Experience the best of Volos

Volos sits at the head of the Pagasetic Gulf in Thessaly, with the wooded slopes of Mount Pelion rising behind. In Greek myth, Jason and the Argonauts set sail from ancient Iolcos, near the modern city, in search of the Golden Fleece. A seafront promenade lined with cafés, fishing boats and old warehouses runs along the harbour.

The Archaeological Museum holds finds from the Neolithic sites of Sesklo and Dimini, among the earliest farming settlements in Europe. On Mount Pelion, villages such as Makrinitsa, Portaria and Tsagarada cling to the wooded slopes with stone houses and plane-tree squares, and beaches on the Aegean side include Mylopotamos and Damouchari. Ferries run from Volos to the islands of Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos.

Tsipouradika, simple tavernas where each round of tsipouro, a clear grape spirit, arrives with a plate of small dishes such as grilled octopus, mussels and fried fish, are a Volos institution. Spetsofai, a stew of sausage and peppers, is a Pelion dish, and the mountain's apples and chestnuts appear in local sweets. The mountain villages stay cooler than the coast in summer, under plane trees and chestnut forest.