Evia Mountain and Village Walk

Our adventure begins at Athens airport, where we transfer by road to Rafina – about 35 minutes – then take the ferry to Marmari on Evia, around one hour, before a 20 minute drive brings us to our hotel in Karystos. Around 6 pm we gather as a group to get to know one another and hear more about the days ahead, and our tour leader arranges a welcome dinner. If you want more time in Athens, you can arrange pre tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

From our hotel, we walk through Karystos and up to the villages of Gourna, strung high above the bay beneath the peaks of Mount Ohi. We follow worn stone paths beside springs and streams to a Roman aqueduct from 160 BCE, then continue to Castello Rosso – among the grandest forts of the Fourth Crusade – where we can enjoy lunch with sweeping Mediterranean views. Using mountain goat trails and quiet lanes, we descend to the fertile Mili valley, rich with citrus, olive and cypress, and finish at the coast.

We drive about 45 minutes along the southeastern tip of the island, over the mountains toward Cape Cavo Doro, to the lush ravine of Platanistos and the first of 20 ancient villages of Albanian descent. We hike a riverside path through the green valley, then continue by bus for about 30 minutes to reach the sea and one of the loveliest yet still little known beaches in the Aegean. In the warmer months, you can swim and relax at Marmara Beach, and we return to Karystos on foot – about 20 minutes.

An early drive of about 45 minutes along the panoramic Eagle Route takes us above the evergreen Styra valley, where we summit Mount Kliosi to explore the remains of an ancient acropolis. An eerie ancient gate, the Cave of St Nicolas and the misty ruins of Castro Armeno make this a memorable visit. We descend gently past wild strawberry bushes and the remnants of Roman marble quarries to the quaint villages of the Styra valley, which overlook Marathon across the water, then take the bus back to Karystos in the afternoon – about one hour.

This morning we drive about 15 minutes to Lycorema, then enjoy a relaxed coastal walk on a flat dirt track around the bay, visiting the fishing hamlet of Marmari. The afternoon is free – you can unwind on the beach or wander the authentic island town of Karystos.

We begin with a 20 minute drive to the Springs of St Theodore in the mountain village of Argastaras, then climb on Mount Ohi along multiple trails and worn marble paths into the heart of the Roman quarries where green and white cipollino – small onion in Latin, for its stripes and rings – was carved into monumental monolithic columns around Biblical times. Ten perfectly completed marble pillars still lie here, abandoned during the decline of Rome. Ancient paths lead us through Upper and Lower Aetos with superb Aegean views, and we reach a coastline dotted with pretty sandy coves on our way back to town. You need trousers today to protect against overgrown vegetation.

We follow one of the island’s oldest paths, an ancient corridor through a gorge to a remote, wild beach on the east coast. We travel by taxi or coach for about one hour to the isolated village of Agios Dimitrios on Mount Ohi, the start of our walk, where the path first runs beside the river then climbs high above it with outstanding views of limestone cliffs and the ever blue Aegean. The dramatic canyon shelters thyme, oregano and sage, peonies and orchids, eagles and falcons, and plane and chestnut trees. We then take a one hour transfer back to our hotel.

After breakfast, we visit a local beekeeper to learn about and taste Greek honey and its products. Around lunchtime we check out and begin our return journey – a 20 minute ferry followed by about a one hour drive to Athens airport – where our adventure ends. If you want additional time in Athens, speak to your sales representative about booking extra nights in the capital to explore this history soaked city at your own pace.