Located in the southern part of the island of Evia, in the Aegean Sea, Nea Stira (or Nea Styra) is a popular tourist resort offering excellent beaches, as well as a wide selection of restaurants, tavernas, shops and hotels. The town acts as a seaport, with ferry lines connecting it to Agia Marina on the mainland coast. Because of its proximity to Greece’s capital city, it attracts many Athenians during the summer months. Booking through EasyToBook.com however, you are assured accommodation at one of the area’s many cheap hotels, an ideal base from which to explore the local sites.

The area of Nea Stira is well known as the home of the ‘Dragon Houses’, huge, ancient blocks of stone which are said to date from the late Neolithic or Bronze Age. Reachable only on foot, they are thought to have been the religious sites of the Dryops, the first inhabitants of this area. The method of construction of the buildings, and indeed their purpose, are still however a bit of a mystery. Folklore tales have it that they were once inhabited by dragons, hence their name. The Harakas Gorge also offers good opportunities for walkers and takes approximately 2 hours to negotiate. Four kilometers away from your hotel in Nea Stira is the village of Styra, a traditional working village, once famous for its marble quarries. Situated in the mountains, it is built around a pretty village square overlooked by the village church, and offers a good range of facilities. Karystos, the nearest sizeable town, is roughly an hours’ drive away, and here you can visit the impressive Castello Rosso, the fort at the end of the town’s harbor and Apollo’s temple.