One of the most tedious journeys – from Athens to Patra – will now take an hour and 40 minutes following the opening of the new Olympia Odos motorway.

As a continuation of the Athens-Corinth highway, the 120km two-lane (total of four lanes) Olympia Odos was officially launched by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

There are 12 new tunnels across the Corinth-Patra motorway. The PM also added that the overhaul of the Athens-Patra suburban railway was in the pipeline.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

 

Photo Credit: Olympia Odos

Author and travel blogger, Marissa Tejada from Travel Greece Travel Europe, shares her secrets to making Sundays in Athens great. While many businesses close on Sunday, Tejada gives us her local insight, giving us plenty of options for a fun Sunday!

Located in the shadow of the Acropolis, Monastiraki is a part of what is known as Old Athens. The neighborhoods surrounding the ancient monument are just as ancient and full of charm.

Plaka is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the world. While you could consider it a touristy section of town — it is totally picturesque and a great place to walk and shop.

While the retail shops are closed on Ermou Street and other retail districts on Sundays, Plaka’s family owned shops are open. So, if you are walking around Plaka during your Sunday in Athens, you can shop for some quality Greek goods.

On Sundays at 10:30 a.m. in Syntagma Square, the presidential guard marches from their barracks to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A good photo opportunity to snap photos of the traditionally dressed evzones.

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

Fraport Greece is finally taking over the 40-year management of 14 regional airports across Greece in one of the country’s largest privatization operations to be completed.

Made up of German airport operator Fraport and Greece’s Copelouzos Group, Fraport Greece will begin renovation and construction works at the said airports. The company entered a 357-million-euro agreement with Intracom’s Intrakat construction company for the overhaul works.

The airports at the 14 regions across Greece include three mainland gateways (Thessaloniki, Aktion, and Kavala) and 11 airports on Greek islands (Chania on Crete, Kefalonia, Kos, Mykonos, Lesvos, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos and Zakynthos).

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

 

Photo Credit: Greek Travel Pages

Swimming and running are included in the 3-days sport event at the “sacred” island!

For the first time the island of the Dodecanese will carry out high-level sporting activities. "Patmos Revelation" opens its doors and the Municipality of Patmos in cooperation with Active Media Group aims to highlight the element of sport tourism.

Sport tourism has the potential to offer the island, in addition to being a religious destination, the opportunity to become an alternative choice that will attract visitors to Patmos, who will get acquainted with a different and unprecedented experience, while preserving the mystical atmosphere of the island.

"Patmos Revelation" will take place between June 30 and July 2, 2017, where the island will host running races and open water swimming races, for professional and amateur athletes, for both young and old, with the presence of Greek Olympic and world champions. The event’ s goal is the growth of tourism on an undeniably beautiful island, offering alternative forms of tourism that enable the visitor to combine fun with sports and the knowledge of the history of the place. The event will offer a full package of entertainment to the participants leaving behind wonderful memories!

Patmos, moreover, has a great and enormous religious history, as it is the island in which Ioannis the Theologian lived exile and wrote the "Apocalypse", which is one of the greatest chapters of Christianity. "Jerusalem of the Aegean", as it is known worldwide, is a heavy heritage of religion, as it has been declared "Sacred Island" by the Greek state. At the same time, it is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is part of the COESIMA network as one of the seven most important places of pilgrimage in Europe.

The mayor of Patmos, Grigoris Stoikos, among other things, stressed, “We are delighted to organize "Patmos Revelation" for the first time on our hospitable island. Patmos is famous as a destination that combines religious devoutness and natural beauty. Visitors of the island can enjoy the cave of the Apocalypse, the Castle-Monastery of St. John the Theologian, which is imposing on the top, the town of Chora, which is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, wonderful landscapes, dreamy seas and natural tranquility. The reason we chose to bring sport tourism to Patmos is because we want to showcase the beauties of our island by attracting people of all ages to visit us, while offering knowledge, fun and hospitality. In this way, visitors-athletes will be able to get to know the island through running races as well as open water swimming. "Patmos Revelation" aims to attract new friends and future fans to our island.We are waiting for you to participate and meet an island, which is ready to embrace you, an Apocalypse island...”.

In terms of travel and accommodation for those who participate in “Patmos Revelation”, there will be attractive packages with many privileges. For an island where the main obstacle is access, the organization has secured special routes to facilitate the participants. At the same time, more information will be announced in the next few weeks regarding the opening of registrations and the program of the activities.

Official Sponsors: Blue Star Ferries, Natural Mineral Water "Vikos"

For more information, please visit: Patmos Revelation

Photo Credit: Elias Koutoumanos

Living Postcards from Greece is a series of short videos that give life to traditional postcards, depicting the country’s mountains, urban landscapes, ancient monuments and sea. Led by photographer Emmanouil Papadopoulos, the project reveals and shares the beauty of Greece, signaling the transition of traditional tourism campaigns to a digital age.

Below are Living Postcards from Karydi Beach in Halkidiki and the White Tower in Thessaloniki!






To view more Living Postcards, please visit: The Greek Foundation

Photo Credit: The Greek Foundation

By launching flights to Voronezh, the global carrier reaffirms its ongoing expansion strategy to provide travelers with the greatest number of travel destination options. With existing services to Moscow, St.Petersburg, Sochi, Rostov, Kazan, Ekaterinburg, Ufa, and Stavropol, Turkish Airlines has now added Voronezh to its expanding Russian network.

Due to the carrier’ capacity increase strategy on its Russia flights, roundtrip services between Istanbul and Voronezh will be operated as 3 times per week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Flight TK 481 departs IST Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 01:05 and arrives VOZ 03:45.

Flight TK 482 departs VOZ Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 04:40 and arrives IST 07:40.

About Turkish Airlines 

Established in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines is a 4-star airline today with a fleet of 337 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to 298 destinations worldwide with 249 international and 49 domestic. For more information on Turkish Airlines, please visit Turkish Airlines’ official website.

 

Photo Credit: Turkish Airlines

Katerina Kamprani is a young talented designer from Greece. Her 'Uncomfortable Project,' which started as a study of everyday objects and what makes them useful, went viral and has become a big success. The 'Uncomfortable' objects have been exhibited in Greece and abroad and few of them were used in an ad campaign for SMART.

Interview with Katerina and Greek TV

Greek TV: What is the idea behind the Uncomfortables?

KK: The idea is to redesign everyday objects so they are uncomfortable to use, but not completely useless. The challenge is to make minor changes to the object so the user will recognize it, simulate the steps he needs to make in order to use it and then be surprised from the faulty design.

Greek TV: How did you come up with the idea of the Uncomfortable Project?

KK: First of all, I am a design enthusiast so I was always following blogs that showcase creative design or art projects with all sorts of unusual objects and I always wanted to do something of my own one day. After working a few years as an architect, I decided to begin a master’s degree on design. There I got familiar with the terms User Interaction and User Experience. I found out that the design process of an architect is quite different from that of an industrial designer which is very user-oriented. I never got to finish my studies and some months later I found myself drawing a sketch of an uncomfortable toilet room in a piece of paper while I was at work. I thought it would be hilarious to make uncomfortable objects and I tried to think of some more until I realized it was actually a challenge to break the established images I had for everyday objects. And then I got stuck. I had to think and design more!

To read this interview in full, please visit: Greek TV

If you’re looking for a romantic getaway, Greece is the perfect choice! Travel Greece Travel Europe shares 12 gorgeous and romantic destinations to choose from.

In the capital of Greece, a lot of romance can be uncovered among the marble ruins. It’s also a city surrounded by nature, so if you know where to go – the urban views are breathtaking.

Another one of my picks for the most romantic destinations in Greece is this little Saronic island, which happens to be one of the closest to Athens. Hydra has one of the most picture perfect ports in Greece. No cars are scooters are permitted here – donkeys are the capable transporters. In Hydra, there’s peace and quiet. The atmosphere is simple, natural, traditional and super romantic.

You don’t need to go to the islands to feel the romance. Another one of the most romantic destinations in Greece is Pelion. Boasting lush mountains and a beautiful coastline, this peninsula in central Greece is a year-round destination. This region is known for its atmospheric mountain villages complete with incredible panoramic views and quaint cobbled walking paths.

Greece’s second largest city is known among Greeks as 'the city of love.' With the longest boardwalk in Europe, famous sunsets and a reputation for its fine and modern art, Thessaloniki is definitely one of the most romantic destinations in Greece.

This destination in central Greece can be described, like Santorini, as out of this world. Meteora is a natural, historic and spiritual wonder where historic monasteries were built on the sky-high peaks of incredible rock formations. Ever heard of that? It exists and its jaw dropping.

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

Photo Credit: Travel Greece Travel Europe

In the annual awards that TIME magazine gives, choosing 10 destinations within the U.S. and 7 in the rest of the world, they include Crete as 3rd most important place in the world! “If the last time you thought about Crete was in a lesson on Greek history, now is the time to think about visiting it”, writes the TIME magazine.

“It has world renowned sites, such as the Palace of Knossos, beautiful beaches and wonderful tavernas which serve fresh seafood, homemade raki and local cheeses”, the article states.

The magazine suggests that now is good time to visit Crete, as the prices of flights and hotels have fallen. They also suggest that anyone visiting should not miss seeing Elafonisi and Balos.

Article Source: Fonien