Greece Travel: Around Delphi
If you are visiting Delphi don't miss these other interesting places in mainland Greece
Just 12 kilometers from Delphi this small town is
famous for its flocati rugs, cheese, honey and wine.
Most tour buses stop here as do most people going to
Delphi on their own. Because it is smaller then the
town of Delphi some people base themselves here though
in the summer many cafes and restaurants close down
since Arahova is primarily a center for skiing in the
winter. The Patron saint of Saint George and his feast
day is celebrated on April 23rd with a village
festival of eating, drinking and dancing plus a race
of senior citizens up the hill the village. The winner
gets a lamb that is brought down from Parnassus by the
local shepherds and the survivors get their chance
again next year. If the saint day falls within lent
however, it is postponed to the Tuesday after Easter.
Above Arahova is the Corycian Grotto, the cave that in
ancient times was dedicated to Pan and where women
from the surrounding areas would gather every five
years, wearing disguises, to dance by torch light
through the night. For information on winter skiing
contact
Fantasy
Travel
. See
also
www.greektravel.com/winter
Monastery of Osiou Louka
This 11th
century monastery built on the slopes of Mount
Hellicon has two inter-connecting churches. The great
octagonal church of Agios Loukas contains the tomb of
the saint, though the bones have been sent to Rome. It
also contains some of Greece's finest Byzantine
frescos and icons by Michael Damaskinos, the 16th
century Cretan icon painter. The wall paintings in the
crypt are from the 11th century. The views from the
monastery terrace are spectacular and there is also a
small cafe. The monastery open from 8am to 7pm daily
but is closed between 2 and 4 pm from may to September
and you can't get in wearing shorts.
West Along the Coast
There
are numerous beaches and coves along the coast
below Delphi and heading west towards Nafpaktos.
Kira was the ancient port of Delphi and has
a decent beach and two campsites.
Galaxidi(photo) was a 19th century ship
building center, has a number of hotels and a
naval museum. There is an old castle, a 13th
century monastery and many old mansions. It is one
of the most beautiful towns on the gulf of Corinth
and well worth a stop for lunch or to visit the
ducks who have a floating apartment building in
the middle of the harbor. You may even want to
spend a day or so here.
Nafpaktos
is one of the most interesting towns in the area
and has perhaps the most impressive castle in
Greece after Nafplio. Known as Lepanto in the
middle ages a famous naval battle took place here
in 1571. The town has a beautiful fortified harbor
and a platanos shaded main square. There are two
long attractive beaches on either side of the
harbor and lots of restaurants, cafes and hotels.
The surrounding area is quite green. Be sure to go
as high as you can get to see the castle and the
amazing view of the town and the Peloponessos
across the gulf of Corinth.
You can cross cross over to the Peloponessos by
ferry at the small town of Agios Nicholaos
a few kilometers beyond Galaxidi. The ferry trip
takes around 45 minutes and they run every couple
of hours but if you miss one you can always swim
at the small beach nearby or continue on to
Antirion to Rion where the trip is
shorter and the ferries go back and forth as fast
as they can fill up, sometimes every couple of
minutes. Enjoy the ride because now that the
bridge has been built the days are numbered for
the ferries. From Rion you can go west to
Patras or go east and head back to Athens
about two hours away.
