Greece - Korina Miller [183]
Taverna Vakhos (Map; 22650 83186; Apollonos 31; mains €4.50-11) Take the steps above the National Bank to this excellent family taverna featuring traditional local fare. You could make a meal of appetisers alone, like stuffed zucchini flowers or goat cheese with lemon, followed by kouneli stifadho (rabbit stew) or lamb in lemon sauce (both €8.20). Choose from an all-Greek wine list to wash it down.
Taverna To Patriko Mas (Map; 22650 82150; Vasileon Pavlou & Friderikis; mains €6-12) Set in a 19th-century stone building, this swank taverna is decidedly upscale, and the food keeps its end of the bargain. You’ll find generous mezedhes and salads, great grills including a vegie souvlaki, along with a fine all-Greek wine list.
Other good eateries:
Souvlaki Pita Gyros (Map; 69393 10801; Apollonos; mains €2-6) Cheap, fast, fresh, go. Opposite Hotel Leto.
En Delphi (Map; 22650 82230; Apollonos; mains €6-10) Tour groups lurk, but there’s well-prepared Greek standards, plus tree-shaded outdoor tables.
Drinking & Entertainment
There are plenty of cafe-bars along Vasileon Pavlou & Friderikis.
Café Melopoleio (Map; 22650 83247; snacks €1.50-4; 7am-11pm; ) Stop by for excellent coffee, fresh juices, flaky breakfast pites (pies) and free wi-fi.
Café Agora (Map; 22650 83116; Vasileon Pavlou & Friderikis; breakfast & snacks €2-10; ) Great verandah views and pizza.
Café Apollon (Map; 22650 82842; Vasileon Pavlou & Friderikis; 7am-10pm) For the cheapest coffee, worst English and no internet now or ever, try this charming place next to Hotel Sibylla.
While the rest of Delphi sleeps, two main-street clubs provide plenty of DJ dancing into the wee hours. Club Katoi (Map; 69325 26578; admission €6) is opposite the BP petrol station, and nearby Downtown (Map; 69465 02043; Vasileon Pavlou & Friderikis; admission €6) is next door to the Hermes Hotel.
Getting There & Away
BUS
Buses depart from the bus station (Map; 22650 82317; Vasileon Pavlou & Friderikis) at the Itea end of town. Note: travellers to Kalambaka/Meteora should find better connections via Lamia and Trikala, rather than Larisa, especially with the 10am Delphi departure.
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AROUND DELPHI
Olive groves and clear skies mark the road south from Delphi, which stretches 18km to the Gulf of Corinth where it branches east to Kira (2km). This was ancient Kirra, the port of Delphi, now a quiet suburb of the market town of Itea, with a long sand-and-pebble beach, very clean sea and good beachside camping.
The town of Amfissa sits in the foothills 20km northwest of Delphi on the road to Lamia. Sacked in 338 BC by Phillip of Macedon, it’s better known today among Greeks for its marvellous green olives, a beautiful and well-preserved Byzantine church, Agios Sotiras (Church of the Saviour), and the excellent Archaeological Museum ( 22650 23344; admission €2; 8am-2.30pm Tue-Sat) featuring a collection of early pre-coin money.
Heading west from Delphi toward Amfissa and Itea, the beautiful 19th-century convent of Moni Profiti Ilia ( 22650 82002; 8am-noon & 4-7pm) rests on a hillside overlooking the Gulf of Corinth. The turn-off is marked with a small cross and ‘3km’ sign.
North of Delphi, at the unique Amfikaia Farm Hotel ( 22340 48860; www.amfikaia.gr; s/d/f incl breakfast from €45/55/70), guests can dig in, for real, at this comfortable agro-tourism lodging. There are ducks to feed, horses to groom, and good bikes to test the nearby trails. Breakfast is likely to be something you’ve picked, plucked or poked.
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MT PARNASSOS ΠΑΡΝΑΣΣOΣ ΟΡΟΣ
Established in 1938, Parnassos National Park (www.routes.gr), to the north of Delphi and Arahova, has three peaks over 2300m: Liakoura (2456m) the highest, Gerondovrachos (2396m) and Tsarkos (2416m). Kouvelos (1882m) is a popular rock-climbing face. Mt Parnassos is also part of the very elaborate Trans-European E4 international footpath (orivatiko monopati) from Gibraltar to Sweden, also known as the European