Greece Travel Guide

From Wiki Globe

Greece, also known as Hellas and officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula is a country in Southern Europe with extensive coastlines and islands in the Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Regions 3 Cities 3.1 Holidays and festivals

[edit] Understand

Greece is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, ranking in the world's top 20 countries. Greece consists of a mountainous, peninsular mainland jutting out into the sea at the southern end of the Balkans, the Peloponnesus peninsula , and numerous islands, including Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Chios, the Dodecanese and the Cycladic groups of the Aegean Sea as well as the Ionian Sea islands. Greece has the tenth longest coastline in the world with 14,880 km (9,246 mi); its land boundary is 1,160 km (721 mi). Furthermore it's a geographically appealing place to visit, with a mountainous mainland and idyllic island beaches. Noticeably, Many first-time visitors arrive in Greece with specific images in mind and are surprised to discover a country with such regional and architectural diversity. The famous whitewashed homes and charming blue-domed churches only characterize a specific region of the country.

[edit] Regions

Attica (including Athens)

The Peloponnese

Greek Islands

Crete

Central and Northern Greece

[edit] Cities

• Athens (Αθήνα)
• Heraklion (Ηράκλειο)
• Patra (Πάτρα)
• Larissa (Larisa)
• Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη)
• Volos (Βόλος)

[edit] Holidays and festivals

• New Year's Day - 1 Jan
• Epiphany - 6 Jan
• Shrove Monday (First day of Lent) - movable (next: 15 Feb 2010)
• Independence Day and The Annunciation - 25 Mar
• Good Friday - movable (next 2 Apr 2010)
• Easter Sunday - movable (next: 4 Apr 2010)
• Easter Monday - movable (next: 5 Apr 2010)
• May Day / Labor Day - 1 May
• Pentecost Whit Sunday - movable (next: 23 May 2010)
• Pentecost Whit Monday - movable (next: 24 May 2010)
• Assumption of Our Lady - 15 Aug
• WWII Day / "OXI Day" - 28 Oct
• Christmas - 25 Dec
• Saint Stephen's - 26 Dec