Central Greece, in Greek Sterea Ellada, stretches north of Athens and the Gulf of Corinth. It includes Boeotia, Phocis, Phthiotis, Evrytania and the large island of Euboea. With the Peloponnese it formed the core of the first Greek state.
What to see
| Place | Why |
|---|---|
| Delphi | Apollo's sanctuary, "navel of the world", on the slopes of Parnassus |
| Arachova | Lively mountain village famous for cheese, rugs and the nearby Parnassus ski resort |
| Hosios Loukas | 11th-century Byzantine monastery with gold mosaics, UNESCO |
| Galaxidi | Elegant sea captains' village with neoclassical houses on the Gulf of Corinth |
| Nafpaktos | The Venetian harbour of Lepanto, site of the 1571 battle |
| Thermopylae | The pass where in 480 BC Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans held off the Persians; monument and museum |
| Thebes | The city of Oedipus, with a fine archaeological museum |
| Karpenisi and Evrytania | "Greek Switzerland", with forests, gorges and mountain villages |
Euboea
Euboea is Greece's second-largest island, separated from the mainland by the Euripus Strait, so narrow at Chalcis that two bridges cross it; its currents change direction several times a day, a phenomenon that intrigued Aristotle. The island is little known to foreign tourists: it has very long beaches, wooded mountains, hot springs at Edipsos, traditional villages and the port of Kymi, for ships to Skyros. The north was devastated by the 2021 fires and is recovering.
Getting there
Delphi is about two and a half hours by car from Athens, Chalcis one hour. KTEL buses link Athens with Delphi, Arachova, Lamia and Euboea's towns. The Rio-Antirrio bridge links the north shore of the Gulf of Corinth with the Peloponnese.
See also Thessaly and places of myth.