Car Hire Greece – What to see & do!
Article by Mairead Foley
If you’re thinking about visiting Greece on your next holiday then there’s only one way to explore it – by car. Check out the buzzing metropolis of Athens, the laid back Greek villages, some spectacular islands (of which there are about 1,400!) and a dramatic coastline dotted with little villages and pristine beaches. This country also boasts a Mediterranean climate, delicious cuisine and some wonderful historical sights making it the perfect holiday destination.
Athens is the capital of Greece and one of the world’s oldest cities, so it’s rich in culture, heritage and history. Surrounded by three mountains, Athens is now a sprawling modern city which is dotted with some of the world’s most spectacular historic features and lots of Roman and Byzantine attractions. It has one of the longest historys in the world and has been inhabited for over 3,000 years.
We recommend you park the car outside the city and use the public transport to get around and see top attractions like the Acropolis, the ancient fortified town where the Parthenon is to be seen. You could also visit the National Archaeological Museum (the largest and most popular museum in the city) and the Byzantine Museum.
Greece Car Hire Tip: In Greece you drive on the right hand side of the road.
Piraeus is the city’s main port and is about 11km southwest of central Athens. It is said to be the biggest port in Europe and the 3rd biggest in the world! From Piraeus you can take your car hire by ferry to different Greek Islands like Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Zakynthos, Rhodes and Paros.
Drive the stunning Apollo Coast, which runs from Piraeus to Cape Sounion – about 70km south of Athens on Route 91. Cape Sounion is where you’ll see the famous Greek Temple of Poseidon, which was built about 444BC about the same time as the Parthenon.
Greece Car Hire Tip: It is illegal to use your mobile when driving in Greece.
If you head west of Athens on the E94 highway in the direction of Corinth, you’ll pass the Corinth Canal which separates the Peloponnese Pennisula with mainland Greece. As you enter the peninsula you’ll pass through the ancient city of Corinth, which was founded about 6,000 BC. Here you can see the spectacular Temple of Apollo.
With a car, it’s highly recommended that you visit Mycenae (a UNESCO world heritage site), which can be found 48km south of Corinth. Mycenae was one of the main centres of civilisation in Greece during the 2nd millennium BC. What you’ll see here is the ruins of palaces on the acropolis and ruined walls which are much older than most of the monuments in Classical Greece.
Greece Car Hire Tip: Usually the speed limit is 50km/hr in built up areas, 110km/hr outside of cities and 120km/hr on motorways.
Travel onto Sparta – once known for being a military state with one of the best armies in the Greek world. A major attraction in Sparta is the Temple of Artemis Orthia – it was here that young Spartan men would receive brutal public floggings. Or visit the Acropolis and Ancient Theatre, which was at one time, the largest in Greece with a capacity to hold up to 16,000 people.
Also on the Peloponnese Pennisula you could visit Nafplion and you’ll definitely see one of the most beautiful cities in Greece! Nafplion was once the capital of Greece and today is one of the major tourist destinations – especially if you’re looking for sun, sea and sand. The city has a beautiful coastal setting, narrow streets and lots of attractions like the Museum of Nafplion, the Peloponnese Folklore Foundation and the The Palamidi Fortress – one of the country’s greatest attractions.
By following the National Road Corinth – Athens you’ll end up back in Athens or if you’re travelling on to Olympia travel along the mountain road from Kalavrite or along the coast via Patras and Pyrgos. The historic city of Olympia hosted the first Olympic Games. There is an interesting museum here and also the famous Temple of Zeus, which was once the home to the statue of Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Greece Car Hire Tip: It is illegal to use the car horn in built up areas except in the case of an emergency.
About 180km north of Athens is one of the most popular archaeological sites in Greece, Delphi. This trip to Delphi comes highly recommended and can be done in a day if staying in Athens. In ancient times, Delphi was a very special place, so special it was said, that it was centre of the world and a place where heaven met earth! Delphi has long been associated with the God Apollo and this was where people would flock to worship him. Explore the famous Oracle and a collection of temples like the Sanctuary of Appollo, Temple of Pronaia Athena and the Theatre where chariot races were common place.
For the ski enthusiast, the slopes of Mount Parnassus which are over 8000 feet lie between Athens and Delphi and from December to April are extremely popular for skiing.
Greece Car Hire Tip: Try to avoid driving in Athens – it suffers from severe congestion, roads are confusing and trying to find a parking space is next to impossible!
A drive to the vibrant Greek city of Thessalonika from Athens is quite a pleasant experience, and although the two cities are about 500km apart, they’re connected by one of the best highways in the country. Thessalonika is the second largest city in Greece, and like most Greek cities it has its fair share of archaeological attractions and ruins. It’s a vibrant city so if it’s good Greek cuisine, fine wines and beers and a rip roaring nightlife you’re after, then this is the place for you!
If you’re up for a challenge then head for Mount Olympus, which is located south of the city on the E45. It’s the highest point in Greece and was believed to be the place where the ancient Gods lived!
Hope this gives you an idea of what to see when driving in Greece. Remember you can also hire a car in the popular Greek Islands of Corfu, Crete, Rhodes and Mykonos. So for a relaxing and casual look at beautiful Greece, get a good map and take to the road.
Mairead Foley writes for http://www.Novacarhire.com/ where you can book car hire at airports, ferry ports, rail stations, cities and towns all over the world.
Visit Novacarhire.com for all you need to know before you take to the roads in Greece, like where to go and what to see with your car hire. Book your Car hire Greece now.
Categories: Olympic Pennisula Tags: Greece, Hire
[HD] Go Green – Hoh Rainforest – Olympic Peninsula, NW Washington State, USA
![[HD] Go Green - Hoh Rainforest - Olympic Peninsula, NW Washington State, USA](http://www.sequimwashingtononline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/9c004_Olympic_Pennisula_default.jpg)
Stroll with us as we walk a popular trail near the visitor center of the Hoh Rain Forest. View Big Leaf Maples draped with large growths of Spike Moss and Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock. Coast Douglas-fir, Western Red Cedar, Red Alder, Vine Maple and Black Cottonwood are also found throughout the forest. Many unique mosses and lichens are also present in the rainforest, such as Lettuce Lichen, which “requires the cool, moist conditions found under the canopy of old-growth forests”. Bring your umbrella since this area is one of the few temperate rainforests in the US and receives 140 to 165 inches of precipitation a year! This sequence was shot in July, 2005. Music: Water Prelude ISRC: US-UAN-11-00017 by Kevin MacLeod,(incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons “Attribution 3.0″
Categories: Olympic Pennisula Tags: green, Olympic, Peninsula, Rainforest, State, Washington
“Olympic Pennisula mountain-forest-ocean-majesty” Rssargent’s photos around La Push, United States
Preview of Rssargent’s blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: www.travelpod.com This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Learn more about these videos: www.travelpod.com
Categories: Olympic Pennisula Tags: around, mountainforestoceanmajesty, Olympic, Pennisula, photos, Push, Rssargent's, States, United
Olympic Pennisula Harp
Kurt playing the harp while we’re camping on the Olympic Pennisula.
Video Rating: 0 / 5
Categories: Olympic Pennisula Tags: Harp, Olympic, Pennisula
National Geographic Magazine May 1984 Vesuvius
National Geographic Magazine May 1984 Vesuvius
National Geographic Magazine May 1984 Vesuvius
Kayapo
Olympic Pennisula
Krill
List Price: $ 11.00
Price:
Categories: Olympic Pennisula Tags: 1984, Geographic, Magazine, National, Vesuvius
Fly Fishing The Olympic Peninsula
Fly Fishing The Olympic Peninsula
Washington’s Olympic Peninsula can amply reward the fly-fisher who doesn’t mind putting a little effort into a day on the water. As the author says in his introduction, “if you can read water and don’t mind walking you can connect with large, wild fish … and if you seek solitude and wilderness when you fish, the beaches, rivers and lakes of Olympic National Park offer settings as remote and pristine as any place in the lower 48 states.” What follows is a narrative journey around this sp
List Price: $ 12.95
Price: $ 161.52
Categories: Olympic Pennisula Tags: fishing, Olympic, Peninsula
Day Hiking, Olympic Peninsula (Done in a Day)
Day Hiking, Olympic Peninsula (Done in a Day)
Introducing next-generation trail guides for the Northwest. We asked hikers what they want in a trail guide today and this is what they said: more day hikes, with options for extending the trip; hike selection conveniently arranged by highway and travel corridors; more hikes close to urban centers; more year-round hikes at low elevation; clear driving directions; a portable size; and more use of color. To meet the needs of the modern hiker, The Mountaineers Books introduces its ne
List Price: $ 18.95
Price: $ 12.84
Categories: Olympic Pennisula Tags: Done, Hiking, Olympic, Peninsula
Brinnon, Olympic Pennisula, Rocky Brook Falls,Canon Powershot SX20IS,
Take a visit to one of my favorite places in the world, Rocky Brook Falls, in Brinnon Washington. Shot with a Canon SX20IS with IS on and all other settings to default. Rocky brook falls is Brinnon’s little secret, if you’ve been there you’ll want to go again and again if in the area. It’s surprising to think that the state parks department hasn’t built a huge visitor center at this site!! This is true HD, it takes a while to upload HUGE files like this. As you can see the SX20IS allows for zoom while recording and has a very fast focus while going over complex topography. It also has focus lock if you want to lock it while recording. The zoom can go fast or slow and the camera adjusts almost instantly to changing lighting conditions and motion. I like the zoom on the frothing white-water (my old vid recorder could NEVER focus on that stuff) The still frames are great as well, I was able to capture lots of fall colors, although I recommend using a tripod while shooting still frames with this camera at all times if you want a better chance at your shots coming out clean. I leave the IS (image stabilization) on at all times to get more good shots with each outing. I have also used my SX20IS to record live practices to test the sound pickup qualities, you have to use the software provided to remove the recorded vids from the camera or the sound will not sinc up with the video during playback. The sound quality from this camera’s mics is like being there- very, very, accurate …
Video Rating: 5 / 5
Categories: Olympic Pennisula Tags: Brinnon, Brook, FallsCanon, Olympic, Pennisula, Powershot, Rocky, SX20IS
