Orchomenos is a small town situated on the Copais plain, which many travellers bypass on their way to Livadia or Arachova. However, it is home to two very important cultural attractions, which you can read about here. It also has a natural water monument and is one of the oldest foodie destinations in the country.
The Hariton Springs are around 300 metres from the pedestrian street opposite Panagia Skripous. If you happen to visit after a rainy season, you will find yourself in a dreamlike environment full of vegetation, flowing water and the sounds of birds and frogs.
It’s no coincidence that, according to ancient Greek mythology, the three Graces – Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia, symbols of beauty, purity and joie de vivre – washed the hair of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, here. You can stop for photos and a picnic, weather permitting, or continue a little further to visit the aforementioned culinary highlight.
The trout farms of Orchomenos are the pride of the region and a national culinary attraction. Nestled in the vegetation by the river, trout have been bred, smoked and filleted here since the mid-1960s. The trout farms of Orchomenos follow Scandinavian methods learned in Denmark by the pioneer of this innovative activity in Greece.
Visitors have the opportunity to learn about the breeding and processing, from hatching, rearing, smoking, filleting and packaging.
According to breeders, trout are indicators of water quality because they cannot thrive in a polluted environment. We recommend that you buy smoked trout and enjoy it with as few additional sauces and herbs as possible to taste its real flavour. It’s one of those meze dishes that tastes better in its simplest rendition.
Even if you’re not a fan of fish, it’s worth sitting at the tables overlooking the water and enjoying a coffee or continuing to visit Panagia Skripous and the tomb of Tholos of Minyas, an important Byzantine monument that played its role in the more recent history of the Boeotian city, and a very significant Mycenaean monument, first excavated by Heinrich Schliemann.
Whether it’s a halfway stop on a trip to Parnassus or a short, under-the-radar excursion near the Attic Plain, Orchomenos is well worth your attention.
How to Get There
Orchomenos is 130 kilometres from Athens. Follow the Athens-Lamia national road until the 110th kilometre and then take the exit for Kastro towards Orchomenos-Livadia.
Read also:
Discovering the Pristine Beauty of Marathos Village
Discovering the ‘Tholos’ Tomb of Mynias
Panagia Skripous, a Valuable Monument in Viotia
