Central Greece Travel Guide

Central Greece (Sterea Ellada) is best known as the home of Delphi, the famous ancient oracle and spectacular sanctuary that is one of Greece's "must see" destinations. Delphi has it all: a gravity-defying cliff-side location with the remains of treasuries, small temples, a stadium, and a theater -- not to mention the massive temple of Apollo and a view over a plain of gnarled olive trees to the Gulf of Corinth. The star of the Delphi museum is the famous bronze statue of the charioteer who raced his horses to victory in Delphi's stadium. North of Delphi, in the dusty plain of Thessaly, improbable cliffs dominate the landscape. For a thousand years, pilgrims and tourists have tried to figure out just how monks built the vertiginous monasteries of the Meteora atop these seemingly unscalable cliffs. Yet farther north loom the snow-topped peaks of Mount Olympus, once home to Zeus and the other Olympian gods, today a destination for mountain climbers, hikers, and nature lovers. Central Greece is also home to two of Greece's most famous and bloody ancient battle sites -- Thermopylae and Chaironeia -- and one of its legendary beauty spots -- the Vale of Tempe.