Mount Olympus. Seat of the gods. He is not only known to connoisseurs of Greek mythology. On the Olympus in Greece, the light-filled mountain in the clouds, Zeus, the father of the gods, lives with eleven of his closest confidants, among them the beautiful Aphrodite, Hera, Poseidon and Athena.
»Mount Olympus – Experience Greece in a completely different way!«
Once in a lifetime up there? Why not? But the mountain from ancient mythology is not a mountain at all, but a whole mountain range. The Olympus Mountains in the south-west of the Macedonian capital Thessaloniki extend from the Aegean Sea to 2,918 m high. In this article you will learn everything about the region around the highest mountain in Greece:
What makes Mount Olympus in Greece so special?
While down by the sea, locals and tourists alike lie in the shade on the beach at 30 degrees or plunge into the turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea, up here temperatures are around 0 degrees, even in the summer months.
First of all, it should be said: The hike up to one of the four highest peaks, Mytikas, Skolio (2.911), Stefani (2,909) or Skala (2,866) is technically not easy. You should either be experienced in mountaineering or prepare well for this adventure in advance.
Once you reach the top, you have an impressive, almost 3,000-meter-deep view down to the sea. A breathtaking view that once again shows us how beautiful our earth is.
When we think of Greece, the first thing that comes to mind is not necessarily a hike in the high mountains. But this unique country is so much more than dreamlike islands with picturesque villages, ruins steeped in history, breathtaking sunsets and perhaps the best food in Europe. Although each of these points has already been Greece Tour Hellas also invites you to hike with its beautiful landscape.
#1 Hike to Mount Olympus: The best time to visit
In the summer months between May and September, you can safely climb the ascent to the Mount Olympus. There are usually a few snowfields at higher altitudes all year round, but with the right equipment (hiking boots, telescopic poles) you can overcome them quickly and safely.
→ You can find more information about the weather in the mountainous region of Greece, including climate tables, in our article: Best time to visit Greece
#2 Hiking routes to Mount Olympus
There are various hiking routes that lead up to one of the highest peaks of the Olympus massif. The route you take depends on how much time you have for the hike and how experienced you are.
For your adventure far away from mass tourism, however, you should plan at least two or three days. The shortest Hike to the Olympus massif starts from the Priònia tavern and is about 7.5 kilometers as a one-way route. Approx. 1,600 metres of altitude are covered.
The complete hike along the E4 hiking trail from Litochoro is at least 20 kilometers as a one-way route. About 2,400 meters of altitude are covered. You can choose to hike along the Enipeas River with its numerous waterfalls or above the Enipeas Gorge.
Ascent Olympus Mountain Greece Litochoro Hike
→ on Komoot you can find the detailed Olympus Hiking Route with card: Komoot Hike
Day 1: Litochoro – Hut “Spilios Agapitos”
From Litochoro you always hike along the Enipeas, the raging river that has carved a deep gorge into the rock over thousands of years. It goes over lush green meadows and over beautiful old wooden bridges that span the river and show you the way up to its source in Priònia.
The dense foliage of the many beech and pine trees protects you from the scorching sun, which occasionally blinks through the greenery and performs a glittering dance on the Enipeas. Every now and then, the trees allow a longing view upwards, at the peaks of Mount Olympus.
On your way, you will pass a cave where Saint Dionysius is said to have lived as an ascetic and the monastery named after him. The Monastery of Agios Dionysios can be visited from April to October.
In addition to countless small streams, which carry the snowmelt of the peaks down into the sea as rivulets, spectacular waterfalls also line your way. The hike through the Enipeas Gorge is very well signposted by yellow arrows and signposts. It is the International Trail E4 that you are walking here.
Enchanted forests and fresh spring water
To the parking lot and the Source of the Enipeas in Priònia you will be on the road for about five hours with short breaks. Once here, you should definitely replenish your water supplies, because from now on, water is scarce up to the summit. How about a little refreshment by resting your feet in one of the many ponds with crystal clear water along the way?
If you need a refreshment, I can recommend the hearty goat soup in the Tavern Prionia recommend. Until the Spilios Agapitos Hut you are on the road for about three more hours. On clayey paths you hike through an enchanted enchanted forest, where a nymph seems to sit behind every tree and on every stone.
If you arrive at today’s accommodation exhausted and tired, there is nothing better than putting your feet up first and then ending the evening with the other hikers in the fireplace room with a first-class pasta.
Day 2: Spilios Agapitos Hut – Mytikas – Giosos Apostolides Hut
In the early morning we go fit and lively in the direction of Olympus Summit. The path first winds up a bit in narrow serpentines before it splits. Continue straight ahead on a direct path to the Skala, to the right up to the Plateau of the Muses, where huts B and C are also located.
If you have only started in Priònia today and have already been on the road for over three hours, it is advisable to take the more strenuous path to the plateau, stop at a mountain hut and only tackle the summit of the gods the next morning.
Otherwise, continue straight ahead and reach the tree line after just under an hour. From here the path becomes stony and rugged, a real high mountain idyll. After a good two hours you have reached the fourth highest peak, the Skala.
If you dare to do it and are an experienced hiker, perhaps already climbed in the mountains, then you can turn right from here. The mighty battlements of Mytika open up before you. You now mount it from the back. The narrow scree path that leads up very steeply is called Kakoskala, which means “bad levels” and that’s exactly what they are.
Arrived on the throne of the gods
Climbing the Mytikas is a real challenge, but we could already imagine that the gods don’t make it easy for us. Once at the top, you have a breathtaking view over to Halkidiki, and in the north even as far as the neighboring states of Albania and North Macedonia. An entry in the summit book is a must.
If you are not sure whether you want to dare the climb, you can also get over to Skolio, the second highest peak in the mountains, relatively easily from the Skala. From 2,911 meters, the visibility is at least as impressive, and the clouds are guaranteed to be at your feet like a soft, white sea.
Exactly under the peaks runs the Plateau of the Muses, which you can reach via a narrow climbing path from the peaks. Again and again, there is also sudden high mountain fog around the plateau. If this is the case, it is better to take a short break and only continue when you have more visibility again.
Along a cone-shaped gorge, a stony but relatively wide path leads to the Giosos Apostolides Hut, where you can stop for a bite to eat today after your strenuous hike. From the lower hut to the Mytikas you need about three hours and from the summit to the hut on the plateau of the Muses another three quarters of an hour.
Even though this is not a long hike, you should not underestimate that you are at an altitude of almost 3,000 meters and that climbing the peaks can take a toll on you. So make yourself comfortable by the fire with a delicious mountain tea. The herbs for the tea all grow here on the floor of the Olympus massif.
Day 3: Hut “Giosos Apostolides” – Priònia – Litochoro
Today you can either take the same way back that you came or you can walk down the direct but also more difficult path to Priònia. From the Plateau of the Muses, it goes very steeply downhill on a rock face.
After only a few 100 meters, an indescribable view opens up over the Enipeas Valley with its numerous shades of green and out to the wide, glittering sea. A stark contrast to the rocky, impassable terrain around you, where only here and there a conifer stands here and there in the barren wasteland.
wiry undergrowth peeks out from between the rugged stones. And sometimes, if you are a little lucky, you can see chamois nibbling on this undergrowth or mountain foxes hiding behind it.
Once you have left the steep slope behind you, you can also cross one of the remaining snowfields in summer. Be extra careful here so that you don’t slip and trigger a small snow avalanche.
Shortly below this snowfield, you leave the rocky flanks behind you and enter the pine and beech forests of Olympus. The birdsong gets louder and from a distance you can already hear the raging masses of water of the Enipea.
After just under three hours you will reach Spilios Agapitos, and after another two and a half to three hours, you can put your feet in the well-deserved cool water of the spring of the Enipeas in Priònia.
It is now up to you whether you continue your hike to Litochoro, call a taxi – it costs about 25 €, wait for the bus – or go with one of the many hikers. Here, people are happy to let a like-minded person ride along. And they have to go down anyway, so why not in the best company and talk about the highlights of the Olympus adventure again?
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#3 Landscape in the Olympus Mountains
The area around Mount Olympus was declared a Greece’s first national park explained. Anyone who has ever been there is not surprised, because the mountain region captivates with a uniquely beautiful and diverse landscape.
The entire area is designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is home to chamois, marmots, foxes and deer, as well as wild boars and rare wild cats. Until 2008, there were even bears in this area. It is the originality that makes you feel at home in the region around the Olympus National Park mesmerized.
The untouched nature, far away from human intervention, captivates with dreamlike backdrops of picturesque waterfalls, unbridled streams but also romantic streams that meander their way over barren, alpine terrain and through lush, moss-green valleys.
It is the wild beauty that enchants its visitors with menacing snowfields, fallen trees and dilapidated paths. A place of longing for every nature lover. Unagitated and powerful at the same time.
Specialties from the Olympus Mountains
In addition to many herbs and local berries, strawberry trees also grow in the region. They are one of the foundations of the tsipouro, a pomace brandy and a special feature of Macedonian cuisine. The clear schnapps is found everywhere, in a very special way, in the Tsipouradika around Mount Olympus Served.
In the traditional taverns (Tsipouradika or Ouzerí) you do not order food as a guest, but a round of Tsipouro and with every schnapps you order, you will be served a Greek delicacy, called Mezede. You can still find the tsipouradika primarily in the beautiful port city of Volos below the Pelions.
💡 Olymp Travel Guide: The comprehensive travel guide Northern and Central Greece from Michael Müller Verlag contains an informative chapter about the Olympus Mountains and about the ascent to the highest mountain. Order on Amazon: Travel Guide Northern and Central Greece*
#4 Mountain huts in the Olympus massif
Spilios Agapitos Hut
The mountain accommodation is located at 2,100 meters. It is very well equipped, has Wi-Fi, a large outdoor area, a cozy fireplace room where you can warm up after your long hike and, unlike the rest of the huts, even washrooms with “real” toilets.
The hut can accommodate up to 110 people. In the summer months, up to eight people work here to conjure up a delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner for you and provide you with plenty of tips for your mountain tour. By the way: The spaghetti bolognese was, after my strenuous hike in pouring rain, the best of my life.
Christos Kakalos Hut
The refuge is located at 2,650 meters at the bottom of the mystical Muses plateau. The smallest of the three mountain huts is very homely and simply furnished. After the strenuous hike, however, you don’t need much more than a bed.
The hut operators can accommodate 18 hikers up here. In a small kitchen, simple dishes are prepared, but above all warming mountain tea, which you can enjoy – even in midsummer – thickly snuggled up in the cozy wood-paneled common room.
Giosos Apostolides Hut
At 2,700 meters, it is the highest hut directly on the crater of the Plateau of the Muses, just below the four main peaks. On a clear day, it offers a breathtaking view of the Stefani, the throne of the gods, which rises like the erect crest of an iguana, and the highest peak behind it, the Mytikas.
In addition to two bedrooms for a total of 80 guests, there is also a fireplace room where you can warm up with a steaming cup of mountain tea with Olympus’ own honey.
The hut operators also have warm woollen blankets ready for frozen hikers and will be happy to serve you a hot, delicious vegetable soup in addition to sausage and cheese platters.
The washrooms are located outside the stone main house and apart from the fact that the water up here is freezing cold, it is usually quite scarce at the end of the day. By the way, there is no hot water at any of the three huts.
#5 Olympus hike: What do you need to bring?
For a hike to the court of the Greek Gods you only need light luggage. In addition to sturdy shoes – if you want to climb the peaks, these should definitely be hiking boots – telescopic poles (View on Amazon*) the promotion and relegation.
For the overnight stay(s), a hut sleeping bag (View on Amazon*), a quick-drying towel and flip-flops or flip-flops for the showers. Rain jacket, sun hat and/or sunscreen must also be included. Too often, the high-altitude sun is underestimated, but you can prevent sunburn relatively easily.
It is also important to take enough water with you on your hike. The last time you can fill up the bottles is in Priònia, after which the water becomes scarce.
And by Zeus, be sure to take warm clothes with you on your hike, which you can gradually put on as you get higher. I made the mistake of thinking that it certainly won’t be so cold at the end of June.
But while it is 30 degrees down by the sea, it can be quite cold at 2,900 meters. In any case, I froze quite a bit at night despite my sleeping bag and woolen blanket.
#6 Destinations in the vicinity
City of Dion
The city of Zeus, the father of the gods, and Alexander the Great, was the religious center of Macedonia. To the east of today’s city of Dion are the archaeological excavation sites of the same name.
For a long time, Dion the Olympic Games of antiquity took place. In addition to the impressive remains of ancient temples and theaters, you can also visit the attached archaeological museum.
Admission to the excavation site and museum costs €6. In summer, performances take place in the evening in the gigantic setting of the Hellenistic theatre.
Dionysios Monastery
On the way from Litochoro to the peaks of Olympus, you will first come to the new one, later to the old one Monastery of St. Dionysius over. The newer monastery is still inhabited by monks today.
The old monastery was founded in 1542 as the “Monastery of the Trinity” by Dionysius. Again and again it was destroyed in parts, most recently in 1943 by the German Wehrmacht, which attacked Greek partisans who were hiding in the monastery.
But the old monastery walls defied all troublemakers and still look sublimely at the valley in front of them from a height of 900 meters. The bright sandstone-colored monastery in the middle of the wooded mountain slopes exudes a very special, romantic aesthetic.
Olympic Riviera
The Olympic Riviera stretches from Katerini in the north to Pori in the south. This is where the foothills of the mountain massif meet the Thermaic Gulf. If you want to have an unadulterated, authentic Hellas holiday on the coast, this riviera is the right place for you.
Sandy beaches are lined up with pebble beaches, Greeks sit in the alleys of the small villages with a glass of wine and a game of tavli, and in the taverns authentic delicacies and of course the typical tsipouro are served.
Meteora Monasteries
Not far from the Olympus Mountains are the unique Monasteries of Meteora. Created by human hands, the legendary buildings are enthroned on narrow rock needles stretching towards the sky. The heavenly monasteries can be explored on your own by rental car or as part of an organized tour via GetYourGuide*:
In the 9th century, monks moved to this mystical place in the middle of bizarre rock formations. In search of asceticism, i.e. complete solitude, they lived in the caves and crevices of these unnatural-looking rocks.
In the 11th century, they founded a monastic state, which over the centuries included 24 floating monasteries at dizzying heights. Six of these magical places still exist today and are open to visitors.
With the Hired car for example, you can reach the rock monasteries in just an hour and a half through the impressive Tempi Valley.
You can find out more about this magical place in our article: Meteora Monasteries
Thessaloniki
The Macedonian capital is definitely worth a visit. She is a bit like the underrated little sister of Athens. A young, modern Greek metropolis with trendy clubs and impulsive nightlife. Both major cities are varied. You can find out what you need to consider when traveling to Athens in our article: Athens Holidays
Thessaloniki’s trendy district of Ladadika invites you to go out in the evening and during the day to stroll through the many small shops with all kinds of handicrafts and to linger in the numerous hip cafés.
The city is clear and you can reach everything quickly and comfortably on foot. Probably the most famous landmark of Thessaloniki is the White Tower, one of the city’s seven surviving defensive towers. You’ll find it at the bottom of the harbor, from where you can continue strolling along the pretty promenade.
As much as this part of Thessaloniki resembles a busy, hectic big city, you will find it relaxed in Ano Poli, the upper town. In these picturesque, winding streets, between colorful houses, you escape the noise of the center.
You can find more information and useful tips about the lively city of the Macedonia region in our article: Thessaloniki Highlights
Accommodation at the foot of Mount Olympus
If you want to relax a bit before or after your climb on the mighty Mount Olympus of Greece, it is worth staying near Litochoro. On Booking.com* you will get a good overview of available accommodations and hotels in Mount Olympus. Recommended Hotels on Mount Olympusare, among others:
- Ktima Bellou
- Palio Litochoro Countryside Lodge
- RiverBed Traditional Guest House
- Robolo Boutique Hotel
Getting to Mount Olympus in Greece
For a trip to the mainland regions of Macedonia and Thessaly, a direct flight to Thessaloniki (Book on Skyscanner*). From here you can choose to take a rental car, train, bus or Taxi to Litochoro, the starting point for exploring Mount Olympus. You can book suitable rental cars online via Discover Cars*:
➲ Book your rental car from Thessaloniki here*
How to get to Mount Olympus from Thessaloniki
- Train: from Thessaloniki to Litochoro currently costs €9.00 per person
- Taxi: for a taxi you pay between 70 and 80 €. The taxi from Litochoro to Priònia will cost you around €25.
- Bus: you pay €12 for the return bus journey.
Alternatively, you can also drive up to Priònia at 1,080 m. From Litochoro, a mountainous serpentine road leads up in three quarters of an hour. Priònia is not a village, but just a large gravel parking lot surrounded by greenery with a cozy, spacious tavern.
You can park your car here free of charge. Around the parking lot you will find many benches where the hikers coming from the peaks can rest themselves and their tired feet.
Bus routes to Mount Olympus in Greece
In the summer months, there is a bus between Litochoro and Prionia. Information in German for arriving by bus from Athens and Thessaloniki can be found on the website of the Spilios Agapitos.
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→ You can find more tips and inspiration for the most beautiful regions of mainland Greece in the overview at: Mainland Greece
About the author:
Andrea is an editor, a travel girl and a real whirlwind. Her love of Hellas was practically laid in her cradle by her Greek godfather. The sea, the food, the people and this unique light are what make Greece a place of longing for Andrea. On her blog amarieswelt and via her Instagram channel amarie_wanderlust, she tells exciting stories of real people like you and me and reports on her sometimes adventurous journeys. In spring 2022, her first book will be published by HarperCollins Verlag.
✐ More travel tips from Andrea can be found here: Amaries world
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