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, but look beyond that and you’ll also has a whole lot of hiking - inland mountain ranges almost tailor-made for hiking, and of the most beautiful mountains, valleys, forests and gorges in Europe.
Stuart Kenny
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 definitive 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.
These route descriptions are 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, as well as hiking experience, will be required to safely walk any of the trails featured. While we strive for accuracy, we cannot guarantee completeness, and as always, the outdoors comes with its risks. Weather conditions can turn, and outdoor activities come with inherent risks.
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 spot short on folklore. The 12 Gods of Ancient Greece - Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Apollo, Dionysus and all – were all said to live on top of this mighty mountain, which is the highest 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 early in the morning. It’s not a technical climb from here, but getting to the peak can be tricky and requires a head for heights. 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 Menalon Trail, Peloponnese
- 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. Fewer people know there is actually a thriving brown bear population in Greece as well – in the northern Pindos Mountains, which border Albania. We recently did a feature with conservation experts Callisto on how hiking is helping with the conservation of brown bears in northern Greece.
Obviously these animals can be dangerous, so a guide is essential for such an experience, but it's a really unique offering in the mountains of Greece.
“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, and the hike through it is one of the most popular in all of Greece.
There is also a long-distance (approximately 30-day) walking route called the Pindos Way for intrepid hikers. The Cicerone trekking guide to Greece documents it, and provides specific details for dozens of day-long stages along the route.
4. Trek the Samaria Gorge on Crete
- Distance: 10 miles (16km)
- Walking time: 5-7 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. 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 incredibly mountainous too – and the hiking is some of the best hiking in Greece. 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, 1,230m up (4,035ft), to the bottom can take anything from 5-7 hours. You start from a trailhead at Xyloskalo, near Omalos, and finish at Agia Roumeli beach. On the way, you'll walk through Samaria (an abandoned settlement), and pass through the ‘sideroportes’ (iron gates), when the path narrows and the gorge walls rise high. It’s a humbling feeling. 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 get going early or visit in April or May, when the wildflowers are out.
Read more: How a Cretan Gorge Became a Haven for Freedom Fighters
5. Hike from Mountains to Seaside in Ithaki
- Distance: 7 miles (11km)
- Walking time: 3-4 hours
- Walking: Moderate
Ithaki/Ithaca is the island of Odysseus, and as such, it attracts a lot of people with an interest in the Trojan War. One of the most popular trails on the island runs from the mountainous area of Anogi to Kioni, by the sea. The route is documented on the website of Ithaca tourism. It is a mixture of paved roads, stone paths and gravel - passing tall oak trees, ruined churches, olive groves and vineyards. You will have coastal views, and end up in the scenic port town of Kioni, one of Ithaca's finest villages.
Inspired? Check out our full range of hiking holidays in Greece now!