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Halfway between Athens and Thessaloniki, Volos is a good solution for an urban escapade. It offers a different atmosphere and combines metropolitan, provincial, undergraduate, romantic and fun elements against a marine backdrop.

The Old Town and the fortress

Most cities have a neighbourhood, carrying the scent of the past. Volos' Old Town in its western part is worth strolling through and enjoying its neoclassical buildings. This is where you can see the fortress of Volos dating back to the 6th century AD. You will find the Roman baths admirable, then walk around Agii Theodori square and forget about today.

The view from Goritsa hill

Make your way east and climb up Goritsa, a wooded mount with an altitude of about 200 m, overlooking Pagasitikos bay. The view to the city and the harbour will strike you as surprisingly beautiful. The Zoodohos Pigi (life-giving spring) church sits atop the hill.

Entertainment and brandy

Volos, besides its beauty, is famous for its entertainment offers. There are dozens of options: quaint small places for a coffee or a drink along the seafront and in commercial streets. Volos' guests are not allowed to be in town and skip the famous tsipouro brandy. In any of the hosts of pubs, tsipouro will be served for you with seafood as an appetizer.

Rigas Ferraios Square

The square is the largest one in the city and is rife with history. In the past, it was the border area between the fortress and the new settlement. In 1882, it was transformed into Volos' central square. Today, it has been converted into a wooded park, with a pedestrian area and sculptures.

The museums

Volos has a plethora of them. The Archaeological Museum offers prehistoric and Roman artifacts from the Magnesia region. The Natural Science Museum exhibits rocks, minerals and fossils from the whole of Greece, with a focus on Thessaly. It is highly advisable to put on your list the Kitsos Makris Ethnographic Centre, with the famous explorer's unique collection, the Giorgio de Chirico Art Center with its various exhibitions, the Museum of Industrial History, the Entomological Museum displaying over 35,000 insect species, the Museum of Printing, the Railway Museum, and of course - Volos' city Museum.

Nea Ionia

This is a place with a strong refugee spirit. The first settlers in Nea Ionia were the refugees from Smyrna and the rest of Asia Minor in 1922. It is believed that they were the ones who brought the tsipouro tradition to the city.

Initially Nea Ionia was only a neighbourhood of Volos, then it became a separate municipality and town. Its current name goes back to 1947. Nea Ionia and Volos are separated by the Kravsidonas river.

Pelion

If they have the time, Volos' visitors should spend a few days hiking on Pelion. A combination of sea and mountain scapes, Pelion is magnificent in all seasons. Beautiful inns and guest houses – this is what's in store for you in villages like Tsagarada, Zagora, Milies, Vizitsa, Agios Lavrentios, and Visitsa. If you are not keen on going too far, the quaint and stone-hewn Makrinitsa and Portaria are the easiest-to-visit sights for sore eyes of Pelion.