You probably imagine coastlines, azure waters, and picture-perfect beaches when you think about hiking in Greece. So either, or a complex, perplexing labyrinth made to contain a Minotaur by the fabled inventor Daedalus. Greece’s best hiking offers more than simply stunning views. It blends spectacular natural scenery from all around the country with regional mythology and culture.
Greece is without a doubt best recognized for its ancient mythology and breathtaking coasts, and The Olympic Games (the biggest sporting event in the globe and most sought-after event on online casinos’ sportsbooks here), although smashing plates and great pastries also spring to mind. Yet if you look past all of that, Greece also boasts a ton of hiking sites. You’ll find some of the most stunning mountains, valleys, woods, and gorges in all of Europe, as well as inland mountain ranges that are almost built for hiking in this southeastern European nation intertwined with thousands of islands in the Aegean and Ionian seas.
So where should we begin hiking-wise? You need to search far and wide, from Mount Olympus to the islands, for the best hiking in Greece. Consider the list of hikes below to be more of a great way to learn about what’s available than a definitive list and order of these locations—the ideal ground point to begin your search for your ideal trek in Greece.
Menalon Trail
The Menalon Trail is a lengthy hiking path that connects the mountain villages of Stemnitsa and Lagkadia in Arcadia, on the Peloponnese peninsula, throughout the extreme south of Greece. The 75-km path isn’t just steep but also rich in gorges, canyons, enormous natural plateaus, and stark peaks. It’s a much less traveled route than most hiking in Greece. Indeed, it’s a piece of beauty. Just look at Stemnitsa up there. You’ll pass rivers like the Landos and Lousios, as well as a lot of fir and high shrub woods. Keep an eye out for jackals, wild boars, hedgehogs, shrews, foxes, weasels, and hedgehogs. You might even spot a few turtles if you’re lucky.
This route, which showcases a lesser-known region of Greece and a variety of flora and fauna, was the first in the country to receive certification from the European Ramblers Association (ERA). The eight-stage course is broken down wonderfully day by day on the Menalon Trail’s official website.
Mount Olympus
Poseidon, Zeus, Hera, Dionysus, Apollo, and other well-known ancient Greek deities were thought to reside atop Mount Olympus, the tallest mountain in all of Greece. Very fascinating, isn’t it? Olympus is the true Home of the Gods; not every mountain peak may pretend to be the Throne of Zeus. And fantastic hiking.
When the Greeks first arrived on some soil, they gave the biggest peak in the area the name “Olympus” and believed it to be the palace of the gods. But, when it became clear that this particular “Olympus” was the tallest, it was decided that it was the actual seat of the gods. More than any other peak on Earth, the location is arguably dripping with folklore and tradition. It serves as the focal point of a great deal of well-known Greek mythology today.
The 2,918m-high Mount Olympus walk takes two days to complete on average. Overall, the climb isn’t difficult, but getting to the summit can be challenging (this is the explanation why back in the day only the Gods lived up there). From Skala Peak’s top at 2,882 meters to Mytikas Peak’s peak at 2,918 meters, you must complete a class III rock scramble. The climb begins in the hamlet of Litochoro and involves a stopover at a mountain refuge along the way, such as the cozy and compact Kakkalos Shelter, at about 2,700 meters.
Views of the Plateau of Muses, the lush green forest, and the rocky pinnacle of all of Greece are all mesmerizing. This is without a doubt among the top hikes in Greece.
Pindos Mountains
What would you say if asked where brown bears live? The first answers that come to mind are probably places like Canada and Alaska. You’d be correct, of course, but very few people are aware that Greece also has a robust brown bear population, located in the north of the Pindos Mountains, bordering Albania. Greece is home to more than 450 brown bears.
Hiking is even assisting brown bears in northern Greece because by hiking through the Pindos Mountains’ beautiful, dense forests with Callisto, you can help with crucial conservation efforts and follow in the path of brown bears. So, there’s one more box you can check in your notes apart from hiking here: helping.
High mountains, narrow valleys, and canyons make up the Pindos range. The terrain is really difficult. Here, hiking is about seeing scenery that most people don’t think exists in Greece. The stereotypical image of interacting with nature and the forest in a Mediterranean nation is entirely false.
If that isn’t enough for you, going to the Pindos Mountains also gives you the option to hike through the Vikos Gorge, one of the world’s deepest canyons. You’re in luck, though, if you enjoy gorges. For this, the ideal location is Greece. Gorges will be a major highlight in this text moving forward.
Vyros Gorge
More hiking, more gorges. There are many of them in Greece, and the Vyros Gorge is among the most stunning. It’s the kind of place that, after you’ve gone away for 10 minutes to make a cup of tea, automatically appears as your desktop wallpaper on Microsoft laptops because it’s so stunning. A national park since 1973, the Outer Mani area of the Peloponnese in the south of Greece is home to uncommon flowers, and steep slopes, and is traversed by the Voidomatis River. It stretches over 12 kilometers and is thought to have the purest waters in Europe.
If you combine a trip through Vyros Gorge with a hike up Mt. Taygetos, you’ll find yourself staying in mountain refuges, watching the sun come up over Greece and the Mediterranean Sea from 2,404m, scrambling into the mouth of a remarkable gorge that you’ll then travel through, and visiting and stopping off at cute Greek towns along the way.
Samaria Gorge
Not all of Greece’s best walks are on the mainland, as you might imagine. The islands are a haven for outdoor adventures. On some of Greece’s most distant islands, we offer kayaking and wild camping trips, but when it comes to hiking in Greece, it’s difficult to overlook the ancient island of Crete. Cretan history is quite extensive. The Minoans, Europe’s first advanced civilization, called it home from 2700 to 1420 BC. It was also claimed that Zeus was born at the Diktaean Cave on Mount Dikti in Crete. It was also rumored that the minotaur’s labyrinth was located on the island of Crete.
Many people would assume that Crete is merely a destination for sit, soak, and sun vacations, but it’s also tremendously mountainous, and the hiking in Crete is among the best in all of Greece. If you’re interested, we’d advise discovering more of the terrain, but the Samaria Gorge, one of Europe’s most breathtaking hiking locations, is a terrific place to start in Crete.
It can take anywhere between 5-7 hours to walk from the top of the valley to the bottom, concluding at Agia Roumeli beach and traversing the over 15 km-long gorges. The path becomes a few meters narrower and the gorge walls climb to a height of 500 meters at the Sideroportes (Iron Gates). The experience of walking through it is incredibly humble. As you walk, you might possibly spot one of the endangered Cretan ibex that inhabit there. The Samaria Gorge’s major drawback is the tourists; in the summer, it can get very crowded, so it’s best to start as early as you can.
Summing Up
So there you have it—the best hiking routes in Greece that will allow you to experience the country’s natural beauty up close and satisfy your need for exercise. These are our top suggestions for an introduction to Greece’s trails, while there are many other places you can hike in Greece, including Fira and Oia in Santorini, the Corfu trail, and Imbros Gorge in Cretu.
Even if you don’t hike much, we’d advise you to at least attempt one of those trails—the simpler ones—because you never know what can happen. You can return from Greece not just with a new pastime, but also with a deep affection for the place!
