Greece is a state with a rich history. Since the ancient era, Hellas has developed, giving people works of art, the best scientists and thinkers. Currently, this country attracts a large number of tourists. About the largest visited cities located in Greece, read the article.
Administrative division
Greece is a state with an interesting administrative division. As such, there are no official borders between settlements on its territory. The concept of "city" is rather vague in relation to this country. The status of the place where people live depends on the number of people.
Greece has many cities, but only a small part of them can be called large. This category includes such settlements as Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion, as well as Piraeus. Of course, these are far from all the major cities of Greece. The capital of the state - Athens - is one of the most famous megacities.
Athens
The capital of Greece is simply stunning with its beauty. Athens is fanned with myths and legends, familiar to all from school literature. The city is located on a plain called Attica, and its coast is constantly washed by the waters of Saronicikos Gulf.
Within it there is a huge number of world famous monuments. So, the ruins of ancient sanctuaries and temples have been preserved here. Tourists and residents have the opportunity to enjoy works of art, visiting museums, becoming participants in excursions and festivals.
Attica's largest city in Greece attracts travelers not only for its attractions. It is also considered one of the warmest in the country. A person who has ever visited Athens will never be able to forget the sunny city, each stone of which breathes antiquity.
Thessaloniki
This city, like Petersburg in Russia, can be called the cultural capital of Greece. Its history is measured by three millennia. Therefore, it feels the influence of such empires as the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman. It is believed that the first inhabitants were Neanderthals. This is evidenced by the results of numerous excavations.
Large cities of Greece attract tourists primarily for their attractions. The central point of Thessaloniki, as well as its surroundings, is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In Thessaloniki, you can recharge with positive energy and have a good time. For example, there are a lot of festivals and other events. People can participate in them, if, of course, they want to.
Heraklion
Crete is world famous. The capital is a city called Heraklion. Here is located not only the airport, but also the sea gate of the island. This settlement is considered the fifth largest among all cities in Greece.
People who come here can find something to do. The archaeological museum is very popular among tourists, which presents collections of exhibits of the Minoan culture, as well as frescoes discovered during excavations of ancient palaces. In general, the city of Heraklion is a place where you can get acquainted with the most ancient history best, and if you are lucky, touch it.
Piraeus
The capital and major cities of Greece attract tourists. There are special cruise liners, which are an excellent means of transportation by sea. So, Piraeus is a port city, which is located a few kilometers from Athens.
Here you can become a member of a sea voyage and get to other populated areas, in which there are the greatest number of attractions. And within the city you can find entertainment: take part in any event, visit a museum or just take a walk.
Patras
Large cities of Greece are places where not only lovers of the beautiful, but also the people who create it, gather. Therefore, Patras became the refuge of artists. Favorite stories - houses scattered along the coast, emerald gardens, golden sand and the crystal blue sea.
Patras is not only a city rich in history, but also a major port. Its foundation dates back to the VI century BC, so that on its territory there were extremely many attractions. Having visited the Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called, a bridge called Rio Antirio, having seen Upper Patras, any person will be imbued with the atmosphere of this city.
Ancient Greece
Ancient civilization was called "Ancient Greece" thanks to the Romans. The name that the Greeks themselves gave her is: Hellas. This state has become the cradle of European civilization. Many scientists, philosophers, architects and sculptors were born and created in those days. It was their labors that gave rise to the work of their followers. Hellas is surrounded by a lot of myths and legends. Until now, people are studying what gods the ancient Greeks worshiped, what they believed in.
Currently, Greece is one of the most popular tourism destinations. Many monuments of ancient culture have been preserved here, so people come here from all over the world to touch history.
Cities of Ancient Greece
There are a large number of settlements that appeared a very, very long time ago. However, in Greece there are the largest cities preserved from ancient times. These include Miletus, Corinth, Thebes, Olympia. These settlements played the role of ports, political and cultural centers of the state.
The large cities of Ancient Greece now, for the most part, have turned into ruins. However, some of them still flourish, for example, Athens, which was described a little earlier.
Corinth
The largest city of ancient Greece, of course, Athens. However, there were other significant places that could in their importance compete with the capital of the state. For example, Corinth. This city-state was economically strong. Supplies of black-figure ceramics to all cities of Greece were carried out from here, and export volumes were impressive for that era.
The acropolis of this city became the place where the main temple dedicated to Aphrodite was located. It is interesting that there were confused people here, because of which people were constantly crowding near the temple. It was believed that the long hair of the priestesses possess miraculous properties.
Major cities of Greece are known for the fact that they constantly held various competitions. So, the Isthmian Games in honor of Poseidon were held in Corinth. Participants competed not only in gymnastics and equestrian sports, but also demonstrated a poetic and musical gift.