The City of Larissa

I am assuming you have already looked at our home page and seen beautiful places to visit in the Downtown city center of Larissa. Well, Larissa is not just Downtown. And there are nice places to visit in every area of the city. It doesn't matter what part of the city you are in, There is a place worth visiting just a short walking distance away.

Outdoor Swimming Pool

The outdoor pool is open only in the summer (of course) and is located about 500 meters away from Neapoli Sqare (Platia Neapoli) pronounced nay-up-oh-lee. It's not easy to find the pool because it's very well hidden. But if you get to Neapoli square, find Merarchias street and head towards Karditsa. Before the next set of traffic lights, you will see on your right a large covered parking lot. This is the place that the big yearly flea market is held every year. in the far corner of the parking lot you may see some fences with a boarder on the inside of the fences to prevent you from looking in. That my friend is the swimming pool. It's not easy to find, but on a hot summer day, it's sometimes better than going to the beach. think about it. To get to the beach, you need to fight traffic, look for a parking spot, carry your umbrella and beach chair. The whole process can take hours. But if you only have one hour to kill, and it's hot outside. It only takes 5 minutes to get to the pool and they supply the umbrella, beach chair, table, and there is a little snack bar there where you can purchase your frappe (the new Greek coffee).

The Ice Skating Rink

At the time when I started this website, I had no chance of ice skating in Larissa. My Coopers were collecting dust in the closet next to my hockey stick and my Calgary Flames puck.

So you can imagine how happy I was when I heard that a skating rink had opened up.
I don't need to say much about the skating rink, It's in a large tent, it has ice, you get free skate rentals, and there is a heated coffee and smoking area as well. I have only been there once though because ... well, in Canada Skating was free. Here in Larissa Skating costs 8 euros per hour, So my Skates are still collecting dust next to the hockey puck.
The skating rink is located about 40 meters away from the swimming pool. In fact they share the same parking lot. Just look for the large tent.

Platia Neapoli

Platia Neapoli is like a small park that is surrounded by entertainment for all ages. It is not uncommon to see children playing in the park at 11:00 PM during the summer. It's truly amazing how children in Greece don't have a fixed bedtime. On one side of the children's park is an area that is famous for it's pizza. A long row of Pizza restaurants that also sell souvlaki and a lot of other great foods. On the other street that boarders the square is a row of sports lounges where you can watch the game on the big screen while enjoying a beer with your friends. The other side of the platia is a row of very romantic coffee shops. It's very dark there, the only lights are the soft lights from the candles that every coffee shop on the street has. Or the light coming from the large screen T.V. Sets. These coffee shops are so similar (in a very beautiful way) that you don't know where one coffee shop starts and the other ends. And then, after you get past all the candle lit coffee shops. You come to a section that has bright lights and loud music. You have just entered the club district. And what a contrast it is, From well lit family pizza restaurants, to sports lounges, to dimly lit coffee shops to loud and noisy night clubs. I can't adequately describe this place. This is a must see, So go there and just take a short walk around the square and you will see what I mean. Since the square is outdoors, do this on a warm evening. The shops are also open in the day time as well, But it's not the same.

The Larissa Art Gallery

Ever since I started this website everyone has been telling me, "Tell them about the art gallery". My response has always been, "Why?" Do you really want to visit an art gallery? Well, OK, I am assuming that anyone who visits the art gallery probably is extremely bored, and there is no excuse for that in Larissa. But since I have to live with my wife, who has been bugging me to include the art gallery in my website, here it is, the art gallery. It's located on Merarchias street and it looks nice from the outside. If you want to fit in with the artsy crowd then all you have to do is choose a painting or something in the art gallery and stand in front of it in art appreciation stance (left hand under right elbow, right thumb under chin and right forefinger touching left corner of mouth). Stand in front of the painting for about 10 minutes, then go to another painting and repeat.

The Ster Cinema Center

I don't know if it's called the Ster Cinema Center, but I will call it that on this website because that is what my friends call it. To get there you find the Carrefour supermarket located on the way to Gianouli from Larissa city center. Behind the supermarket is the Ster Cinema. Located next to the cinema is the gameroom/bowling ally. A great place to relax, play pool, bowl and just basically have fun. About 50 meters away is the Go Cart Track. It's fun it's exciting and you can drive as fast as you want without having to worry about the traffic jams. What could be better than putting on a helmet and putting your foot on the accelerator while you zoom around curves at top speed. You can easily spend a whole day here with the boys. Shoot some pool, bowl a couple of games, drive the go cart and top it off with a movie. Don't forget to pick up you wife from the art gallery on your way home.