This week’s Island of the Week is our personal favourite here at The Greek Specialist, the Cyclades Island of Sifnos. Located in the west of the Cyclades, Sifnos very much has a similar feel and look. Most notably with the white-washed houses with shutters and the white walled churches with the blue roofs. It has a number of great beaches and its capital Apollonia, is full of close winding streets packed with restaurants and tavernas, so much so that in July and August it resembles a little Mykonos. This time of year is also when the nightlife is the best. From experience of having been there countless times here is our list of the best things to do in Sifnos.
How to Get There Sifnos doesn’t have an airport so you will need to fly into Athens and then get the ferry from Piraeus port. Sifnos is on the Western Cyclades line and ferries tend to run at least twice a day from there. You can also fly domestically from Athens to its neighbour Milos and then get the ferry from there which takes around 45/50 mins. You can fly into Athens directly from Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Luton, Edinburgh and Stansted. Gastronomy One of the things that really sets Sifnos apart from the rest is its food. Known across Greece for their skills in the kitchen, people from Sifnos have a number of recipes which really delight. There’s even a rumour that if you’re in the Greek Navy and the cook on your ship is from Sifnos, you should feel very lucky. The dish that the island is most famous for is Revithada, a chickpea soup slow cooked for many hours. If you’re on the island on a Sunday we think this is the best time to get it, as the chefs take it down to the bakers on Sunday morning and it is slow cooked for 6-8 hours making it perfect for Sunday lunchtime. Our personal favourite restaurant for it is called Meropi. Another restaurant you must check out is Nus which has its own farm which creates a lot of the produce for the restaurant making it organic and delicious.
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This week's Destination of the Week is Pelion (Pronounced Pilio in Greek although spelt Πήλιο), a peninsula stuck out like an arm in eastern central Greece. The peninsula is one of the most beautiful areas of the mainland covered in luscious green forests which, in Greek mythology were said to be home to the centaurs. Unlike many popular areas of Greece, although it gets many tourists, tourism isn’t the area’s main source of income and it gets that instead from land and sea, producing large amounts of apples, pears, peaches and olives. If you want a flavour for the real Greece, Pelion is where you can find it. It’s mountainous and forested terrain means there is plenty to do and see here. In this article we’ll take you through the best things based on our personal experience with the area to help you make the most of your trip. How to get there To get to Pelion you have to fly into Volos which is the regional capital of the area. You can fly into Volos from London Gatwick and flights start at the beginning of the season at the end March. To best enjoy Pelion its worth renting a car to drive between the towns and villages of the peninsula, from Volos airport it can take you anywhere from 45 mins to 2 hours depending on whether you are staying in the north or south of the peninsula. Places such as Ano Lechonia, Afissos, Chorto or Damouchari are good to stay in but we can advise further at the time of enquiry. 1 – Take a train up to Milies
From the town of Ano Lechonia you can take The Pelion Train up the hill to the village of Milies. This train began operating more than a century ago in 1903 and is still run by steam train today even maintaining its vintage aesthetic both inside and out. When you reach Milies there are a number of things you can do there. There is a folk museum full of local artefacts and there are some beautiful frescoes at the Taxiarchis church (Church of the Archangels). This week’s Destination of the Week is Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece, has a very modern feel in part due to the major shopping streets around the centre and also the large student population from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. This doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of historical landmarks, some of which we will highlight in this. How to get there You can fly direct to Thessaloniki from Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, Stansted and Newcastle. As well as this it has many domestic flights and can be used to connect and reach some of the Islands. Thessaloniki is also the gateway to Halkidiki, if you're looking to go to Halkidiki read our best things to do there 1 – The White Tower
The White Tower is probably Thessaloniki’s most famous monument, built in 1430 it was originally part of the city walls and held prisoners. Today the tower houses the White Tower Museum which is dedicated to Thessaloniki’s history from the Roman Era to the present day. These exhibitions are held in its many small rooms up and down the tower and give you an insight into the forces that have shaped the city into the place it is today. The stairs will take you to the top and from there you can see out across much of the city. The discussions have taken place around the dinner table. The whole family has agreed - this years summer holiday should be Greece!
But, where in Greece? There are 227 inhabited islands and you have to take into account the needs of everyone in your family. Ok, so not all of them are really suitable for taking a holiday on but are you prepared for a bit of adventure and experience a local ferry to get to experience the real Greece or do you want to get off the plane and be at your hotel in 30 minutes? Are you wanting all inclusive or do you want to try the local restaurants? Is it that postcard picture experience that you want to achieve or do you want something off the beaten track that perhaps no-one else has heard of before? Let us try and take you through the options. |
AuthorGreece is a love affair for The Greek Specialist. Our first visit to the country came in 1997 and since then Blog Destinations
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