Apart from any plans for longer trips away from Athens, there are always options for daytrips closer to the capital for those who prefer to spend their holiday in Athens. And some of these options are not just about strolls in beautiful landscapes, but they also guarantee culinary pleasures.
In less than a 2 hours’ drive from the centre of Athens you can find good options especially if you’re looking for meat dishes. However, there are also great choices for those in search of seafood, while vegetarians will also find options to cater to their preferences.
Orchomenos
Viotia has become famous for its meat and is often visited by Athenians, due to its proximity to Athens. Orchomenos is not as famous as Livadeia but it’s a more laidback destination at a more or less equal distance (around 1.5 hours away).
The area has a very long history and so there are many ancient and Byzantine sights near the town that is on the north of the Kopaida valley. Look for the family tavern “O Kissas” on the main square (Evangelisti Louka) for a variety of grilled and skewered meats cooked over an open fire, that come from the owner’s butcher shop. If you’re lucky you’ll get the local mutton. If you want to be sure it will be available, you can call them before leaving Athens (tel. 0030 6984989655).
Nea Lampsakos
If you prefer seafood or feel that you need a break from meat consumption by eating some seafood, then head to Nea Lampsakos, by the sea, outside Chalkida. You need to go to Evia to do this, but it’s no longer than an hour drive from the centre of Athens.
Nea Lampsakos is a town with picturesque houses and large squares, built on the valley Lilantia, by the South Evoikos Gulf. Look for “Akrogialli” on the promenade, with the lighthouse as its trademark, that has a comfortable hall with fireplace – the fish is always fresh, while you’ll also find calamari, shrimp etc. The “Koutouki tou Perikli” is also a great choice, where you can have langoustine pasta, crab salad, a famed sea-urchin salad, and fresh shellfish. “Kapetanios”, on Agios Trifonas square, that does not only offer amazing main dishes but also great appetizers and sides (salad with salted seaweed, courgette balls, fries) is also very good.
Dervenohoria
Even though they’re very close to the borders of Attica, the Dervenohoria villages in Viotia (Pyli, Panaktos, Prasino, Skourta and Stefani) as still relative unknown among Athenians, who usually head to northerner destinations like Livadeia or Arachova.
The Dervenohoria villages are also known as “Parnitha’s backyard”, they are at about 600 m altitude and you reach them after 50 minutes’ drive from the centre of Athens.
Stelios Kollias’ family butcher shop-tavern in Pyli has a 40-year history and attracts many meat enthusiasts, so it’s best to book ahead (tel. 0030 2263 031064,6944442572) if you’re planning to visit during the weekend. The skewered pork is famous – we should mention that all meat is fresh – but it’s also worth trying the handmade tzolia (local pasta) as well as the lamb chops. While if you visit Skourta, then go to the country restaurant “O Kotsoulis” for grilled mutton and feta they make themselves. (tel. 0030 2263 031324).
Levidi
Levidi is a town in Arcadia at 860 m altitude, built on the eastern slope of mount Mainalo. It’s the destination that’s furthest away on this list, however with the new roads it won’t take longer than 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there from the centre of Athens.
Next to a fir forest, Levidi offers the perfect opportunity for a visit to a winter destination, while it’s also quite scenic with its stone mansions. In fact, it’s quite an old settlement that has been around since the time the Peloponnese was under the Frankish rule.
You must complete your visit by going to one of the taverns on the main square for roasted pig, that’s something of a local specialty. ”Koubouris” has been around for 50 years and is a great choice for pig. At “Skourkos” you’ll also find vegetarian dishes, while a bit outside Levidi, in Kefalovrisso, Kandila, the family cookhouse “Hani tis Kandilas” makes goose gioulbasi (stew with beef, pork, lamb and vegetables) or rooster with hilopites (traditional Greek pasta in the shape of small squares), provided you’ve ordered in advance (tel. 0030 27960 22350).
Dervenakia
A small village in Korinthia with just 65 permanent residents, that became known due to a famous battle during the 1821 Greek War of Independence, where Theodoros Kolokotronis, with amazing strategy, won the much larger Ottoman army of Mahmud Dramali (1822).
Dervenakia is a 1 hour and 20 minutes’ drive from the centre of Athens, while regarding food there’s only one place to go: the famed country restaurant “To Hani tou Anesti to palio” (Anestis’ old inn) that has been in the village since the year 1822. In fact, they say that Anestis was a local resident who excelled in the battle and that’s why Kolokotronis himself gave him the land, where he later built the inn, as a reward. We recommend you call in advance if you’re planning on visiting in the weekend (tel. 0030 27460 22351 and 24272).
The menu includes classic choices of a Greek grill house and both their chops and the roasted pork, as well as their homemade tzatziki, the hand-cut fries, and the amazing sausage will delight you.
