It is the capital of the Greek north, the lady of Macedonia which, without rejecting at a lot of parts the traditional, the Byzantine and the Roman colour has changed into a modem town, a real ornament of Greece. The county of Thessaloniki has a lot of interests. Mountainous countryside, sandy beaches archaeological monuments, among which very important is the museum with the unique in the world finds of the royal tombs in Vergina and of the other ancient towns of Macedonia. The county is offered for vacations of every economical level. It has luxurious hotels, organized tourist establishments, natural beauties in quiet places, and variety of entertainment in urban or tourist centers, opportunities for sea and mountain sports. The town of Thessaloniki itself, contemporary, European but with a particularly private colour and charm constitutes the second industrial and trade centre of Hellas (Greece).
The first person that lived in Greece and in Europe has lived, according to the Palaeolithic discoveries, in Chalkidiki. This at least proves the 600.000 years human skull that was found in the Cavern of Petralona. In the archaic times the beach line of Macedonia was colonised from other Greek cities-states of that age. At the 8th century BC, residents from Eretrja and Chalcis settle and also give their name in the area.
Athens, which gave birth to democracy, was named a capital of the Greek state in 1834. The first modern Olympic games became in Athens in 1896 and are repeated one century afterwards in 2004, with 28 Olympic sports and are first of the new millennium. The emblem of Athens and of the today's civilised world is the Parthenonas. Built above in the Acropolis it does not cease to remind us the difficult seasons it has passed, that keeps pace with the difficulties that the entire Greek population passed. However no matter how much this symbol of culture has suffered, remains wilfully the source of inspiration and light for the all the world.
Have a swim at the wide sandy beaches in the company of sea turtles, go snorkelling or scuba diving between rocks and in underwater caves. Take a sailboat out or go surfing. Make a trekking-tour in the mountain-areas. Enjoy the great weather on the sunniest island in the Mediterranean , and let yourself be swept away by the rhythms of Zakynthian life, joining the hospitable people of this island. But that's not all. Zakynthos (its total size is 406 square km) has much more to offer, so use the special links on the left navigation board to see the aspects of this island of sea turtles, in which you may have an interest . The beaches of Zakynthos are hosting the last and most important concentration of Loggerhead " Caretta caretta " nesting sites in the Mediterranean .
The Cyclades include a total from 56 islands and rocky islands from which biggest than these are: Amorgos, Anafi, Andros, Antjparos, Delos, Ios, Kea, Kimolos, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Serifos, Siphnos, Syra, Tinos, Folegandros and the Small Eastern Cyclades. Gone around by Mediterranean with the full white lodges they are lost in the light blue sky and the sea. These islands are stretched out round the holy island of Delos. It gets to know the glory and remained in the history with one from the more important periods in the history of ancient Europe, the Cycladitic Civilisation.