Travel Greece, The Pelion

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In Greece, the best places have a dreamlike quality, as if nymphs still lurk around the next olive tree. On the Pelion, you practically have to shoo them away. This 50km peninsula dangling in the Aegean, north of Athens and east of Volos, has idyllic landscapes, enchanting beaches and an artistic heritage as delightful as it is unique.

The sun: The big Greek sun bathes the Pelion in a painterly glow, and its waters are warm enough for a swim in October. Just don't come looking for fancy hotels; here nature herself does the biz, sculpting some of Greece's most drop-dead gorgeous beaches. For children, there are safe beaches along the Pagasitic Gulf and at Platanias, in the south. But the real stunners are scalloped out of Pelion's wilder Aegean coast; Mylopotamos; the beaches at Agios loannis; Horefto, with its white sands; and the turquoise waters of Fakistra. 10/10

The countryside: The peninsula fuses a wonderful variety of landscapes. Chestnut, beech and plane forests shade the slopes of Mount Pelion, famous for medicinal herbs. Head south and this leafy, bucolic land gives way to sweeping Mediterranean hills. The Pelion's 24 villages are among the most beautiful in Greece. 9/10

The culture: The Pelion has an architectural style all its own, specialising in silk-merchants' mansions and churches, with their sculpted iconostasis - two of the best are at Kissos and Milies. Volos, the Pelion's port, has a fascinating archeology museum. Nearby, you can explore the neolithic ruins of Sesklo and Dimini, as well as Bronze Age Pagasae, Hellenistic-era Dimitrias, and early Christian Phthiotic Thebes. 8/10

The activity: Think low-key, but quality. You can hire a horse at Katigiorgis, in the south, a bike at Affyssos; or a boat in Milina, to explore the beaches and islets around the Pagasitic Gulf. The Volos tourist office can supply details. On summer weekends, the Moutzouris steam train makes a scenic chug from Kato Lehonia to Milies or just sit around in a coffee shop (kafenion), watching one of those spectacular sunsets. 7/10

(This article is taken from The Sunday Times Travel Magazine)


Alan Aldana