Beginner's Guide to Ancient Greece

Obsessed with Greek mythology? Ready to explore the places where ancient philosophers and other Ancient Greeks roamed the streets? Here is a list of our favorite sites to explore in ancient Greece!

1) Athens:

Athens, the beautiful and ancient capital city of Greece, has an intriguing history and the most incredible historical sites. The most popular and well know of these sites is called the Acropolis. The Acropolis (seen in the first picture) is an archaeological site where the infamous structures like the Erechtheion, Parthenon, and the Temple of Athena Nike reside. Most of these structures are famous temples where the Ancient Greeks would worship Gods like Athena. If you are an art history nerd (like me), you are gonna love seeing the pages of your history books come to life!

Ticket to Acropolis: 20 Euros (reduced 50% for Senior citizens, Greek/EU Citizens, college students, those under 18, and during the winter months Nov 1st - March 31st) **this does not include the museum which is an extra 5 euros to get in)*

Other notable sites: Lycabettus Hill- (seen in the picture above)- is a limestone hill that has an open-air theater at the top. It's about a 40 min trek from the main shopping square (Monastiraki). This hill has incredible views where you can see all of Athens!

For more ancient sites in Athens: check out this website: Greeka.com

2) Meteora

When I first laid eyes on the Meteora, I had to rub them. I never imagined a place this breathtaking could exist on earth. The Meteora is a series of massive natural sandstone pillars that extend up to 1200 ft (365 meters). In addition to being the best panoramic view in Greece and a geological phenomenon, the Meteora is home to ancient monasteries. Originally, there were 24 monasteries and now only 6 remain. For my trip, I was fortunate to see the Great Meteoron Monastery. The Great Meteoro contains Greek Byzantine art, manuscripts, and a mortuary for monks. It currently remains a place of worship. In ancient times, they would use nets and all sorts of machinery to propel the monks onto these giant pillars. After visiting the monastery, we got to spend the night in a quaint town (I forget the name of it). The town had little shops and Greek families playing ball in the park. I would definitely recommend staying in one of these villages to get a true glimpse of Greek culture.

3) Olympia

Olympia* is the famous site of what Greece is best known for the Olympic games. Olympia held the ancient games every four years and was the home of the giant Statue of Zeus (which is ranked as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world). Although the statue no longer stands, it was quite massive. If you have seen the statue of US President Lincoln, it was about double the size! The history of the Olympic games was to create friendly competition between the city-states and was established to help prevent wars between them. The Olympic games were not supposed to continue if there were any wars going on.

4) Delphi

Delphi is the ancient Greek site worshiping the ancient God Apollo (god of light, harmony). It was once considered the center of the world in Greek mythology. The site was home to an oracle of Apollo who would help visitors guide their future actions. Delphi was also another site for the Olympic games.

5) Epidaurus

Epidaurus is the most well-preserved Greek theater of Ancient Greece. Before the ability of modern technology, this theater created fantastic acoustics that allowed 15,000 people to hear music and actors perfectly. During the summer, the theater holds performances as well as the Athens and Epidaurus Festival.

You can find more information by clicking this link to greek.festival.gr.

Sources:

https://www.ancient.eu/delphi/

http://www.fhw.gr/olympics/ancient/en/303.html

https://www.greeka.com/attica/athens/ancient-sites.htm