The most popular uphill trail of Pelion is the one that can be found at the area of Portaria. It is used by locals to access their olive groves and the rest of the land that is located above the village of Stagiates. Walking uphill you get a chance, for the most part of the way, to enjoy spectacular views of Portaria on the one hand and Makrinitsa on the other as well as the city of Volos and the Pagasetic Gulf when you look backwards. At the end of this path we find the village of Portaria. Our second journey starts from Agia Marina, at this point there is a crossing with path and wooden sign “Trail of Centaurs” and the first stop is the St. Nicholas the patron of Portaria. Beside the church is the humble church of Panagia Portarea built in 1273. Then the route passes from the primary school of the village and through picturesque streets and fountains and continues on until it reaches its end at the village`s square. The lower starting point of the route is 350 meters and the highest of about 700 meters. The estimated travel time is two and a half hours and can be categorized as basic hiking with a total length of about 5 km.

Pelion Paths

A unique characteristic of Pelion that cannot actually be found anywhere else, is its special combination of mountainous and marine landscape. Many surprised and astonished visitors have noted that even when you are at a high altitude, you always have views towards the sea, a fact that explains why beautiful Pelion always stands out and is often characterized as “half-island”. Indeed, if one adds up the great history of this place, culture and tradition, the vitality of most villages, but also a dense network of mountain paths that cross it from one end to the other, then by saying “unique” one can only poorly describe Pelion Mountain.
More than anything you will be moved by these traditional paths (more than 100 all over Pelion) and walking on them, you will discover in the best possible way the reason why they are so fiercely preserved, fighting against time and always connecting powerful nature with man.