Volos, Greece: overview of the city and its attractions

Volos (Greece) is the 5th largest city and the 3rd largest port in the country, as well as the administrative center of the community of the same name. Its area is approaching 28,000 km², and the population is 100,000 people.

This very lively and dynamically developing city has a very favorable location - between Athens (362 km) and Thessaloniki (215 km). Volos stands on the coast of Pagasitikos Gulf (Aegean Sea) at the foot of Mount Pelion (Centaur Land): from the north side of the city, magnificent views of the green mountain slopes open, and from the south to the blue sea expanses.

The city does not look at all characteristic of Greece. Firstly, on its territory there are a lot of modern buildings, most of which appeared on the site of the destroyed by the catastrophic earthquake of 1955. Secondly, it has been successfully transformed for hiking, with many intersecting stone-paved streets.

Volos has the status of an industrial city, but at the same time, it is also a fairly popular tourist center with a well-developed infrastructure. Tourists are waiting for a wide selection of hotels and apartments, excellent beaches, a variety of entertainment and attractions.

The most interesting sights of the city

There are many attractions here, in this article you will find a description of only the most significant and popular.

Important! Going alone to Greece, to the city of Volos, you can take advantage of the rather extensive base of the tourist information center. It is located opposite the central city bus station (www.volos.gr) and operates according to the following schedule:

• in April - October: every day from 8:00 to 21:00;

• in November - March: Monday - Saturday from 8:00 to 20:00, Sunday from 8:00 to 15:30.

Volos has a very beautiful promenade, one of the best in Greece. This is the favorite place for evening walks not only among tourists, but also among residents. However, there is never a rush of crowds.

It is interesting to walk along the promenade, the attention is constantly attracted by a variety of monuments and beautiful buildings, considered local attractions. Opposite the impressive building of the former Papastratos tobacco factory, there is the Cordoni breakwater, through which you can walk to the water itself. The monument Argo, which is the symbol of Volos, is installed on the promenade. The neoclassical building of the National Bank of Greece and the cinema "Achillion" also attract attention. And also small palm trees that resemble huge pineapples grow everywhere.

In addition to architectural attractions, on the promenade there are many pastry shops, restaurants, cafe bars. Particularly noteworthy are the small atmospheric taverns, also a kind of local attractions:

• mezdopolies, which specialize in traditional meze snacks for Greece (they are fish, meat, vegetable);
• Tsipuradiko, in which fish and seafood dishes are prepared, and they are served with tsipuro - a strong alcoholic drink made from grapes (simply put, this is a type of moonshine).

It takes a little more than an hour to walk the entire promenade - from the railway station to the small city park of Anavros and the beach. The streets adjacent to the embankment are also quite interesting - you can always feel how life in the city is seething.

Tourists note! Even in the summer in the city, especially on the waterfront, it is quite windy, so you should definitely take warm clothes with you.

The Archaeological Museum of Volos in Greece is a particularly outstanding attraction, because it is included in the top ten museums in the country.

It is located in Anavros Park, which ends with the promenade.

The museum occupies a rather nice one-story building in the neoclassical style. Its total area is about 870 m², it has 7 halls, 1 of which is reserved for temporary exhibitions.

The exhibits presented here tell about the historical development of Thessaly and prehistoric Greece. Most visitors gather in the hall with jewelry and household items that were found during excavations in Dimini and Sesklo (the oldest settlements in Europe).

• Exact address: 1 Athanassaki, Volos 382 22, Greece.
• This attraction works from Thursday to Sunday from 8:30 to 15:00.
• Entrance ticket costs only 2 €.

On the picturesque promenade there is another famous attraction: the Orthodox Church of Saints Constantine and Helena. Address: 1 Stratigou Plastira Nikolaou, Volos 382 22, Greece.

This shrine was built from 1927 to 1936, and on the place where it was erected, there used to be a small wooden church.

The Church of Saints Constantine and Helena is a grandiose, imposing stone construction with a high bell tower. The interior is very rich, the walls are painted with magnificent frescoes depicting biblical scenes. The main relics are particles of the Holy Cross, as well as particles of the relics of Saints Constantine and Helena, stored in a silver crab.

Not so far from the city center - a taxi ride will take several minutes - one of the best industrial museums in Greece, The Rooftile and Brickworks Museum N. & S. Tsalapatas, is located.

Many tourists who visited there are surprised to note that they did not even expect that an exhibition with such exhibits could be so interesting. In their opinion, a walk through the local halls was a pleasant deviation from the pots and statues customary for Greek museums. The only regrets were expressed that it was impossible to buy bricks as a gift and as a memory of visiting this unusual Volos landmark.

• The museum is located at: Notia Pyli, Volos 383 34, Greece.
• It works from Wednesday to Friday, from 10:00 to 18:00.

The choice of hotels, the cost of living

The city of Volos offers an extensive selection of housing for every taste and budget. Hotels of any "star", private apartments and villas, campsites, hotel complexes - all this is present.

It should be borne in mind that geographically Volos includes many small settlements located within a radius of 20 km. Accordingly, all the options for accommodating tourists there are also related to Volos.

In the city itself, most of the hotels are equipped for businessmen, although there are also resort ones. Hotels are concentrated mainly in the central part of Volos and in the promenade area.

In summer, the average cost of a double room in 5 * hotels is about 175 €, in 3 * hotels a double room can be rented for 65 - 150 €.Find out RATES or book any accommodation using this form

How to get to Volos

Although Volos is included in the list of the best tourist cities in Greece, it is almost impossible to get there directly from Europe, and there is no need to talk about the CIS countries. As a rule, you first need to get to one of the largest cities in Greece (Athens, Thessaloniki, Larisa), and from there get to Volos by bus, train or plane.

Volos Intercity Bus Station is located on Grigoriou Lambraki Street, next to the City Hall. Buses from Athens, Larisa, Thessaloniki, as well as buses of suburban routes come here.

In Athens, from Athens station, approximately every 1.5-2 hours, from 07:00 to 22:00, buses of the KTEL Magnesias transport company leave. The trip to them to Volos takes 3 hours 45 minutes, a ticket costs 30 €.

From Thessaloniki, buses to Volos depart from the Macedonia bus station. There are about 10 flights a day, the ticket price is about 12 €.

In Volos, the railway station is located a little west of Riga Fereou Square (Pl.Riga Fereou), it is very close to the bus station.

It’s not very convenient to travel from Athens by train: there are no direct flights, you need to change trains in Larisa, because of which the trip time increases to 5 hours.

From Thessaloniki, the time of such a trip also increases significantly.
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There is also an airport in Volos, it is 25 km from the city. Shuttle buses run regularly from the airport to the Volos bus station, which cost 5 €.

The number of destinations in which air travel is not too large, but you can choose something. For example, Hellas Airlines planes fly from Athens and Thessaloniki to Volos. Also, other airlines are engaged in transportation from some European countries. On the Nea Aghialos National Airport website www.thessalyairport.gr/en/ you can find out all flights to Volos (Greece).

All prices on the page are for April 2019.

Video about a walk along the Hair.

Watch the video: Best Attractions and Places to See in Volos , Greece (December 2024).