The pedestrianised seafront promenade — the Papadiamantopoulou and the adjacent quays — is the centre of gravity of daily life in Volos. Tsipouradika, cafes, and tavernas line the waterfront in an almost unbroken run, and on warm evenings the whole city seems to be out: families, couples, groups of friends making their way along the quay with no particular destination. It is unhurried in the way that Greek cities at dusk tend to be, and it does not feel arranged for tourists.
The view across the Pagasitic Gulf is the backdrop to all of this. The enclosed bay is calm and very blue, and the wooded slopes of the Pelion foothills rise on the far side, close enough to look like a day's walk rather than a drive. In the late afternoon light the scene is genuinely beautiful, and the contrast with the rebuilt, modern city behind the promenade — Volos was flattened by an earthquake in 1955 and largely reconstructed — makes the seafront feel more precious. Sit down, order tsipouro, and watch the city go about its evening.