Get Recommendations For Your Trip
Popular Destinations
PRIME TOURISM ¤ Europe Tourism ¤ Greece Tourism ¤ Mountain Adventure in Greece ¤ Hiking & Mountaineering
Greece Tourism
Hiking & Mountaineering
Simple hiking is distinguished from mountain walking. The former involves walking a minimum distance of 5 km, covered in 1-2 hours on slightly sloped terrain (with almost no differences in elevation) and entails only light gear. The latter involves distances of 15-20 km covered in 5-8 hours, and special equipment, particularly during the winter season, is imperative. Mountain hiking can be practised on any mountain. Its main characteristic is the difference in elevation one may encounter along the route, which may reach as much as 500-600 m.
Greece lagged behind in the creation of an integrated motorway network, other than the basic road arteries running across the country. Before the development of such infrastructure, transportation took place via paths to which the elderly inhabitants of mountainous settlements still refer today as dimosia (in Greek “a public, main road”), which at the time constituted the chief access road. Despite the fact that some of the old paths and artfully built cobbled lanes were turned into asphalt roads, a great many of them still survive today running through mountains, dales and gorges. In recent years, financing from various bodies (municipal authorities, mountaineering associations, private individuals, etc) has allowed for the maintenance and revival of these paths throughout the country, the majority of which are waymarked, thus creating a 3,500 km-long network. For the larger part this comprises long-distance European Paths Ε 4 and Ε 6, and Class Ο (3,000 km), while a number of new shorter paths of similar interest running over a length of 500 km have also been developed.
*European Path Ε 4 (- GR ): Starting in the Pyrenees range, it stretches into Greece passing through FYROM. The Greek E4 path traverses the northern and central part of the country, the Peloponnese , ultimately reaching Gythion and ending in Crete . It thus affords hikers the opportunity to become familiar with the diversity and natural wealth of the Greek landscape.
The highest elevation on the entire route is the Skolios peak (2,911 m) on Mt Olympus. The E4 is ideal for hiking from May 15 until early October. Often, the opening of new forest roads may confuse hikers. Some of the villages encountered en route are uninhabited during the winter, thus limiting the possibility for an overnight stay. The areas have a typical Mediterranean climate, with warm dry summers and considerable differences in day and night temperatures. Snowfall starts in November and snow is likely to linger into June. The route in the southern part of the path ( Peloponnese and Crete ) is less rough than the northern one and is walkable throughout the year due to the milder climate.
*European Path Ε 6: The Greek section of the European long-distance path E4 has two parts: the first has its starting point in the Prespes area and reaches the town of Igoumenitsa via Kastoria-Ioannina-Dodoni; the second part begins in Florina, crosses the mountainous regions of western, central and eastern Macedonia (along Greece's borders with FYROM and Bulgaria) and reaches the city of Alexandroupoli in Thrace.
Greece lagged behind in the creation of an integrated motorway network, other than the basic road arteries running across the country. Before the development of such infrastructure, transportation took place via paths to which the elderly inhabitants of mountainous settlements still refer today as dimosia (in Greek “a public, main road”), which at the time constituted the chief access road. Despite the fact that some of the old paths and artfully built cobbled lanes were turned into asphalt roads, a great many of them still survive today running through mountains, dales and gorges. In recent years, financing from various bodies (municipal authorities, mountaineering associations, private individuals, etc) has allowed for the maintenance and revival of these paths throughout the country, the majority of which are waymarked, thus creating a 3,500 km-long network. For the larger part this comprises long-distance European Paths Ε 4 and Ε 6, and Class Ο (3,000 km), while a number of new shorter paths of similar interest running over a length of 500 km have also been developed.
*European Path Ε 4 (- GR ): Starting in the Pyrenees range, it stretches into Greece passing through FYROM. The Greek E4 path traverses the northern and central part of the country, the Peloponnese , ultimately reaching Gythion and ending in Crete . It thus affords hikers the opportunity to become familiar with the diversity and natural wealth of the Greek landscape.
The highest elevation on the entire route is the Skolios peak (2,911 m) on Mt Olympus. The E4 is ideal for hiking from May 15 until early October. Often, the opening of new forest roads may confuse hikers. Some of the villages encountered en route are uninhabited during the winter, thus limiting the possibility for an overnight stay. The areas have a typical Mediterranean climate, with warm dry summers and considerable differences in day and night temperatures. Snowfall starts in November and snow is likely to linger into June. The route in the southern part of the path ( Peloponnese and Crete ) is less rough than the northern one and is walkable throughout the year due to the milder climate.
*European Path Ε 6: The Greek section of the European long-distance path E4 has two parts: the first has its starting point in the Prespes area and reaches the town of Igoumenitsa via Kastoria-Ioannina-Dodoni; the second part begins in Florina, crosses the mountainous regions of western, central and eastern Macedonia (along Greece's borders with FYROM and Bulgaria) and reaches the city of Alexandroupoli in Thrace.
Mountain Adventure in Greece : Skiing » Hiking & Mountaineering » Climbing » Hang Gliding & Parapente (Paragliding)
Greece Tourism
| » Art & Culture | » Greek Nature |
» Mountain Adventure | » See Tourism in Greece |
