Pelion
Greece, Pelion
With its traditional mountain villages, idyllic beaches, and rambling forests, Pelion serves up some of Greece’s most unspoiled natural landscapes You might even recognize it from the big screen, as the 2008 hit Mamma Mia! was filmed there. Curling south from Volos, the peninsula is one of the undisputed highlights of Greece’s Aegean coast.
The basics
Dominated by the rugged Pelion Mountain—the fabled “Mountain of the Centaurs”—the Pelion peninsula lays claim to some of Greece’s best beaches. This area also offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities, with a network of scenic hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails passing through the forests and olive groves, and kayaking and sailing along the coast. Exploring the villages is another popular pastime: admire the pretty whitewashed houses with their gray slate roofs in Makrinitsa; stroll the lovely beaches of Tsagarada; or tuck into traditional cuisine in Portaria.
Things to know before you go
- The Pelion Peninsula is an outdoor sporting paradise; you’ll need both beach gear and hiking shoes to fully experience the area.
- With family-friendly beaches, tot-sized villages, and a vintage steam train, this corner of Greece is great for young travelers.
- Many of the mountain villages have steep cobblestone lanes that are hard on strollers and wheelchairs; the flat seaside towns are more manageable.
How to get there
The closest airport is in Nea Anchialos, about a 20-minute drive from Volos. Shuttle buses take arriving passengers from the airport to Volos to connect with the local bus service across the peninsula, or you can rent a car from the airport. There are also ferries between Volos and a few nearby islands.
When to get there
Though the summer months are the hottest of the year, they’re also when the Pelion Peninsula comes to life. The airport is only active in the summertime, and many seaside hotels and tavernas shutter during the slower off-season months. The more temperate spring and fall are the best seasons for hiking, biking, and other outdoor sports.
*Mamma Mia!* memories on Pelion
Most of the scenes from the blockbuster movie Mamma Mia! were set on the islands of Skopelos and Skiathos in the Sporades, but a few key moments take place in the seaside village of Damouchari in Pelion. This harbor town served as the backdrop to several dancing scenes with Meryl Streep, including when her character Donna and her friends jump from the harbor’s jetty into the sea during the song “Dancing Queen.” (The jetty is no longer there, as it was built especially for this scene and dismantled after filming.)
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