HISTORICAL SITES & MUSEUMS OF CHALKIDA:
Evripos old bridge: The old bridge of Chalkida in the Strait of Evripos, with 2,500 years of history, is the most vibrant and central point of the city of Chalkida. The first record of the existence of a bridge is made at the end of the 5th century BC. Arched vehicle and pedestrian bridge built in 1962 to connect the island of Evia with mainland Greece. The new drawer bridge is 42 meters long and 11 meters wide, has two traffic lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians. Unique experience to watch closely the opening and closing of the bridge for the passage of ships and sailing ships and especially unique tidal phenomenon of the Strait of Euripus. Strait of Euripus is the name of the narrow strip of sea that crosses the city of Chalkida and separates Evia from Central Greece. It is the narrowest point of the Euboean Gulf and the smallest natural strait in the world with a depth of 6-7m. and 40m wide, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. In the Strait of Euripus) there is a movement of sea waters resulting in a continuous fluctuation of its level If we observe the waters under the old bridge for a whole day, we will find that they “flow” from the South to the North Euboean Gulf for six hours. Immediately afterwards and for about eight minutes they remain motionless and slowly but surely change direction and for another six hours they “run” from the North to the South Euboean Gulf. This change occurs about four times a day.
Karababa Castle: The fortress that survives today was built by the Turks in 1684, in order to protect Chalkida from the Venetians. It was designed by the Venetian Gerolimo Galopo and its architecture is more European and less Turkish. Its form mainly approaches Venetian models. Inside the courtyard there is a church dedicated to Prophet Elias, dating back to 1895. The fortress is preserved in good condition after restoration works in the 1950s, 1990s and 2000s, when it hosts important cultural events as well as the permanent exhibition of medieval sculptures of Chalkida.
Railway Station Building: The station building located near the old bridge of Evripos is stone-built with neoclassical elements and tiled roof with characteristic decorative elements. Its construction began in 1902 after the establishment of the Hellenic Railways Company. Ιn 2000 the station building was declared a listed monument.
Agia Paraskevi church: Agia Paraskevi is the patron saint of Chalkida, whose memory is celebrated every year on July 26th.The church of Agia Paraskevi is an important Byzantine monument. It is a wooden-roofed basilica of the 5th or 8th century. Under the chapels Venetian rulers are buried. The church is said to be built on the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Zeus. During Byzantine times it was dedicated to Panagia Perivlepto. During the Turkish occupation it was converted into a mosque where in recent years the Turks used it as a barracks and warehouse. The chronological placement of the temple is very difficult. Scholars report that the original temple dates back to the late 5th/early 6th century (eight columns and the lower parts of the long walls are preserved). Radical repairs were made in the 13th century by the Franks, when the sanctuary took its present form.
Vailos house: One of the most important historical buildings of Chalkida is the one that rises opposite the main entrance on the west side of the metropolitan church of Agia Paraskevi. According to oral tradition, it is known nowadays as the “house of Bailos”, the administrative palace of the Venetian lord of the city. The building of Vailos in combination with the imposing three-aisled basilica of Agia Paraskevi and the large square created between them, are part of an ambitious reconstruction plan implemented in Chalkida by the Venetians, when they finally consolidated their domination in the city, with the aim of creating a new administrative, religious, and commercial center, which would be in direct contact with the port of Vourkos.
Emir Zathe mosque: The mosque is located near the church of Agia Paraskevi. Near the mosque there is a half-destroyed Turkish Arabic-style fountain with inscriptions that are supplications and prayers to the god. It is believed that it was built by the conqueror Muhammad immediately after the arrival of the Turks in Evia in the 15th century.
Archaeological museum: The Archaeological Museum of Chalkida was founded in 1902 and is housed in a tiled neoclassical building of the early 20th century, with carved masonry. The building has a large courtyard and three halls, where the exhibits are presented. The permanent exhibition of the museum presents chronologically the history of Evia from the Palaeolithic to the Late Roman period and highlights particularly important aspects of Euboean archaeology. The exhibition of the Museum has collections with findings from the settlement and cemetery of Manika (2800 – 1900 BC), Mycenaean pottery and figurines, the Economou collection with Euboean, Boeotian pottery and sculpture, a collection of classical and Hellenistic coins from Chalkida, Eretria and Karystos, Roman votive sculptures from Chalcis and Edipsos, funerary monuments from Chalkida, New Lampsakos and honorary resolutions. The courtyard of the Museum contains resolutions, funerary monuments and Roman sculptures.
New Intertemporal Museum «Arethousa»: The new archaeological museum of the city is housed in an industrial building of the early 20th century, the distillery under the name “Arethousa SA”, which stopped operating in 1980 and is a declared monument of cultural heritage. The new permanent exhibition presents objects from all over Evia and Skyros from the Palaeolithic period to the early 20th century, commenting on selected aspects of the history of the two islands through a dynamic social interpretation of important, timeless, issues. Prominent aspects in the history of Evia are highlighted, such as: the role of Skyros in trade and metallurgy in the prehistoric Aegean, the prosperity of the settlement in Lefkandi in the 10th century BC, the presence of the Euboeans in the colonization and the spread of the Euboean alphabet in the West, the connection of the Homeric epic and ancient drama with the sanctuary of Artemis in Avlis, the famous Negroponte, a powerful center of the Venetians, the heyday of Egriboz in the Ottoman era and the industrial development of the early 20th century.
BEACHES
Organized beaches:
- ASTERIA PLAZ, Food, snacks, coffee & playground for children (10 minutes walking distance from our apartments).
- ΠΑΡΑΛΙΑ ΑΛΥΚΕΣ (ALYKES BEACH), (Drosia Chalkida). Organized beach with plenty of Beach Bars (about 10 minutes by car from our apartments).
- ΠΑΡΑΛΙΑ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΩΝ (POLITIKA BEACH), (Politika, Evia). Organized beach with crystal clear waters and pebbles (about 30 minutes by car from our apartments).
Other beaches (1-1,5 hours from Halkida):
- ΠΑΡΑΛΙΑ ΔΑΦΝΗΣ (DAFNI BEACH) Nerotrivia, clear blue waters Nerotrivia, Evia (about 40 minutes by car from our apartments).
- ΠΑΡΑΛΙΑ ΧΙΛΙΑΔΟΥ (CHILIADOU BEACH), clear blue waters Chiliadou, Evia (about 90 minutes by car from our apartments).
- ΚΟΡΑΣΙΔΑ (KORASIDA BEACH), clear blue waters Korasida, Evia (about 80 minutes by car from our apartments.) or itineraries for easy planning.