Our Hotel Rodia is situated directly at the entrance of Kala Nera and is ideal location for exploring the Mount Pelion.

In the northeast of Volos rises the Mount Pelion, the home of the legendary Centaurs, where the gods of Olympus celebrated their festivals and celebrated their weddings. Here lived the wise centaur Cheiron and instructed demigods and heroes in the discipline of the mind and body, here it came to the first beauty contest took place - between Thetis and Eris.

The green forest Pilion (Pelion) has inspired Homer, Pindar and Euripides, but also freedom of the bards of war, for which he was a symbol of the desire of the Greek people for freedom. The highest peaks of Pelion is situated in the northern Massif (1548 m Pliassidi). The eastern flank of the mountain, from where the vast Aegean Sea like a mirror up seems, is rocky and drops off steeply into the sea.
 

In contrast to this wild and romantic, but inaccessible, rocky coast offers the West Coast, where the Pelion descends gently and booked rich to Pagasitic Gulf, fishermen and sailors everywhere safe anchorages and thus have here a series can develop bustling harbors. The picturesque mountain villages of Pelion, here buried in the flanks of the mountain, clinging there like eagles' nests on precipitous peaks and again hidden in the dark shore vegetation of a mountain stream, are as inseparable from their environment, that if one sees them from a distance, might think they were from the mountain "grown out", as the forests around them.
A typical mountain village in Pelion looks like at a picture book - defiant stone houses with narrow windows and ornaments on the outside walls, narrow stone-carved stairs and canted roofs of gray or greenish shale, Byzantine churches with wonderful wall paintings, choir stalls, intricate paving streets, stone fountains, courtyards, where the scent of basil and gardenia, with a stone plate is laid out the village square and now and then a rushing mountain stream.

Here is a detailed description of the Pelion villages and attractions:

Makrinitsa
Makrinitsa is a beautiful nice village of about 500 habitants which sticks to a 900m rock face. A ca. 15 km long road leads from the main street to Makrinitsa. You have great views over the Gulf of Volos. Stroll through the romantic, steep alleyways. But: try to avoid to come on a Sunday because you have to leave your car at the entrance of the village and also Greeks love to come here. Lovely, majestic planes, steep alleyways, nicely restored villas and the various fountains and churches are characteristic for this unforgettable village.

Zagora:
Zagora is with its 2600 habitants the biggest city in the Pilion mountains, with green surroundings, many springs and little lakes. It consists of four independent districts. The wealth of the 17. and 18. century was due to the silk culture and the products of the domestic industry like cloth, borders, twines and shawls. The Zagora - the products were shipped from Chorefto to the markets. The villages was also during the Ottoman rule a cultural centre and until today it owns one of the most important library of Greece.

Portatia:
Portaria lies around 13 km north east from Volos with ca. 910 habitants. Here you can find the characteristic Pelion houses with two stories, thick walls and small windows. In the third story you find the typical overlapping usually wooden border which is mostly decorated with adornments. In the district KOUKOURAVA there is still an old Distela, a water treatment plant for woollen materials, carpets and other weaver products. It attests to the time when Porteria was still an important centre of weavers and tannery. The centrally located Platia is more than practical for the siesta at the afternoon. In the sanctuary of Santa Claus there are wonderful relief designs, evidence of the fine peliotic art. The small church of Panagia - Portarea (Mother of God Portaria) besides the Santa Claus church shows one of the weaver rests of the monastery of year 1273 which became the base of nowadays Portaria.

Kissos:
A mountain village with only a few houndreds habitants overgrown with ivy, which is the origin on the name also. It was built at the height of 500m in the middle of a great environment of planes and chestnut trees.

Chania:
A small village which lies around 25km north east of Volos and the centre of winter sports in the Pilion mountains. It lies at a height of ca. 1200m and is surrounded by beech groves and plane and fir forests.

Kato /- Ano - Lechonia:
These villages are also called flower villages because the people living there plant and offer for sell gardenias, hydrangeas and camellias. The villages which counts about 2000 souls are some of the typical villages in the Pilion mountains. In Ani Lechonia you can admire a villa from Ottoman times, which is the life tower "Kokosli".

Gatzea:
Right from the main street, right before the tourist residential area and the discotheque "Water Lilly" there is a wonderful beach which is said to be crowded in main season. But already the bar at the corner with the friendly barkeeper is fun and since the place is not far away from the main street it is always worth it to do a short trip there.

Pinakates:
A very nice and small Mountain village with lots of restored old houses whose residents move either for the olive harvest to their groves or to Kato Gatsea in winter to be back in early summer.

Afissos:
The picturesque coast city with a multitude of traditional bars slowly becomes a tourist meeting point of the few holiday-makers at the Gulf coast. Here you'll find a few very nice beaches.

Lefokastro:
This place is located at the coast and south of Afissos. You can get there either through a farm track from Affisos passing the camping side (crazy!) or through Afete. The beach is worth the a bit troublesome way there.

Kalamos:
An idyllic village at the ocean. You get there through the gravel road from Argalasti from the west side.

Argalasti:
Argalasti, a small town on the way to the south of the Pilion mountains with about 1600 habitants. The fertile plateau was an important economic and intellectual centre in the 15th and 16th century.

Chorto:
A small Fishing village with cosy bays and shady forests and fruit orchards.

Alata:
This small and nice island is offshore the city Milina. Here you can visit the monastery Agion Saranta or simply enjoy the genuine silence and peace.

Milina:
Known for its untouched beaches and its rich sea food and fish dishes.

Trikeri:
A road which on the last third is not tarmaced leads for about 20km from Volos until the head of the peninsula to Trikeri. A charming surrounding with colourful houses which in this area very often wear the colours pink and red. During the Ottoman time the habitants earned their living from seafaring and had their own merchant fleet. Also here you can see churches from 16th and 17th century. At Easter time you should not miss the festivals here. Also, some of the big ferries go to Skiathos and elsewhere. This information you might ask detailed at the port of Volos though.

Platania:
Platania lies about 50km south east of Volos and has only 160 habitants and beautiful beaches. From May until June you can get here the freshest lobsters and crayfish. From here you can also take a fishing boat to Skiathos, Skopelos or Alonissos.

Kastri:
A admirable but not very accessible beach at the Aegaeis side.

Paltsi:
A picturesque summer settlement, you always have the freshness from the Aegaeis and very nice sandy beaches.

Lampinou:
An ample, shallow sand beach at the Aegaeis side.

Tsagarda:
Tsagarada (593 habitants), lies ca. 60 km east of Volos. The village consists of four parts (Agia Paraskevi, Agia Stefanos, Agia Taxiarches, Agia Kiriaki) and is 6 km long. It is in middle of nut, apple and chestnut trees and has an unique view over the Aegaeis. The nice and clean patios in which it smells like jasmine and basil are characteristic for the appearance of this village. The sound of the various fountains and springs and blooming rose bushes add to his appearance. The over 800 years old pane a well as the about 40 churches and chapels create the special atmosphere of this place.

Fakistra:
It is located 2,5 km north east of Tsagarada. Here you can visit the Panigias church and the "clandestine" school hidden in the rocks.

Mouressi:
A very important village in Pttoman times besides Tsagarada. One of the few which has their own administration.

Chorefto:
This village lies directly at the ocean about 55km north east from Volos. It has a very nice sand beach. The boardwalk is shady because of its numerous trees. The Agios Nikolaos church whose latest restoration is dated back to 1600 is well worth seeing. In the area of Mintela, around 1,5 hours by boat from here, there are the sea grottos where not far away the Xerxes fleet was extinguished.

Pouri:
An a bit outlying village in the middle of chestnut tree forests and olive groves.

Visitsa:
The Platia (the main plaza) in Visitsa belongs to the treasures of the Pelion.Under gigantic planes the wanderer finds peace and relaxation. Combining that with enjoying the wine produced here this place seems to be a place of meditation. Also, Visitsa is known for its lovingly restored villas.

Milies:
To this idyllic mountain village you can get from almost any junction after Kala Nera coming from Affissos driving through the mountains. Especially the nice Platia at the slope with views over the ocean, the museum with an interesting extract of the history of the Pelion area, but also the really lovingly arranged village make a tour there worthwhile.

Agios Ioannis:
The former fishing village at the Aegaeis coast also benefits from the ongoing tourism although the original character was conserved as far as possible. A number of cosy restaurants and bars are there now, the food is exquisite and people really care about the holiday-makers - also because there is still no tourist congestion so that supply clearly exceeds demand. The wide beaches which are out of fine pebble stone and teal water invite you for bathing and water sports.

Ntamouchari:
Difficult to find on the map, the way to this small settlement (to call it village would be exaggerated) leads steeply down to the coast, shortly at the entrance of the village Agios. However, the last third of the path requires a certain pioneering spirit, especially because in spring the paths can be wet and softened. If you find parts of the road in these conditions and at the same time dispose of a normal passenger car you might want to get out of the car so that the driver can drive through it with speed.
Ntamouchari itself consists of two small wild, romantic rocky bay. Around the first one (from where you come) there is a traditional settlement with a wonderful natural harbour, two hunderd meters further a bay opens to you view with many little rocks. In that second bay you can find the remains of a crusader castle, where the paths inland up the hill are still walkable. In spring the ocean comes in with a majestic roar whose echo resonates for a long time in the visitors ear.

Meteora Klöster:
In Greece the typical classy things happen mostly in the south. Further north you find predominantly landscape - among that the Olymp which is at 2917m the home of the gods and of the Greek Alpine Association. In middle Greece, more or less in the upper middle of Thessaly far away from any big city you find the METEORA MONASTERIES (TA METEORA MONASTIRIA = "the monasteries floating in the sky "). They belong to the most important Byzantine sights of Greece.
The monasteries were built on steep freestone rocks which tower up about 300 m from a plateau of the Pinios. These rocks owe their appearance to a huge lake which extended here in the tertiary. After the lifting of the land he small rivers ate away the rocks and that way created the canyons between the now separated rocks. The first monasteries emerges from the hermitages as refuge and prayer site at the beginning of the 14th century in a time which was defined by fights between the Serbian realm and the Byzantine Empire. In the year 1356 the control of the monks was passed over from the Bishop of SATGOI to the abbot of the monastery DUPANI. A little later the monk Athanasios founded the monastery METAMORPHOSIS on the broad rock (Platis Lithos). During the following centuries new monasteries followed until the 16th century. Conflicts about demesne, poverty and the therefor necessary selling of monastery treasures let to a come down: Only five of the originally 23 monasteries are inhabited.
Formerly you could reach the monasteries (by the was, it was strictly forbidden to women to enter) only through ladders or you could be pulled up by nets. Today asphaltic paths and stairs facilitate the access a lot, more so as it i said that the nets were renewed only when they broke while pulling somebody up. A macabre thought for the inquisitive tourists.
Two of the monasteries dispose of beds for visitors. In the biggest, MEGALO METEORON, the Greek central for tourism set up a hotel. If you want to spent a unusual night at a unusual place you can do so here. On the road for cars you first pass by the small former Metropolis church Dupani which emerged from a older Mary chapel. It s overhung by a very tiny rock stick with the collapsed ruins of the DUPANI and PANTOKRATOR monasteries. Further west the monastery AGIOS NIKOLA0S (around 1390) rises.
VAARLAM, founded in 1517 has very nice frescos which were painted by Frankos Kastellanos from Thebes. The monastery MEGALO METEORON which is the biggest and highest emerged between 1356 and 1372 as the METAMORPHOSIS monastery which in that time from 1388 on was first extended by the Serbian crown prince and later monk Josaph and that way it got the centre of the monk community. Worth seeing are the church METAMORPHOSIS (frescos of 1438 in the Chorapsis and also a picture of the founder of the monastery Athanasios from 1338; in the proper church room, 1549-52, also frescos, 16th century and very worth seeing icons, 14th till 16 century, the refectory (1557) and the library.

Volos:
The archaeological museum is located between the POLIMERI ((arterial road and extension of ERMOU in direction Pelion) and the harbour, at the edge to TSITSILINANOU.

Recommendations for the Pelion - round trips - and walking tours:
-- Milies - Chorichti (4 - 5 hours)

-- Milies - Agios Nikolaus - Orchid Hill- Koropi (3 - 4 hours)

-- Milies - Kala Nera - Koropi (2 - 3 hours)

-- Milies - Kala Nera (1 - 2 hours)

-- Milies - Ano Lehonia (4 - 5 hours)

-- Milies - Vizitsa - Kala Nera (2 - 3 hours)

-- Vizitsa - Pinakates - Ogla - Gatzea (4 - 5 hours)

-- Vizitsa - Pinakates - Agia Triada - Gatzea (4 - 5 hours)