12-day walking holiday with a rental car Pilion, a peninsula in Greece, halfway between Athens and Thessaloniki. An area with many wells, so there’s water, even in summer time. Pilion, where you find streambeds with ivy hanging like lianas from the trees, and ferns and metallic blue dragonflies. Beech forests cover the higher areas like a bright green blanket. In olive groves the greyish green foliage forms a lovely contrast with the purple blue of thyme and the pink cistus flowers on the ground. Pilion, where you stand on village squares and look out over the glittering sea from under majestic plane trees. Pilion, where according to mythology the gods took up summer residence. And where todays Greeks fortunately haven’t built massive tourist centres. In the 18th century a network of beautiful arched stone bridges and paved donkey paths (kalderimis) was built throughout Pilion in order to bring produce down from the higher areas. Through time a great deal of these kalderimis have been destroyed, neglected or asphalted, but some parts are still intact and an occasional section is being renovated. Some have been signposted as footpaths and are included on maps. For our walks we make use of kalderimis, earth paths and roads, forest paths and goat tracks and sometimes of the old railway track, where a touristic service now operates in the weekends. The eastern side of Pilion is more rugged and steeper than the western side, so walks there often span larger differences in height. You sleep in small, special guesthouses or hotels where a personal approach is embraced. They have an attractive design and every room has its own bathroom. In most of the hotels breakfast is included, one of the hotels has a library, another has s swimming pool with a spectacular view. All over Pilion there are taverns where you can taste regional specialities and we provide you with a number of recommended places to eat. Most villages have their own bakery or small supermarket where you can buy basic necessities. We rent an economy class car with insurance for you at the airport of Thessaloniki. Your British or European national drivers licence is recognised in Greece. All the walks we offer are circular walks, so you always return to the point where you started. We provide you with descriptions of the walks, route maps and GPS tracks you can download. The indicated time for the walks is the actual walking time, so without stops. The best periods for walking in Pilion are April up to the end of June and September till the end of October. In July and August it can be very hot. Programme Day 1. Travel day: you fly to Thessaloniki, pick up your rental car and with our description you drive the 270 kilometres to Pilion along the quiet national roads. Arrival at the attractive guesthouse in Aghios Georgios Nilias, a traditional mountain village. In the evening you can prepare your own meal at the guesthouse or go to one of the local taverns in the village. There are also restaurants in the nearby villages Ano Gatzea and Kato Gatzea where a lot of the local specialities are served. Day 2. Today you will make your first walk, a circular walk of 5,5 kilometres through the beautiful nature on the hills above Aghios Georgios. You ascend and descend 200 metres, and you can enjoy the views along the Pagasitic Coast and in the direction of the Sporades islands Skiathos, Skopelos en Alonissos. This lovely ‘starter’ walk gives you a feel for our descriptions and for the difficulty of our walks. You stay another night in the guesthouse. Day 3. A lovely drive Southwards takes you to Lafkos, a village in the interior of Pilion. The hotel where you stay has fabulous views and a tempting swimming pool from where you can enjoy the beautiful sunsets with a drink in your hand. Relax at the swimming pool for the rest of the day or make a walk through the village with its characteristic square. Or you can drive down to the coastal village Milina and make a walk to Lafkos and back along the old kalderimis. The hotel has a restaurant but you can also choose to have dinner at one of the taverns on the square. Day 4. Today there are two walks to choose from. You either drive to the coastal village Chorto and walk from there to Metochi, to the monastery of Paou and back to Chorto along the coast. In Chorto you can have a drink and something to eat in a beautiful and characteristic café. The second walk is a little further away, in Platanias on the South coast of Pilion. The lovely circular walk there takes you along kalderimis and provides you with beautiful views to the South in the direction of Evia. You stay a second night in Lafkos. Day 5. Today a short drive takes you down to Milina on the coast for a circular walk through olive groves, along a deepened narrow path along the slopes of a valley with lovely views, and through a shady area with high trees along a river bed. In the spring of 2018 we added an extra loop to this walk that leads you up to a fabulous viewpoint. Of course the order of the walks is not fixed and you are free to choose yesterdays walk for today and vice versa. Tonight you sleep at the hotel in Lafkos once again. Day 6. Today a wonderful drive along the coast takes you to the small fishing village Aghia Kyriaki in Trikeri, the most southwestern part of Pilion. This part of Pilion is rugged, open and dry. Because of its isolated location, development has been slower than in the rest of Pilion. In Aghia Kyriaki we found a very friendly family hotel, where you will stay for two nights. In the afternoon you can make a short and very easy walk which you could expand to enjoy a coffee on the square of Trikeri on the hill. Taverns in Aghia Kyriaki and in the small fishing village Kottès serve delicious fish! Day 7. Enjoy a beautiful quiet walk of 10 km along narrow paths through the isolated landscape of Trikeri. Afterwards you can take a small boat to Trikeri Island to have something to eat. You stay another night in the hotel in Aghia Kyriaki. Day 8. Today’s drive will take you to a totally different scenery, to the village Tsagarada, at the east coast of Pilion. This side of the peninsula is much steeper, very green and always a little more shady and cool than the western side. On your way to Tsagarada you could make a stop for lunch in Argalasti or Neochori. Tsagarada and its surrounding area offer a lot in terms of natural beauty, architecture, a hidden cave, the old plane tree on the village square and beautiful beaches. It is a lovely area to make a short trip, to relax at the sea or to read a book in the library of the exceptional hotel where you are staying tonight. The owners will gladly inform you about all the possibilities in their village. Day 9. There are two walks in the Tsagarada area to choose from today. The first starts at the hotel and leads you through the beautiful old forests on the hills. This walk is highly recommendable on warm days. The second walk starts in Aghios Ioannis on the coast and leads you along kalderimis to the higher situated village of Mouresi from where you descend to Damouchari, the village where the movie Mama Mia was filmed. From Damouchari you walk back to the starting point in Aghios Ioannis along the beautiful beach of Papa Nero. You spend a second night in the hotel in Tsagarada. Day 10. Today you cross over the peninsula back to the Pagasitic coast, to the village Kala Nera. In this tourist village we have found a quiet family hotel with a beautiful flower garden. On your way to Kala Nera you might want to stop in Milies, a mountain village with a museum, and beautiful church and a very old library. From the square of Milies you have a beautiful view over the Pagasitic. After a refreshing swim in the sea you can have dinner on the shady terrace of the hotel, or in the village in one of the many taverns at the seaside. The restaurant at the hotel serves lovely home made dishes and tasty stews. Day 11. Today you discover why we have brought you to Kala Nera: a wonderful walk through the hills above the village. It brings you to the authentic mountain villages Pinakates and Vyzitsa, and past the old railway station of Milies. You will enjoy beautiful views over the peninsula and probably recognize places where you have already been. You walk through olive groves and wilder natural areas and forest. In the villages you will see the traditional architecture of Pilion; many old houses have been restored and the villages have attractive squares where you can have a drink. A fantastic walk! Day 12. Today you travel back to the airport of Thessaloniki. You can extend this holiday with one or more nights on Pilion (for example in Tsagarada, where two nights is a bit short) or in Thessaloniki. We will gladly inform you about possibilities and prices. Locations Summarizing, what do we offer: - An economy class rental car - 11 nights in attractive and comfortable accomodations where English is spoken.