From Sounion to the Euboean Gulf and from Delphi to Nafpaktos

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Attica, rich in history and tradition, and home to half the country's population, has both the problems and advantages of a megalopolitan area. Here are the country's capital, Athens, and its busiest port, Piraeus. Here you'll find urban sprawl and bucolic pasturelands, pine - clad mountains and blighted industrial ones, ancient sites galore, beautiful beaches, an inexhaustible choice of restaurants and nightclubs and the perfect spot for an isolated picnic. Euboea, separated from the mainland by a narrow channel, is one of Greece's largest islands and packed with an amazing variety of landscapes.

The coast lining both sides of the Gulf of Euboea is very beautiful, noted for its protected beaches and tree - covered mountains where life still goes on as it did before the age of tourism. Amidst these mountains lies one of the most visited of all Greece' ancient sites, Delphi, looking over still another Gulf, the Gulf of Corinth, it too rimmed with pleasant beaches and charming towns like Galaxidi and Nafpaktos. Sound enticing? Then, let us describe it for you in a bit more detail.

Let's start with Sounion, from the southeast tip of Attica. The sea stretches out before you, temping you with the prospect of unknown islands just over the horizon. Ships ply the water beneath the temple of Poseidon, on the way out to the Aegean islands or back to Piraeus. The tawny hills of Attica are at your back. To get to know this fascinating region, we'll first head south and west, returning to Sounion afterwards to explore the northern and eastern parts.