Formerly a very popular
mountain town with tourists coming across the
Yugoslavian border, Florina has seen its fortunes fall
after the upheavals to the north. However just because
the majority of the tourists who used to come here are
basking in the safe warm glow of the Peloponessos and
points south, that does not mean that you won't enjoy
this very lively, interesting and beautiful town.
There is skiing at the resort of Vigla and if you are
going to the Prespa lakes you will most likely be
coming through here by bus or train. There is
also a casino above the town if you are looking for a
little rural James Bond action. Famous for its large
red peppers (peperies Florinas), there are a number of
fast food and decent restaurants around Modi Square
and Pavlou Mela streets. Lonely Planet recommends the
Taverna Takis for its grilled food and its inexpensive
prices. It is located at 25 Martiou 18th street. The
Olympus restaurant is only open at lunch but has good
food at reasonable prices. There are five to seven
trains a day to Thessaloniki, six buses a day to
Thessaloniki, 1 bus to Athens and two buses a day to
Agios Germanos and the Prespa lakes at 6:45am and
2:30pm. there are 3 buses a day to FYROM and two buses
to Albania.
If you are coming in
the winter be prepared. It can get pretty cold up
here. See Skiing in Greece
The town runs along
a river and its main street, Pavlou Mela is closed
to automobile traffic and leads into the central
square of Georgiou Modi. There is an
archaeological museum with some interesting
pottery from the Neolithic, Iron and Bronze ages,
Roman statues and Byzantine art. There are two art
galleries, the Florina Artist Gallery, located
near the archeological museum in a big building
that looks like a train station, and the Museum of
modern Art on Leoforos Eleftherias, which contains
a permanent collection of contemporary Greek
artists and also has exhibitions.
This is a great place to go in mid August when everywhere else is hot and crowded.
Featured Hotels in or around Florina
Best Western Lingos is a centrally located hotel in Florina, northern western
Greece. It is fully renovated, offering you quality services. It consists of 34
standard fully equipped rooms, 4 junior suites and a presidential suite with
living room and Jacuzzi. The hotel can also provide congress services in
the modern congress rooms. You can enjoy the greek cuisine in the restaurant of
the hotel or relax by having a drink in the hotel's bar. Wireless internet is available in the entire hotel and charges are
applicable. Wired internet is available in public areas and charges are applicable. For more hotels visit Booking.com's Florina Page and on Matt's Hotels of Greece Central Macedonia Page. There are many more hotels in nearby Kastoria on the famous lake of the same name. |