MUST-VISITS
IN PELION
Pelion is a destination to enjoy throughout the year. An endless destination that will satisfy even the most difficult visitor.
Picturesque villages climbing up its slopes, wonderful small and long beaches, stone arch bridges, steep gorges and waterfalls, and a complex trail network that reaches every corner of the mountain, make up Pelion’s unmatched beauty.
CENTRAL PELION
MILIES is a historic village of Pelion that pulses all year long. Located in a nodal privileged position on the mountain, Milies is a traditional village of great natural beauty. Some of its landmarks are the church of Pammegistoi Taxiarches (1741) at the central square of the village, the old train station on its lower parts, and the big metal bridge named after the architect De Chirico. Do not miss the experience of travelling on the Pelion train, the famous ‘Moutzouris’, on the most picturesque train travel in Greece. A unique itinerary.
AGIOS GEORGIOS NILEIAS is the highest village in Pelion, presenting an important intellectual heritage and presence in the local history. It sprawls amphitheatrically under the Evzonas peak, offering a unique view to the Pagasitikos Gulf. The village reflects the harmonious combination of the surrounding natural beauty with the traditional and neoclassical mansions, the stone and marble fountains, its central square with the big plane trees, and its museums.
Only two kilometers from Milies, there is VYZITSA, a small village, a living monument of Pelion architecture. Its excellent restored mansions and ecclesiastic monuments, its cobbled streets, its small square and its stone fountains place Vysitsa among the best-preserved sites of typical architecture in Greece.
Leaving Vysitsa you will arrive to PINAKATES, a village that has maintained all the original features of a typical village in Pelion. Walking on its cobbled streets, the visitor will meet the old mansions of the village and its renowned ‘hidden’ picturesque square, with its century old plane tree and a special marble fountain.
KATO GATZEA is the closest port to Agios Georgios Nileias; a beloved sea village for its spectacular sunset, the peacefulness of the setting, and its picturesque ‘island’ esplanade.
KALA NERA is one of the newest sea villages in Pelion, that has met essential development, as beautiful as all others. It has the longest beach in the Pagasitikos Gulf, with crystal clear water, plane trees and eucalyptuses reaching the shore. A vivid place throughout the year.
AGIOS LAVRENTIOS is located high on the mountain, only 11 kilometers from Agria. The village is a striking example of local craftmanship, with wonderful, restored mansions, numerous stone fountains and has one of the most important trail networks.
WESTERN PELION
PORTARIA, the first village you come across driving up the mountain of the Centaurs, together with MAKRINITSA, only a little further, is one of the most cosmopolitan villages of Pelion, whose traditional character and natural beauty have respected the past and have remained unchanged over the years. Restored, traditional mansions, authentic pieces of Pelion architecture, stone fountains and churches constructed in the 17th and 18th century with ornate reliefs and local museums, traditional taverns and shops selling homemade local products will meet the taste of all types of visitors. Makrinitsa, the so called ‘Balcony of Pelion’, enjoys a magnificent view of Volos and the Pagasitikos Gulf.
Higher on the mountain, at an altitude of 1 200 meters high, in a dense forest of firs, chestnut and beech trees, there is the small village of HANIA, home to one of the oldest and most popular ski centres in Greece at the position Agriolekfes. Throughout the year, Agriolefkes maintain the exclusive privilege of an incredible view of the Aegean Sea and the Pagasitikos Gulf.
EASTERN PELION
Τhe mountain’s majesty meets its architectural tradition in ZAGORA, the largest and most historic village of Pelion, which has become famous for its apples. The village is built amphitheatrically in nature, and together with its marvelous tower houses, its old monasteries, its numerous churches, its monumental fountains, and its historical library, as well as its port, HOREFTO, it is a must-visit location in Pelion, at least once in life. POURI, a small beautiful mountainous village is located closeby, at the very end of the route to Eastern Pelion.
KISSOS and MOURESSI are ideal spots for nature and peace lovers. These two small, picturesque villages, with their beautiful and green squares, are ideal for a short fresh stop that might be best combined respectively with a visit to the churches of Agia Marina in Kissos (17th century) and Agia Triada in Mouresi (18th century).
TSAGARADA is a village divided into four districts shaded by century old trees, which has preserved Pelion’s traditional architecture. Wonderful squares with giant plane trees, as well as churches, traditional mansions and cobbled streets are found on every next step. A well-preserved cobbled pathway leads to Damouchari beach, from where it is easy to reach the wide beach of Agios Ioannis, with its typical light blue water. Close to Tsagarada is Mylopotamos, a much-loved beach of Pelion, as well as the beaches Fakistra, Plaka and Papa Nero.
SOUTHERN PELION
Southern Pelion’s nature is no less magnificent that that of the rest of the mountain of Centaurs. Leaving ARGALASTI, the largest village in the area, and not so far, the visitor can discover the beaches of Potistika, Melani and Paltsi on the Aegean Sea, some of them sandy, others covered with pebbles, crystal blue water, while sometimes having playful waves. The beaches on the Pagasitikos Gulf are serene and sheltered from the wind. They lay between picturesque villages and olive groves along LEFOKASTRO, KALAMOS, HERTO, MILINA, TZASTENI and hide in small coves down to TRIKERI and AGIA KYRIAKI, the beatuful fishing village on the southernmost point of Pelion.
LAFKOS is one of the most splendid villages in Pelion, offering a panoramic view to the coasts of the Pagasitikos Gulf. It takes pride in its fabulous, tiled square, where the Church of Holy Mary and its sublime belfry of the 19th Century are located, and the coffee shop of Emmanouel Forlidas (1785), probably the oldest in Greece, as well as its cobbled streets, its mansions and its unique Radio Museum.
