Two years ago we made our first trip to Greece and loved it! The country is beautiful, the food is great, the people are lovely, and each region is varied with lots to see and do. For those reasons and more, we’re heading for the less traveled part of Greece–the North. This time, we’re skipping Athens and checking out the regions of Thessaly, Epiros, and Macedonia. This Lonely Planet map shows some of the major cities in Greece but not all that we plan to see.
We depart on Monday, April 16 and return on Thursday, May 10. If all goes well, we should arrive in Thessaloniki by 6:30 a.m. Atlanta-time on Tuesday.
Our itinerary is tentative by design so that we have flexibility. We’ll be visiting cities, and villages in the mountains, seaside, and on the lakefront. Most are new to us and many we’ve never heard of! Here’s what we have so far:
- Thessaloniki (3 nights)
- Kastoria (2 nights)
- Metsovo (2 nights)
- Ioannina (3 nights)
- Affisos (2 nights)
The rest of our plan is open. The possibilities include:
- Pella (the birthplace of Alexander the Great)
- The Pelion region (for hiking and great views of the Aegean Sea)
- Litochoro (for Mt. Olympus hikes and the archaeological site of Dion)
- Kavala (to visit Phillipi, the grave site of Phillip II)
- Xanthi (for a colorful Saturday morning market)
- Damouchari (where scenes from the movie Mamma Mia was filmed)
- And, other places we learn about along the way!
We’re very excited to explore this less-visited area of Greece!
Hoping for sunny skies, good Wi-Fi connections, and safe travels!
Cheers!
