Most of Greece is mountainous and a hiker’s paradise. In the northwest of mainland Greece, the Zagorohoria’s 46 traditional stone-and-slate villages offer crisp alpine air and sublime views.
Hikers also come for the Vikos Gorge and other more mountainous routes. Excellent 12km-long, 900m-deep Vikos Gorge bisects the Zagorohoria, and the nearly six-hour hike starts south of Monodendri and runs north to the Papingo villages. Walkers will be in their element exploring several days’ worth of monopatia that thread through the rocky monastery-topped spires of Meteora in central Greece.
The geological heart of Meteora, the Adhrakhti (obelisk) is a striking column visible from anywhere in Kastraki, the closest village. The lushly forested Pelion Peninsula, on the eastern edge of the mainland near the city of Volos, is a hiking mecca.
In the north, two relatively simple hikes begin near Tsagarada. From the square of Agia Paraskevi, it’s two hours down to the small bay at Damouhari.
Zagoria-Meteora-Pelion
Day1: Thessaloniki Arrival
Day 2: Zagoria Villages Exploration
Day 3: Vikos Gorge
Day 4: Papigo - Klidonia - Gefira Aristi
Day 5: Portitsa Gorge-Orliakas Mountain
Day 6: Meteora
Day 7: Pilio - Portaria
Day 8: Tsagarada - Damouchari - Ag. Ioannis
Day 9: Tsagarada - Milies
Day 10: Thessaloniki - end of trip