Discover hiking in Greece along the paths and ancient trails of Pilion and relax in the enchanting village of Lafkos. Whatever the season, the Home of the Centaurs is perfect for your walking holiday. Just enjoy the proximity to the sea and the mild climate, surrounded by beautiful nature and breathtaking views.

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

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

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

See more about trails, the geography and vegetation of the Pelion peninsula. If you are able to read Greek check also this maps for routs.

Enjoy Lafkos as the perfect base for your hiking holidays

The little village of Lafkos 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.

Surrounded by green hills, the picturesque village of Lafkos is a reminder of a time when the region was bustling with trade in olive oil, olives, fruit, chestnuts, silk and timber, transported to the sea by mule.

The village is worth a visit in both summer and winter and will be remembered for more than just being the mythical home of the centaurs.

From an ancient spring on the outskirts of Lafkos, the Kalderimi heads over a hill to the picturesque coastal town of Milina.

45 minutes later you are there and ready for a swim.

Discover unique mountain villages

The Pelion area invites you 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 installed Evaristo Di Chirico, the father of the painter Giorgio de Chirico, an artistic railroad between the villages. Till this day, commutes the train in the summer months between Ano Lechonia and Milies.

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 combines the inviting and mild atmosphere of the sea with the rugged and unspoiled profile of the mountain slopes. 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.

The vast network of roads and footpath’s, 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 South 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 old paved roads

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 or olive groves and show how the locals once cultivated 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.

More about our holiday cottage in Lafkos, 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.

Lafkos in Pelion, the best place for all the coasts, nature lovers and beach holidays.

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