Everyone has a mountain to climb, but it doesn’t mean that you cannot have fun on the mountain. This is why we chose to share with you our tips for hiking Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece (2,917 meters high)!
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The mythology of Mount Olympus
Now let’s get to know the story behind this mountain. In Greek mythology, a ten years war occurred in Thessaly between the Titans, the older generation of Gods, and the Olympians, the younger generation with Zeus being their king. This series of battles is referred as the Titanomachy, the Titan War, the Battle of the Titans or the Battle of the Gods. This war was the way to determine which generation would reign over the universe! After ten years, Olympian Gods won the battle and created for themselves a magnificent home from which they can look over all the land, the Mount Olympus, known today as the Mountains of Gods.
How to reach Mount Olympus?
Mount Olympus is a perfect getaway from Thessaloniki for a one day trip but you can also reach it from Athens. Litochoro, the last bus/train station before you start your journey, is one hour drive from Thessaloniki and four hours drive from Athens. The best period to visit Mount Olympus is from May till early October; during winter it is quite difficult to reach it due to heavy storms and snow.
If you decide to hike Mount Olympus you will find several trails. In this article, we will explore the Prionia-Litochoro trail. Once we arrived to Litochoro, we took a taxi to Prionia which is the highest point on the mountain you can reach by car. At Prionia, you can find a free parking lot, a restaurant, and public toilets (Along this trail, there isn’t any WC). From there, we started hiking on the international hiking path E4 along the Enipeas Canyon.
Hiking Enipeas Canyon (Path E4)
The road is quite organized so you don’t get lost with many stops to have a break. This medium level trail is around 15 Km with many ascents and descents; therefore, it is not very suitable for kids under the age of 10. Enipeas waterfalls is the perfect first stop where you can also swim! Along the hike, we enjoyed various amazing sceneries.
Our favorite part was crossing the river through the wooden bridges.
We made another break at the spring of Holy water at Agios Dionysios Chapel, also known as the Holy Cave where Saint Dionysios lived!
After 6 hours of a beautiful hike, we arrived to Litochoro where we parked our car! Note that you can do the reverse trail Litochoro-Prionia as well (take the taxi on the way back from Prionia to Litochoro).
A list of what we packed for our hike
A final tip for hiking Enipeas canyon: What to pack with you!
- A lot of water
- Snacks (fruits, energy bars, mini sandwiches)
- Sun cream and sunglasses
- A hat
- Hiking shoes
- Comfy sport clothes and a light jacket
- Medical kit – First aids kit
- Swimsuit and towels (in case you have a swim along the hike)
We hope you enjoyed the journey and that these tips for hiking Mount Olympus will help you plan your next trip!
Stay tuned for more of our adventures, leave a comment below on what you would like us to explore during our next time and if you have any questions or need any tips regarding this one!
Would you like to discover one of the most magical and magnificent places in Greece? Check out our ultimate guide to Meteora!