Greece - Korina Miller [194]
Information
There are ATMs at the train station and several banks around Plateia Mihail Sapka.
Hospital ( 24102 30031; Tsakalof 1)
Hotel Association of Larisa ( 24105 37161; Hotel Metropol, Rousvelt 14) Ask here for general information about the town.
K-Net ( 24105 39355; Rouzvelt 24; per hr €2; 24hr) Internet access.
Municipal tourism office ( 24106 18189; fax 24105 37076; Ipirou 58; 7am-2.30pm Mon-Fri)
Police station ( 24106 83137; Papanastasiou 86)
Post office (cnr Papanastasiou & Athanasiou Diakou)
Sights & Activities
Gaze at the ongoing archaeological excavation of a well-preserved 3rd-century-BC ancient theatre in the city centre, 100m north of Plateia Sarka. Nearby, the acropolis on Agios Ahillios Hill dates from the Neolithic Age (6000 BC).
The Archaeological Museum ( 24102 88515; 31 Avgoustou 2; admission free; 8.30am-3pm Mon-Sat), opposite Plateia Laou, contains Neolithic finds and grave stelae from the region, housed in a handsome old mosque.
The Municipal Art Gallery of Larisa (Pinakothiki Katsigra; 24106 16266; cnr Papandreou & Kliou Patera; admission €3; 10.30am-2pm & 6-9pm Mon-Sat) houses a superb private collection of contemporary Greek art that’s second only to the National Art Gallery in Athens.
Sleeping & Eating
Hotel Metropol ( 24105 37161; www.hotelmetropol.gr; Rousvelt 14; s/d/f incl breakfast €50/70/85; ) Should you linger in Larisa, you’ll find large and updated rooms decorated with the owner’s paintings at this welcoming family-managed hotel, between Plateia Kentriki (Central Sq) and Ethnarhou Makariou.
Dozens of decent eateries are bunched together around Larisa’s lively squares. Near Plateia Sarka, stop by Magirio tis Yiayias ( 24105 33351; Apollonos 9; mains €5-10). Translated as ‘grandma’s cookhouse’, this charming restaurant seems half eatery and half grandma’s antique stash. The menu (for kids too) ranges from grilled octopus and fresh squid to oven-cooked pasta with veal and a Greek salad for two.
Getting There & Away
BUS
Buses leave Larisa’s KTEL station ( 24105 37777; cnr Georgiadou & Olympou) for Athens (€25, four hours, six daily), Lamia (€11.30, two hours, six daily), Thessaloniki (€13.50, two hours, 12 daily), Volos (€5, one hour, 12 daily) and Ioannina (€16.50, four hours, two daily).
From the branch KTEL Trikalon station ( 24106 10124; Iroön Polytehniou) near the junction with Gazi Anthimou, buses run regularly to/from Trikala (€5.70, one hour, hourly). Note: for Kalambaka, take one of the frequent Trikala buses, then change for Kalambaka.
TRAIN
Two IC trains pass daily through Larisa’s train station ( 24105 90143; cnr 28 Octovriou & Iroön Politechniou) to/from Thessaloniki (€13, 80 minutes) and Athens (€27, 3½ hours, three daily). There are also hourly local trains to/from Thessaloniki (€6, two hours), Athens (€22, 4½ hours), and Volos (€2.90, 50 minutes). You can buy tickets at the OSE office ( 24105 90239; Papakyriazi 35) opposite the town hall.
Return to beginning of chapter
AROUND LARISA
The Vale of Tembi, a historical and dramatic gorge cut by the Pinios River between Mt Olympus and Mt Ossa, 25km northeast of Larisa, was sacred to Apollo in ancient times. Throughout history the valley has been a pathway into Greece for merchants and invaders, from Persian King Xerxes in 480 BC to the Germans in WWII. A small bridge connects the car park with 13th-century Agia Paraskevi church and 2km further on, the ruins of a medieval fortress.
The picturesque village of Ambelakia, 5km up a winding road from Tembi on the slopes of Mt Ossa, was a prosperous textile centre in the 18th century. Although only a few dozen of the original 600 mansions remain, walking the cobbled streets is a pleasure, and in summer, a welcome break from the heat of the valley 400m below.
Return to beginning of chapter
VOLOS ΒOΛΟΣ
pop 85,390
Volos is a large and bustling city on the northern shores