Get ready to hike, cycle or run along Pelion’s countless trails and ancient paved walkaways, surrounded by quaint mountain villages, magnificent nature and breathtaking views. Whatever the season, one of the best places for hiking in Greece is the Home of the Centaurs on the Pelion peninsula.

Located in the south of the Thessaly region, the peninsula separates the Pagasitic Gulf from the Aegean and uniquely combines the beauty of the mountains with the grace of the sea.

The peninsula is an amazing vacation spot for walking in Greece offering a mild climate, fabulous landscapes, picturesque villages, lovely coastlines and enchanting bays.

Discover unique mountain villages

The Pelion area invites you first to explore its rich history with over 40 mountain villages built by skilled stonemasons from the Epirus region. Even under Turkish rule, the self-governing mountain communities flourished, trading in olive oil, olives, fruit, chestnuts, silk and wood and transporting their goods to the sea on mules. Each village had its own beach, which served as a port.

The privilege of autonomy is considered as the basis for the prosperity that reached its peak after the Turkish rule in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Most of the villas, monasteries, bridges, fountains and paved footpaths, called “Kalderimia” that we admire today, were built at that time.

At the end of the 19th century, Evaristo Di Chirico, the father of the well-known painter Giorgio de Chirico, built an artistic narrow-gauge railroad to the villages of Pelion. Till this day, commutes the train in the summer months between Ano Lechonia and Milies as a historic railroad.

Today, many old Kalderimia and paths have been converted into asphalt roads, but this unfortunately was not enough to prevent the creeping economic downturn of the Pelion mountain villages.
More about the villages and their history.

Enjoy lush nature

The Pilion peninsula is part of a mountain range that crosses Greece from the mountains of central Macedonia to Mount Olympus. It ends at Mount Ossa and Mavrovounio in Pilion.

The nature of the area combines the inviting and mild atmosphere of the sea with the rugged and unspoiled profile of the mountain slopes, that even brings from time to time a lot of snow. The result is a rich visual experience with a variety of vegetation, colors and scents. A visit at any time of the year is an unforgettable aesthetic journey.

The interior of the peninsula impresses with dense deciduous forests of beech, chestnut, oak and plane trees.

Along the coasts, olive groves and pine forests grow together.

Here thrive some species of animals, mushrooms and especially herbs in great diversity, which are otherwise hardly found.

The rich flora led the ancient Greeks to settle the wise healer Centaur Chiron on Pelion, whose healing art was based on local herbs.

Autumn is mild and the thousands of sprouting flowers are reminiscent of spring.

The Greek cyclamen, autumn crocuses and autumn timeless are particularly common.

Summary, the vast network of roads and footpath’s without any dead ends, the variety of nature, the beautiful and ever-changing panorama, the mysterious atmosphere of the forests and the many small bays and beaches make the Pelion one of the most interesting areas for hiking in Greece and nature lovers.

Find out more about the geography and vegetation of the Pelion peninsula.

Explore the hiking Paradise

The peninsula is a playground for hikers and nature lovers. The variety of walking routes is so immensely, that you can walk on a different route every day for three months.

Most Impressive is especially the endless net of old paved roads that connect the villages and can be traced back partly to ancient times.

The Kalderimia are ideal for experiencing the magnificent fusion of nature, mythology, history and human labor in Pelion.

Despite the years that passed by, many of the traditional walkaways are still in very good shape due to efforts done by the old local communities.

The trails lead past springs, olive groves or the lush nature of the Pelion Forest and show how much the locals once cultivated and terraced the landscape, but also how they traded and transported goods from the mountains to the coastal towns with donkeys and horses.

At that old times, each villager was obliged, it is said, to spend a certain amount of time per year in the maintenance and construction of the Kalderimia.

The stone paths were used intensively until the 1970’s. Since then, they have been slowly disappearing under the forces of untouched nature.

But heavy rains wash the paths and many people are engaged for their protection. They are alway ready for hiking in Greece.

Fully equipped holiday cottage

In the south of this unique peninsula we rent out a new renovated holiday cottage with large garden great view and many wonderful hiking trails just around.

The residence is located 54 kilometers from Volos in the beautiful little village Lafkos.

It is famous because of the outstanding square without any cars, his delicious taverns…

…and one of the oldest coffee shops in Greece, running since 1775 in one Family’s hand.

Right at an old spring at the foot of the holiday cottage begins the Kalderimi going across a hill to the small coastal town Milina.

45 minutes later, you have already arrived.

More about the holiday cottage, the village, events, hiking in Greece and other tourist excursions like the Pelion train is reachable searching the web or within our personal guide’s. Everything about arriving or booking is here. We are also glad about a message or your contribution in our guestbook.

Pelion, the best place for nature lovers and hiking in Greece

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