Greece - Korina Miller [196]
Hotel Avra ( 24210 25370; avra@internet.gr; Solonos 3; s/d/tr/ste €40/50/60/80; ) Updated budget choice, a block from the waterfront.
MIDRANGE & TOP END
Hotel Aegli ( 24210 24471; www.aegli.gr; Argonafton 24; s/d incl breakfast €60/80; ) Art-deco touches extend from a swank and breezy lobby to stylish and spacious rooms. Best of all, the Aegli is 100m from the port, and surrounded by waterfront cafes and tavernas.
Hotel Kipseli ( 24210 24420; www.hotelkipseli.gr; Agiou Nikolaou 1; s/d/ste incl breakfast from €70/90/140; ) Volos’ newest boutique lodging, with a great boardwalk location near the quay, is smart and modern, with handsome bathrooms, soft beds and satellite TV. The cheerful staff is a plus, and the rooftop bar has the best night views of the harbour.
Park Hotel ( 24210 36511; www.amhotels.gr; Deligiorgi 2; s/d/tr incl breakfast €75/120/135; ) The upmarket Park caters to midweek business travellers and weekend Athenian visitors. Rooms are modern and well-appointed, and the lobby bar faces the bay. A helpful information desk has travel tips for the Pelion Peninsula.
Also recommended:
Hotel Xenia Volou ( 24210 92700; www.domotel.gr; Plastira 1; s/d/ste from €95/130/185; ) Classy new business-hotel-meets-beach-resort.
Eating
Since Volos is considered the ouzerie capital of Greece (see The Tsipouradhika, opposite), it would be a shame not to eat and drink as the locals do. Typical mezedhes include grilled ohtapodi (octopus) and fried calamari.
Kyklos Tsipouradiko ( 24210 20872; Mikrasiaton 85; mezedhes €1.50-6) Flagstone floors and wood-beamed ceilings lend atmosphere to this popular university hang-out. Try the house favourite: potatoes baked in a wood-fired oven.
Kerasia Tsipouradiko (Cherry Tree; 24210 27920; Papakiriazi 40; mezedhes €2-4) Like most traditional tsipouradhika (ouzerie), this one is open from 9am to 6pm. A typical round of tsipouro (distilled spirit similar to ouzo) and mezedhes plate is about €3.50. The basic rule: don’t expect a drink without a plate!
Apostolis Restaurant ( 24210 26973; Argonafton 15; mains €2.50-6.50) Opposite the quay, this hole-in-the-wall eatery does wonders with just a few standards such as green beans and potatoes, or pork with leek, along with takeaway lunches for the nearby ferries.
Taverna Lefka tou Manoli ( 24210 28103; Fil Ioannou 4; mains €4-7.50) Just east of Agios Konstantinos Church, this long and narrow eatery serves up fine mezedhes, pork souvlaki and first-rate fish by the kilo, along with grilled gavros (marinated small fish, €6.50). Starters are excellent, too, and ‘beeten salad’ tastes better than it sounds.
Other good options:
Ekonomou O Papous ( 24210 34606; Anthimou Gazi 135) Charming shop with only one item for sale: loukoumi, a traditional Greek version of Turkish Delight.
Kavouras Tsipouradiko ( 24210 28520; Gatziagiri 8; mezedhes €2-4; 11am-6pm) Central stand-by with traditional hours and loyal customers.
Ouzerie Iolkos ( 24210 35227; Argonafton 32; mains €4-11) Basic and bustling, popular for seafood mezedhes and grilled mackerel.
Drinking & Entertainment
For a night of music, drinking and dancing, head for the revitalised old industrial district known as the Palaia. Between the converted factory buildings and narrow alleys there are a number of good dives waiting to be discovered. In the city centre, more music bars and ouzeries spread out from Agios Nikolaos church.
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THE TSIPOURADHIKA
Volos is famous throughout Greece for the quality and quantity (over 500) of its ouzeries and tsipouradhika. If you have not already come across one, an ouzerie (strictly speaking called a tsipouradhiko) is a type of small restaurant where you eat from various plates of mezedhes and drink tiny bottles of tsipouro, a distilled spirit that’s similar to ouzo but is a bit stronger. You can dilute it with water if you prefer it weaker, or want it to last a little longer. When you’ve finished one round of mezedhes or tsipouro, you just keep ordering until you’ve had your fill or can’t stand up. Try any one of these favourites in