Makrinitsa
The balcony of Pelion
Stone mansions on a steep slope, and a square of old plane trees with a view over Volos and the gulf.
West PelionViewVillage
Pelion, Greece
Ideal: 3–4 daysBest: May–OctPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Pelion in 60 seconds
Pelion is a forested mountain peninsula above the port of Volos, the home of the centaurs in Greek myth and one of Greece's favourite escapes for Greeks themselves. Its villages of grey-roofed stone mansions climb the slopes among chestnuts, beeches, plane trees and springs: Makrinitsa, the 'balcony of Pelion', looks down over the gulf; Tsagarada spreads its quarters around giant plane trees. Old cobbled mule paths, the kalderimia, run down from the villages to the Aegean side's beaches of white pebbles and green water — Damouchari, Mylopotamos — and a little steam train puffs between Lechonia and Milies. Pelion is good in every season: skiing in winter, chestnuts in autumn, swimming in summer. Volos at its foot is the capital of tsipouro, drunk with small plates of meze. Three or four days.
MountainsVillages
Best for
- Beaches
- Hiking
- Nature
- Hidden gems
Known for
- Makrinitsa
- Kalderimia paths
- Damouchari
- Tsipouro in Volos
Skip if
You have no car and little time — Pelion's villages are spread over steep, winding roads with few buses.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Pelion fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Tsagarada
Village of great plane trees
Four scattered quarters in beech and chestnut woods, with a vast plane tree beside the church of Agia Paraskevi.
East PelionVillageWoods
Damouchari
The only natural harbour on the Aegean side
A tiny cove of boats and two pebble beaches, reached by an old cobbled path down from Tsagarada.
East PelionBeachWalk
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Pelion steam train
A narrow-gauge line through the forest
A little train crossing stone bridges and ravines; it runs mostly at weekends in season, so check the timetable.
Ano Lechonia–MiliesFamiliesTrain
The kalderimia
Cobbled mule paths between the villages
Old stone paths through woods and orchards; the waymarked Long Pelion Trail links many of them.
ThroughoutFreeHiking
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Volos
The port city at the mountain's foot
A lively university city with a long seafront lined with tsipouradika.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Mountain villages
ModerateGuesthouses in old mansions
Sleep in a restored archontiko in Makrinitsa, Tsagarada or Milies.
AtmosphericCar needed
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Volos is about four hours from Athens by road; buses run, and trains go via Larissa.
- Getting around
- Hire a car; mountain roads are slow but spectacular.
- When to go
- May to October for walking and swimming; autumn for chestnuts and colour; winter for snow at Chania.
- Taste locally
- Tsipouro with meze in Volos, spetzofai sausage stew, apples and chestnuts, and spoon sweets.
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- Myth
Pelion is home to the centaur Chiron, who tutors Achilles and Jason.
- 1700s
Trade and silk bring wealth; the great stone mansions are built.
- 1903
The narrow-gauge railway reaches Milies.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Meteora
Monasteries on rock pillars
Meteora has its own guide.
2 hrs 30 min by carUNESCO