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Greece is completely amazing! After Santorini, I didn’t think anywhere else on the trip would blow my mind the way it did. I was wrong. If you missed it, check out my post on Zakynthos. Talk about one of those dream locations!!After returning to the mainland from Zakynthos, we set out for the second part of our driving tour with Alex, our driver from Hellenic Private Tours. Again, I can not recommend this company enough! We explored Galaxidi, Delphi and Parga. Delphi has the iconic sites with Greek mythology while Galaxidi is just plain cute! Parga is another one of those places with tropical beauty that I had never heard of! This is Discovering Greece: Delphi to Parga!
Galaxidi
On the way to Delphi, we stopped in the cute, little seaside town of Galaxidi.
It’s a small harbor town on the north side of the Gulf of Corinth. It’s also part of the Delphi municipality.
I love this anchor as a symbol of being a harbor town.
They even had some really interesting boats in the harbor!
However, my favorite things in Galaxidi were this door…
and these steps. Color and personality just does it for me!
Delphi
Upon arriving into Delphi that night, we had dinner and found our favorite appetizer again! This time with a balsamic glaze! I LOVE balsamic glaze and the two paired nicely. Blissfully good!
The Sanctuary of Athena was what we wanted to see in Delphi. This is one of those iconic shots that you probably recognize.
In the center is the Tholos, a rotunda dating back to 4th century BC that had 20 columns. Three of those were restored in recent years and are what you see today.
We also saw the Temple of Apollo. Reconstructed three times, today you can see the foundation and a few of its Doric columns as well. This was also the location of the Oracle. In Greek mythology, the Oracle was a priest or priestess who made prophetic predictions after being asked questions. The thought was that the gods were communicating through these oracles.
Next, we saw the Theater. The views from it were amazing and you could see the Temple of Apollo too!
And lastly, the Treasury of the Athenians. Although there is a lot of discrepancy on the details of the Treasury such as when it was built and its dedication, we do know it is entirely made of marble!
Rio-Antirrio Bridge
After leaving Delphi, we drove past one of my most favorite structures in Greece, the Rio-Antirrio Bridge. I fell in love with this bridge because of its architecture and how it looked against that gorgeous water. However, we did not cross it because it costs $50 per car ONE way!!
It is the world’s largest multi-span, cable-stayed bridge and the longest fully suspended bridge. It connects the towns of Rio on the Peloponnese to Antirrio on the mainland over the Gulf of Corinth. On August 7, 2004, one week prior to the opening ceremonies of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the bridge was inaugurated. The Olympic torchbearers were the first to cross it!
Parga
We arrived in Parga. Simply stated, but as you can see, it holds its own. This view is from the Castle of Parga.
Known for its beautiful beaches and a relaxed atmosphere, Parga is located on the northwest mainland of Greece.
The colorful buildings against the water…
as well as the sky were striking!
Doesn’t this make you want to put down a blanket and have a picnic so you can have all the time in the world to soak in this view?
How about this view? The pink shoreline, the water and the reef are nothing short of gorgeous! If you are a beach goer, this is your haven!
This was our amazing sunset view from the pool at the Irida Boutique Hotel. It was one of the cutest places I have ever stayed. At night the bottom of the pool sparkled like stars in space!
For comparison, this is the same view taken in the morning. Still beautiful and I love the reflection!
Thank you to Amanda for the above photo!
We are 2/3 through our mainland itinerary! Galaxidi, Delphi, and Parga were beautiful and interesting. If you like beautiful scenery and rich history, mainland Greece is where you need to go! If you need any more inspiration, these photos will make you want to explore mainland Greece!
Be sure to read how our mainland Greece trip ended with Meteora to Thessaloniki!
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts whether you’ve been to these places and which is your favorite!
‘Til next time…
Trimm Travels,
Absolutely beautiful!
Hello! Beautiful pictures! Do you have any information on the beautiful colorful stairs in Galaxidi? Maybe if they were near something? Thank you!!
Hi Janet-Thank you so much! I don’t remember exactly where the stairs are. I was just starting out so my documentation of where everything is wasn’t the best then (I’m much better at it now). However, I can say they were near the big anchor (photo is in my post) in the waterfront inlet of Hirolakas. They were on the side of the water closest to where you would enter/exit the town (not that main street but just that side of the water). Locals in the town at the restaurants and the port would probably know where they are. Hope that helps some anyway! Thanks for reading!
HI Heather,
I was wondering if you drove from Parga to Meteora? or how you arrived there.
thanks,
Krista
Hi Krista-yes we went from Parga to Meteora by private car but we did have a local, bilingual driver who doubled as a tour guide. Hope that helps and thanks for reading! 🙂
Hi Heather,
I hope you are doing well.
Beautifl pictures of Galaxidi, Delphi, Parga and Ioannina.Thank you for having shared them.
Could you please inform me, how do you arrived to Parga from Delphi? (estimated time and followeded roads and towns).
Thank you in advance.
Riadh
Hi Riadh-Thank you so much! I really loved photographing all of Greece, really. It’s all so colorful and photogenic! As far as how we arrived to Parga from Delphi and the routes, I was traveling with a friend who arranged for a private, English-speaking driver and tour guide. We did so much of the mainland from Athens all the way up to Philippi. I highly recommend it if you aren’t from the area and don’t speak Greek. So, unfortunately, I don’t know the exact routes but I’m sure you could find them by looking at Google maps. 🙂 Thanks for reading! 🙂