Greece was a bucket list country for us so we couldn’t wait until we would get a chance to finally visit it. And this year we finally drove there, after completing the exploration of Albania. We didn’t see all of the places that we planned to see as there’s still so much to explore in this country as well as the amazing Greek islands but we still managed to see a lot, spending a month driving through the beautiful mainland of Greece. So let’s dive into the 9 places that are worth seeing in Greece and that we visited with a motorhome!
Ioannina
The first city that we visited, driving from Albania, was Ioannina, also the capital of Epirus, a region in Greece. The city is located by the wonderful Lake Pamvotida, the largest lake in Epirus. At first, we didn’t intend to explore much of Ioannina since it was the first rest stop arriving from Albania but when we got there, it soon became clear that this city is such a beautiful place that it would be a shame not to explore it more.
Lake Pamvotida promenade is one of the first that catches the interest and it holds the most beauty of this place, along with Ioannina Island, a small island in the lake which is accessible by boat or ferry from Ioannina. While walking at the promenade, the Castle of Ioannina and the Fethiye Mosque are unmissable attractions which I highly recommend exploring as well as the charming streets of Ioannina’s old town.
If you are in search of a stunning view of Ioannina and Lake Pamvotida, I recommend driving up the mountain road to the Lingiades village where there are several restaurants with a panoramic view of the city and lake below, also one of our favorite places in Greece.
Meteora
The Monasteries of Meteora is one of the most famous spots in Greece, also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and definitely deserves all the praise. The nature is outstanding and nothing like I have seen before with the monasteries that have been built many centuries ago on the rocks makes the place memorable. We left our motorhome at a spot by the road on the way to the monasteries, shortly before the Holy Monastery of Rousanou, and walked the rest of the way to explore the monasteries. The walk wasn’t very long, about 45 minutes to 1 hour to get to the furthest monastery but absolutely worth it – the views were immaculate.
Nowadays only six monasteries are still active, the closest to the town of Kalabaka being the Holy Monastery of St. Stephen. Along the way the next monastery you will encounter is the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Monastery of Rousanou following next, the Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapafsas the next one, Holy Monastery of Varlaam and the Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron being the furthest ones to visit. After the last monasteries, there’s also the Monastery of Ypapanti but unfortunately, currently, it’s closed for any visits.
I would also recommend spending a day in the town of Kalabaka. It’s a small town but the old town is very beautiful and in Kalabaka, we had the best gyros in the whole of Greece, as well as an excellent firework show on New Year’s Eve.
Preveza
Preveza, a city in the Epirus region, located at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf, was the perfect seaside city with such a relaxing atmosphere and beautiful colors. We had a chance to stay at one of the seaside ports and enjoy the beautiful scenery of blue water and mountains around, as well as we were close to the old town which was very lovely with a lot of coffee and food options. In Preveza, we also had a chance to try the traditional Christmas Greek cookies and since we are very picky with sweets, I can guarantee that these were truly amazing!
Nafplio
When we arrived at Nafplio, I immediately fell in love with this place. The cactuses, palm trees, mountains, the seaside of the Argolic Gulf, the old town – everything spoke to my heart and left me with a strong feeling that one day I will be returning to this gorgeous place again.
Nafplio is located in the Peloponnese region and is the capital of a regional unit Argolis. It is a popular spot for a reason, one of them is the fortress of Bourtzi which is located on a small island in the middle of the Nafplio harbor and is easily accessible from the city.
Palamidi Castle
The best part of Nafplio, in my opinion, is the Palamidi Castle which is easily visible from the city below. The castle stands 216 m above sea level and offers outstanding views of both Nafplio and the area around it. To get there, you can take a long climb up the stairs which is said to be around 999 steps that start in the old town or you can drive from the other side where there is a mountain road.
Google maps mistakenly took me not to the steps but to the road and I walked up to the castle on the side of the mountain road which wasn’t very pleasant so I was glad when I found the steps down from the castle and easily got to the city afterward. The price to explore the castle in the off-season (November till March) is 4 Euros and in the season (April till October) 8 Euros. I highly recommend exploring the castle for its breathtaking views.
Paralia Arvanitias beach
If you are looking forward to a day by the beach in Nafplio, the best one that I visited was Paralia Arvanitias. The beach has crystal blue water, beautiful cliffs around it, and even changing rooms. We were there in January so sadly we didn’t try to swim but a few Greeks were not taken aback by the winter chilliness and happily enjoyed their swim. I can imagine what a fantastic time in the summertime there can be.
Corinth Canal
Corinth Canal is an unusual tourist destination but very interesting. The artificial canal connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It separates the land in half, making the Peloponnese peninsula like an island from the mainland. It is 6.4 km in length and only 24.6 m wide, making it not usable for modern-day ships, therefore, being only a tourist attraction but still holding historical importance and uniqueness.
Corinth
Corinth is a very interesting town. It might seem at the beginning that there isn’t that much to see but the town is still worth walking around as it holds a lot of important history. During Roman times, Corinth was one of the wealthiest and largest city-states in Greece. Today ancient Corinth is about 7 km away from modern Corinth, still having ruins from the times like the Temple of Apollo and Acrocorinth. Modern Corinth has a very tragic past – the town experienced earthquakes in 1858 and 1928, and a great fire in 1933 forced reconstructing of the buildings in the town, resulting in a different architecture than in other Greek towns, blending the new buildings with the older ones.
Athens
Athens, being the capital of Greece, is a must for visiting the mainland. From famous ancient ruins to modern-day architecture, from delicious food to inspiring culture, the city is one of the bucket list destinations for a reason. I didn’t imagine how vibrant the city is with the neighborhoods with street art and chic bars, with the ancient Greek ruins, the Mediterranean weather and nature, also being the historical capital of Europe and the birthplace of democracy, western civilization philosophy, and much more! Athens is a very colorful and memorable place and a complete necessity for visiting Greece.
Read here about the 13 places to visit in Athens!
Laurium
Laurium, a port town in the Attica region, on the Aegean Sea was a very peaceful rest from the lively Athens. The town is small therefore there might not be a lot to see but it is very lovely and even one day can show the beauty of this place. The old town has some very good restaurants and coffee options, while the seaside ports offer a great place for a calm walk overlooking the water, mountains, and boats. If you are keen on learning about archeology, there is an Archeological Museum of Laurium and also a Mineralogical Museum of Laurium.
Thermopylae Hot Springs
One of my favorite places in Greece was the Thermopylae Hot Springs. Located 20 minutes car drive from the city of Lamia and about a 2-hour drive from Athens, it is truly a hidden gem of Greece. In January, when the temperatures dropped down to a little bit more than zero degrees Celsius at night, it was a complete dream to soak in the hot water for no cost at all!
The hot springs stretch a long way so you can freely enjoy them not surrounded by a lot of people but going further away from the start of the spring, there are little pools where most people drive to and even camp there for a longer period. We stayed for two nights and it was such a wonderful experience both during the day and even late at night when the moon shone over the water, the stars so bright above us and the water so warm that the chilly run in the swimming suit back to the motorhome wasn’t even that unbearable.
Greece proves to be an amazing country, with the most exquisite nature, views, food, history, and culture. I absolutely plan on exploring Greece more in the future, the islands without any doubt but also there is so much more to explore on the mainland that it would be a pity to not see the rest of the beauty that this country holds.
If you’re planning on traveling to the mainland of Greece, make sure to check out my other blog posts about 8 things to know before traveling there and 13 places to visit in Athens!
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