Central Greece is a region of scattered highlights, above all the site of the ancient oracle at Delphi (modern Dhelfí), and, further north, the other-worldly rock monasteries of the Metéora . The area as a whole, dominated by the vast agricultural plain of Thessaly, is less exciting, with rather drab market and industrial towns. The southern part of this region, below Thessaly proper, is known as Stereá Elládha - literally "Greek Continent", a name that reflects its mid-nineteenth-century past as the only independent Greek mainland territory, along with Attica and the quasi-island of the Peloponnese. It corresponds to the ancient divisions of Boeotia and Phocis, the domains respectively of Thebes (modern Thíva) and Delphi. Most visitors head straight through these territories to Delphi, but if you have time there are some rewarding detours to the monastery of Ósios Loukás - containing the finest Byzantine mosaics in the country - and Glas , the largest and most obscure of the Mycenaean sites. For hikers there is also the opportunity of climbing Mount Parnassós , the Muses' mountain.

 

The basin of Thessaly (Thessalía) formed the bed of an ancient inland sea - rich agricultural land that was ceded reluctantly to the modern nation by the Turks in 1878. This region's attractions lie at its periphery, hemmed in by the mountain ranges of Ólymbos (Olympus), Píndhos (Pindus), Óssa and Pílio (Pelion). East from the major port city of Vólos extends the hilly peninsula of Mount Pílio , whose luxuriant woods and idyllic beaches are easily combined with island-hopping to the Sporades. To the west, Kalambáka gives access to the Metéora (not to be missed) and across the dramatic Katára pass over the Píndhos to Epirus. To the north, the horizon is dominated by Mount Olympus , home of the ancient gods.

Looming across a narrow gulf from Stereá Elládha, and joined by a bridge at Halkídha, is the island of Évvia (Euboea). Though this feels - especially in summer - like an extension of the mainland (from where there are many ferry crossings), it is nonetheless a bona-fide island.