Black Gold: Types of coffee around the Mediterranean
Once upon a time, there were no franchise coffee shops. If you asked for a latte in Spain or a café solo in Athens, you would be met with a blank stare. It’s not so long ago that in England,…
Category: Greece
Ancient Olympia – home of the Olympic Games
Olympia – yes, that Olympia – is situated in a green valley on the North-Eastern side of the Peloponnese, about 30km inland. Most visitors arrive via a little tangle of country roads that wind through the flat countryside of this part…
Omonia: the heart of Athens
Do you remember the Madrid of the 1980s? Have you been to Buenos Aires in recent years? They aren’t the prettiest of capital cities but, like Athens, they are full of life. We’ve written before about the many charms of…
Nafsimedon Hotel, Nafplio: mansion by the sea
Nafplio is a charm. This little town is a ridiculously sweet place to stay for a few nights, whether on a tour of the region or looking for somewhere to linger a little longer. Its pretty streets, boutiques and the…
Travel Diary: Athens is not Sarajevo
When the Gusto Guides team were preparing for our first trip to Athens, we weren’t sure what to expect. After all, this is the city that has suffered the most through the economic turbulence of recent years. After the endless tales of hunger…
How to get to Athens city centre from the airport
The main airport serving Athens, the Eleftherios Venizelos, lies about 12 miles to the East of central Athens. Connections with the city centre and Pireaus harbour are good, and easy to navigate even for those who cannot speak (or read)…
Road trip: the best of Ancient Greece
We love old stones (not you, Mick, calm down). We love old stones so much that we decided to drive halfway across Greece and back again to take in some of the most famous sites of the ancient world: Athens,…
Hotel Fresh, Athens: yoga on the roof, chickens on the street
The Hotel Fresh makes a colourful base from which to explore Athens. Situated in the equally colourful area just to the South of Omonia Square, this hotel’s arty touches and laid-back atmosphere made it a hit with us. After reading mixed…
A Road Trip around Naxos
Without wanting to sound overenthusiastic, Naxos is a jewel of an island. It has everything: a pleasantly bustling town, inland villages, some impressive hills and, of course, the beautiful Mediterranean Sea lapping at its shores. Naxos is the largest of the…