An Escape to the Mountain of the Centaurs

A low and relatively mild mountain, Pilion is almost synonymous with Magnesia and its capital, Volos. With its highest peak, Stavros, rising to 1,624 meters and approximately 50 kilometers in length, Pilion forms the natural border between Magnesia and the Aegean Sea. The gentle slopes and tame peaks make Pilion particularly popular with hikers and beginner mountaineers, who will find two mountain shelters here, one at Agrioleskes and one at Agios Georgios Zagoras. For fans of the ski slopes, there is a ski center near Hania, and a host of wonderful routes are offered for mountain biking and horseback riding enthusiasts.

Whether you visit Pilion in winter when it’s dressed in white, or in spring or summer when the slopes are covered with colorful wildflowers among the firs, chestnuts, and oaks, touring its traditional villages is a magical experience.

The Villages of Pilion

Portaria: The Cosmopolitan Village

One of the most cosmopolitan villages in Pilion, bustling with people year-round. It is the first village you come across as you ascend the mountain from Volos, and it is especially popular due to its proximity to the ski center and the sea. Luxury hotels, traditional guesthouses, rental rooms, restaurants and tavernas, cafes, bars, and shops with souvenirs and folk art cover all tastes and needs.

Zagora: The Village of the Spirit

On the eastern slopes of Pilion with a view of the Aegean Sea lies the aristocratic Zagora. The most populous village in Pilion, it is organized around four neighborhoods with the main square being the Saint George Square, home to the church of Saint George with its exquisite wooden screen. The village also hosts the Public Library, founded in the late 18th century, which now operates as a lending library with rich and rare materials and a reading room. Just below, you will find the Drakopoulos mansion, where the Women’s Agricultural Tourism Cooperative of Zagora prepares its products. The village provides abundant raw materials from fruit trees, which, through unique traditional recipes and pure products, become delicious spoon sweets, jams, and homemade liqueurs — perfect for replenishing energy after hiking or for gifting to your loved ones.

The Aristocratic Tsagarada

At an altitude of 500 meters on the eastern side of Pilion, in a lush environment with a magnificent view of the Aegean Sea, lies Tsagarada. Nature here dominates, as chestnut and plane trees embrace almost every old and new building of the sparsely populated Tsagarada. Enjoy coffee at the central square of Agia Paraskevi, where the Great Plane Tree is a thousand years old, and don’t miss the arched bridge made by craftsmen from Epirus at the village exit. The historical landmarks of the area include the Achilles Trade School and the Nanopoulis School. Gather chestnuts — the Chestnut Festival is held in November — and mushrooms, and start beautiful nature walks from here.

Vizitsa: For Endless Strolls

One of the most famous and developed tourist villages of Pilion since the 1980s, it is a representative example of the Pilion landscape with its cobbled alleys and traditional renovated mansions, rich vegetation, and stone fountains. Walk up the main cobblestone path towards the central square, take a stroll through the picturesque neighborhood of Argyraika, and if the weather permits, organize a hike to the villages of Milies or the seaside village of Kala Nera. The landscapes will captivate you… Excellent traditional products, from jams to handmade pasta, have made the Women’s Agricultural Tourism Cooperative of Vizitsa “Esperides” especially popular beyond the village. Using unique traditional recipes, it offers catering services throughout the area.

Milies: The Village of the “Mouzouris”

The starting point of the famous “Mouzouris,” the Pilion train that travels to Ano Lechonia through an extraordinary scenic route, connecting the center of Volos with the fertile and rich area of Western Pilion. In winter, when the train is not running, it’s a great opportunity to walk along the tracks and photograph the iron bridge of Evarestos de Kiriko, the railway’s builder and father of the famous surrealist painter Giorgio de Chirico. Take the trail to Vizitsa and enjoy the view towards Pagasitikos, and don’t miss visiting the church of the Archangels, a characteristic example of local traditional architecture with remarkable post-Byzantine frescoes.

Makrinitsa: The “Balcony” of Pilion

With breathtaking, unobstructed views of Volos and Pagasitikos, and having preserved traditional Pilion architecture with renovated mansions, romantic cobbled alleys, intricate fountains, ancient plane trees, and flowers, Makrinitsa is one of the most enchanting destinations in Pilion. In this small town, you will find interesting art cafés and galleries reflecting the artistic concerns of its residents.

Pinakates: A Village Straight Out of a Fairytale

A small hidden secret in the mountain of the Centaurs, a village that we were slow to discover, as the road from Vizitsa opened only in 1999. The enchanting nature, the quietness, the small square protected by the giant plane tree, the authentic landscape, and minimal interventions exert an irresistible charm on the visitor.