Panorama” exhibition will open its curtain at the Grand Central Terminal in the Vanderbilt Hall, in Manhattan, hoping to achieve a successful representation of Greece abroad.

The exhibition will offer free entrance to the public on May 12th and May 13th, from 10:00 AM until 06:00 PM, while everything that is included in the “Greek Panorama B2B sessions”, which is exclusively for professionals, will take place on May 11th, 2017 and the feedback of this event is extremely promising since the participations are already beyond every expectation.

The B2B is peeking the interest of many professionals who are involved in the American traveling market, as it is offering a unique opportunity for them to meet in person with people representing Greek tourist businesses and destinations. This particular event at the Greek Panorama will be organized at the high-end assembly hall “Kellari” and will include shows by famous chefs creating a variety of Greek delicacies.

A Greek expatriate as well as the entire Greek American community is standing by the side of this initiative. Important people will be there, such as the ultramarathon runner Konstantinos (Dean) Karnazes, who will be signing his book “The road to Sparta” and also the former NFL player, Niko Koutouvides.

At the time of the exhibition the first copy of the Greek American magazine Hellas Blu will be published, which includes interviews of the Greek NBA star Giannis Antetokoumpo, Dean Karnazes and the famous chef Maria Loe, who runs her own business in New York.

Greek Panorama” and its corresponding events are the main constituents of the plan of action created by the Hellas North American Events Inc. regarding North America markets, considering that the plan includes actions and initiatives throughout the year.

Shortly before the exhibition opens its doors, the general manager of North Events, Mr. Leonidas Babanis, pointed out: “I am very excited that we are just a few moments before the beginning of the exhibition, which aims to promote Greece everywhere! Having tourism, culture and gastronomy as the key points, a successful recipe is created so that the essence of Greece will originally take over New York and eventually the world. The overwhelming enrollments for the B2B event allow us to dream that the “Greek Panorama” is not only a yearly exhibition but an establishment for the future. I want to thank all those who have stood and are still standing beside us such as the Greek embassy in Washington, the Ministry of Tourism, the Hellenic-American Chamber of Tourism and Greek National Tourism Organization, Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), the Federation of Hellenic Associations of Travel & Tourist Agencies (FedHATTA), Hellenic Hotel Federation (HHF) and the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH). More importantly, though, we have to thank the people, our expatriates, who from the beginning have shown that they are beside us. Finally, we will be waiting for you on May 12th and 13th at the Grand Central Terminal to enjoy Greece”.

It should be noted that the available exposure areas in the Greek Panorama exhibition are limited and due to the interest already expressed, the participation requests will be processed in priority order.

Official Hashtag: #greekpanorama

Double gold distinction at the Sports Marketing Awards 2017

The Olympic “family” of “Navarino Challenge” grows and returns for a 5th consecutive year on October 13-15 2017, in Messinia and Costa Navarino.

Every year “Navarino Challenge”, honors the athletes who stand out for their overall contribution to sports. Honoree person at this year's event will be the Olympic gold medalist in Rio and world champion in the rings, Lefteris Petrounias who has made proud all Greeks not only with his successes but also with his ethics. Petrounias, is considered an exemplary athlete for young people, who has already won a gold Olympic medal, two gold medals in the world gymnastics championships, as well as four gold and one bronze in European tournaments and championships in rings.

The multiple award-winning sports tourism event of Messinia continues with new distinctions; following the Gold Ermis Award as best sports tourism event, another important recognition came at the Sports Marketing Awards 2017, which highlight the best practices in the marketing and communication of the Greek sports market.

On Wednesday, July 12, “Navarino Challenge” remained in the top level by winning not just one, but two gold awards. In particular, the event received a gold award at the “Sports Events / Branded Events” section, in the category “Live Well” for the values promoted through its program of activities. As an event that attracted thousands of participants, reinforced the local community, promoted the athletic ideal and contributed to the strengthening of a healthy lifestyle, distinguishing itself in terms of design, creativity, innovation, efficiency and effectiveness.

The second gold award was received in the “Sports Brands” section of the “Integrated Marketing Campaign” category for the best communication and marketing campaign launched in 2016, in the light of strong creativity, ingenuity, originality and excellence.

“Navarino Challenge”, which takes place in Costa Navarino and throughout Messinia, is innovating every year and now composes not only the event with the most sports activities but also with the most Olympic sports, contributing to the promotion of sports and the promotion of Greek tourism.

Registrations for “Navarino Challenge” continue with an undiminished pace and everyone can take part by completing the special entry form available by clicking here.

Participants may select to run in one of the following routes, the exquisite Half Marathon (21,1km), the 10 km route and the 5km run (for running and dynamic walking), while at the same day children may run the 1km running route. This year, there will be race timing for all runners. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to swim in the beautiful Navarino bay at the picturesque port of Pylos, covering the unique swimming route of one mile (1.6 km.) and take part in the Stand Up Paddling race by BIC® Sport that will be held with the support of the best surf club, Surf Salad!

Travel to “Navarino Challenge” with the multiple award-winning airline company Qatar Airways, by using the promo code ATHNAVCH to book an exclusive offer for roundtrip tickets to Athens from over 150 places, by clicking here!

Offer is valid from 3 to 15 October 2017 included (Outbound) and (Inbound) to be completed on or before 25 October 2017. This offer refers to roundtrip tickets to Athens from more than 150 destinations. Participants should be ready for even more surprises to be announced by the official airline partner of the event.

In addition, Vikos company will support and refresh for one more year the audience and participants of the event with the Natural Mineral Water "Vikos", while ambassadors and organizers will move with the safety of the cars of Ford Motor Hellas.

The privileged accommodation packages at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino are available for those wishing to enjoy the full schedule of “Navarino Challenge”, which includes more than 10 free sports activities. For further information click here!

“Navarino Challenge” will be held under the Auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization with the support of Costa Navarino and The Westin Resort Costa Navarino, as well as the Municipalities of Pylos-Nestor and Trifilia.

More information will be announced in the next few weeks.

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Hashtags: #navarinochallenge #costanavarino #eatwell #runwell #livewell

Photo: Greek Olympic gold medalist and world champion in the rings, Lefteris Petrounias will be the honoree person of "Navarino Challenge"

 

Official Airline Partner: Qatar Airways

Official Sponsors: “Vikos” Natural Mineral Water, Ford Motor Hellas

Official Supporters: BIC®, BIC® Sport, Wyndham Grand Athens, Poseidonia, Surf Salad

Assisted by: Navarino Outdoors, Swim Academy, Navarino Racquet Academy, Apia

Strategic Partner: National Geographic

Under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization

Turkey’s ban on Turkish ships sailing to the Greek islands has been lifted following a meeting between Greek Shipping Minister Panagiotis Kouroublis and Turkish Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan in Athens. This comes after the recent ban from a statement made September 25, 2017.

According to Mr. Arslan, passenger ferry services will continue to run normally since the two sides recognized each other’s importance in tourism and the economy.

As the Turkish Minister explained, the problem arose because Turkey could not take the risk of losing the white flag on the list.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Reporter

The editors of ARCHAEOLOGY, the publication of the Archaeological Institute of America, revealed the 10 most compelling archaeological finds of the year. Among them is a Greek relic discovered near Ancient Olympia.

 

Scientists have dated the newly discovered excerpt back to the third century A.D. at the latest and believe it is likely the oldest inscribed section of the Odyssey ever to be found in Greece.

The inscription consists of the first 13 verses of the poem’s 14th book, in which Odysseus finally returns home to Ithaca. “I think the brick was inscribed at some point, and later it was used for construction,” says Erofili-Iris Kolia, director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia.

In the past few weeks, governments around the world have enacted dramatic measures to mitigate the threat of COVID-19, that have significantly transformed every aspect of our everyday lives.

The changes have been sudden, driven by widespread recognition that it’s a public health emergency. It's too soon to know whether these measures will prove to be effective but what is absolutely clear is that the pandemic response is in stark contrast to the lack of effective action on climate change. What would it look like if the world responded to the climate crisis with a similar sense of urgency?

“We’ve seen that governments can act, and people can change their behavior, in a very short amount of time,” says May Boeve, executive director of the climate advocacy group 350.org. “And that’s exactly what the climate movement has been asking governments and people to do for years in the face of a different kind of threat—the climate crisis—and we don’t see commensurate action. On the one hand, it shows that it’s possible to do this, and it’s possible for this kind of mobilization of resources to take place in a short amount of time. In that sense, that’s encouraging. But we were never in doubt of that aspect.” 

The similarities between the two cases are indisputable, so, why do the responses to COVID-19 and climate change differ so dramatically? They both require making difficult decisions to avert future disasters and the scientific community is offering clear warnings about what to do. Also, public health is jeopardized in both cases. In fact, climate change has the potential to end up killing more people than COVID-19 in the long run. Climate change is responsible for the increased frequency of natural disasters, such as extreme heat-waves that have killed many people, not to mention that the same pollutants that contribute to climate change also cause air pollution that kills millions each year. Due to climate change, food and water shortages are worsened and mosquito-borne diseases are more likely to spread as mosquitoes move into new regions. And as with coronavirus, climate change affects the most vulnerable first. 

If the world was responding to climate change like it’s responding to the coronavirus things would be entirely different. Governments would come up with the funds to build the infrastructure needed to fully roll out renewable energy. In cities, development rules would change to require low-carbon construction, while farms would shift to regenerative agriculture. Just as the airline industry is struggling because of the coronavirus, some industries like the coal and gas industry would see real impacts so we would have to think of ways to support the workers from those industries. 

Just like with the coronavirus, a lot of things would have to happen quickly and simultaneously. Right now, governments are acting on the advice of health professionals, people are showing trust in the public health community, accepting the fact that a number of measures need to be put in place and policymakers are acting. The level of response gives us hope that a strong climate change policy can eventually be achieved. After all, the policies exist; they've been drafted and waiting to be enacted. In fact, the policy changes required to mitigate climate change appear far less disruptive both economically and socially than the measures to tackle COVID-19. 

To read this article in full please visit fastcompany.com