Think of hiking in Greece and you probably think of coastlines, glimmering turquoise water and picture-perfect beaches. Well, either that, or an elaborate, confusing labyrinth designed by the legendary artificer Daedalus built to hold a Minotaur. The best hiking in Greece is more than just beautiful scenery. It mixes the local mythology and culture with the stunning nature around the nation.
There's no doubt that Greece is best known for beautiful coastlines and ancient mythology (although great pastries, and smashing plates also spring to mind). But look beyond all that and you’ll find Greece also has a whole lot of hiking.
Stuart Kenny
Specifically, you'll find inland mountain ranges almost tailor-made for hiking, and of the most beautiful mountains, valleys, forests and gorges in Europe.
So, where to start? If you’re looking for the best hiking in Greece, then you need to look far and wide, from Mount Olympus to the islands. Consider the below less of a factual list of the 'best hikes in Greece' and more of a cracking way to find out what’s on offer - the perfect place to start the search for your dream hike in Greece.
It’s important to note that these route descriptions are only short summaries, designed to inspire but not to serve any navigational purpose. They are not intended to guide you on the route and further mapping and planning (or a local guide!) will be required if you want to safely walk any of the trails featured.
5 of the Best Hikes in Greece: Mapped
If you're looking at hiking in Greece for the first time, then you might be keen to know roughly where these hikes lie on a map. So, here's a map to show just that.
That one off the mainland at the bottom is Samaria Gorge, which is on Crete.
1. Climb Mount Olympus (2918m)
- Distance: 15 miles (24km)
- Walking time: 2 days
- Difficulty: Challenging
Not every mountain can claim to hold the throne of a God - but Olympus is not a mountain short on history or folklore. The 12 Gods of Ancient Greece - Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Apollo, Dionysus and all – were all said to live at the top of this mighty mountain, which is the highest mountain in Greece, and whether you see them or not, you'll certainly hear a lot about these ancient figures as you climb Olympus.
Athanasios Pitenis, a local who grew up beneath the mountain and still guides on it today, once told me: "Mythology and Mount Olympus are one and the same."
The hike up Mount Olympus, which is 2918m high, is typically done in two days.
The climb starts from the town of Litochoro and will take you through black pine forests on a steep path rising to the Muses Plateau at 2,550m.
The first day of hiking usually finishes a few hundred metres up from here, usually at either the Giosos Apostolidis Hut (2,687m), which is the highest mountain hut in the Balkans, or the Christos Kakkalos Refuge (2,650m), which is named after the first person to climb the mountain in the modern age.
The second day will see you setting off to the summit of Olympus at around 7am. All in all, it’s not a technical climb from here, but getting to the peak can be tricky (hence why only the Gods lived up there back in the day). The final section in particular takes you from the summit of Skala Peak at 2882m to the peak of Mytikas, which is the high point of the mountain. It's a grade III rock scramble. Those who don't fancy the scramble often summit nearby Skolio Peak instead.
The views are mesmeric from the topic – looking back down to the Plateau of Muses, over the lush green forests and beyond, out to the Aegean Sea.
2. Hike the 46-Mile (75km) Menalon Trail
- Distance: 46 miles (75km)
- Walking time: 5-8 days
- Difficulty: Challenging
The Menalon Trail is a long-distance hiking route which runs between Stemnitsa and Lagkadia, two mountain villages in Arcadia, on the Peloponnese peninsula, in the very south of Greece.
It’s a route more off the beaten track than a lot of hiking in Greece, and it's not only mountainous but also full of valleys, canyons, huge natural plateaus and bare peaks. It’s really a thing of beauty. Just check out Stemnitsa above. You’ll pass the rivers Landos and Lousios, and a high percentage of fir forests and high shrub forests. Keep your eyes on watch for foxes, weasels, hedgehogs, bats, shrews and even jackals and wild boars. If you’re lucky you might even see a few turtles.
This was the first trail in Greece certified by the ERA (European Ramblers Association). It shows off a lesser known part of Greece, and all sorts of flora and fauna. Check out the Menalon Trail official website for a great day-by-day breakdown of the eight-stage route.
3. Go Bear-Tracking in the Pindos Mountains
- Distance: Variable.
- Walking time: Variable.
- Difficulty: Moderate.
Where do brown bears live? The first answers likely to spring to mind are the likes of Canada and Alaska. Of course, you’d be right, but a lot fewer people know that there is actually a thriving brown bear population in Greece as well – in the northern Pindos Mountains, which border Albania. There are over 450 brown bears in Greece.
We recently did a full feature with conservation experts Callisto on how hiking is helping brown bears in northern Greece, but long story short, by pairing up with Callisto, you can hike through the dense, beautiful forests of the Pindos Mountains, following the footsteps of brown bears and helping with vital conservation work. Hiking? Check. Helping? Check.
“The Pindos range is a stretch of high mountains and deep valleys and canyons,” brown bear expert Dr. Yorgos Mertzanis told us for our feature on Greek hiking. “It’s very rugged terrain. [Hiking here] is about discovering landscapes most people don’t imagine exist in Greece. About connecting with nature and forest in a Mediterranean country where the cliched picture is completely different.”]
Naturally, if you're tracking animals, you don't know exactly what route you'll follow or how long you'll be out there, so we've left distance and walking time variable.
If that’s not enough for you, visiting the Pindos Mountains also means the chance to hike the Vikos Gorge – one of the deepest gorges in the world. Remember that nice image from the top of the article? That was the Vikos Gorge. Wow. Anyway, if you like gorges, you’re in luck. Greece is the place to be. There’s going to be a lot about gorges from here on out in this article.
4. Trek the Samaria Gorge on Crete
- Distance: 10 miles (16km)
- Walking time: 4-6 hours
- Difficulty: Moderate.
As you would probably guess, not all of the best hikes in Greece are on the mainland. The islands are also an adventure paradise. We run a kayak and wild camping trip on some of the most remote islands of Greece, but as far as hiking in Greece goes, it’s tough to look past the historic island of Crete. The history of Crete is incredibly rich. It was actually the centre of Europe’s first advanced civilization, the Minoans, from 2700-1420 BC. The Diktaean Cave at Mount Dikti on Crete was also said to be the birthplace of the god Zeus. The labyrinth which kept the minotaur was also said to be on Crete.
A lot of people might think of it as a setting for sit, soak and sun holidays only, but Crete is actually incredibly mountainous too – and the hiking on Crete is some of the best hiking in Greece. We’d recommend exploring more of the terrain if you’re interested, but a great place to start on Crete is with the Samaria Gorge, one of the most beautiful trekking spots in Europe.
Walking from the top of the gorge to the bottom can take anything from 5-7 hours from Omalos, finishing at Agia Roumeli beach, and taking in the almost 15km gorge. At the ‘Sideroportes’, or ‘Iron Gates’, the path narrows to a few metres and the gorge walls rise 500m high. It’s a real humbling feeling strolling through it. You might even see one of the rare Cretan ibex that live there as you walk. The only issue with the Samaria Gorge are the crowds – it can get real busy in the summer, so it’s good to get going as early as you possibly can.
Read more: How a Cretan Gorge Became a Haven for Freedom Fighters
5. Hike Vyros Gorge on the Old Kardamyli Loop
- Distance: 9 miles (14.5km)
- Walking time: 5-6 hours
- Walking: Moderate to Challenging
Another hike, another gorge. Greece has a lot of them, and the Vyros Gorge is one of the most beautiful. It’s the sort of place that’s so beautiful that it looks a bit like one of those automatic desktop backgrounds that appears on a Microsoft computer when you go and make up a cup of coffee. Found in the in the ‘Outer Mani’ region of the Peloponnese in southern Greece, it became a national park in 1973 and is full of rocky slopes, rare flowers and cut by the Voidomatis River. It’s considered to have the clearest waters in all of Europe, and runs for a distance of 12km.
This route starts in Kardamyli (sometimes written as Kardamili), a sleepy fishing village on the coast. From here, you'll follow the Kalamata River, which will then lead you in the direction of the Vyros Gorge. After visiting this highlight, you'll climb to around 400m on a steep hill before descending to the small Monastery Pogonitsa. You'll then climb back up again, walking by the outskirts of Exochori and then back south towards Agia Sofia and Kardamyli.
Inspired? Check out our full range of hiking holidays in Greece now!