Volos

Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 326 km north of Athens and 215 km south of Thessaloniki. It is the capital of the Magnesia regional unit.

Built at the innermost point of the Pagasetic Gulf and at the foot of Mount Pilio or Pelion (the land of the Centaurs), Volos is the only outlet towards the sea from Thessaly, the country's largest agricultural region. With a population of 144,420 (2011) and a prefecture of around 200,000, it is an important industrial centre, while its port provides a bridge between Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Volos is the third of Greece's major commercial ports, but also gains significant traffic because of its connections by ferry and hydrofoil to the nearby Sporades Islands, which include Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos. There are also connections to Limnos, Lesvos, Chios and Skyros.