Makrinitsa

Makrinitsa hangs on the western flank of Pelion at around six hundred metres, close enough to Volos to see the whole city and gulf laid out below and high enough to feel like another country. It is a protected traditional settlement: three-storey stone mansions with overhanging wooden upper floors and slate roofs, built by the wealthy merchant families of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many now guesthouses. The village is car-free, so visitors park at the entrance and walk the flagstone lanes and steps. The central square holds a marble fountain, huge plane trees and the small church of Agios Ioannis, with a taverna terrace that gives the view its name. A folk museum occupies the Topali mansion.

What you actually see

• The stone mansions - archontika with wooden upper floors and slate roofs.
• The square - fountain, plane trees and terraces above the gulf.
• The gulf panorama - Volos and the water spread out beneath the village.
• The folk museum - Pelion domestic life in a restored mansion.

When to go

Spring for green and flowers, autumn for colour in the chestnut and beech woods; both avoid the summer crowd. Winter brings snow and a fireplace season, and cloud can swallow the view for days.

Honest expectations

Makrinitsa is heavily visited and the main lane is lined with souvenir shops selling the same goods. Everything is uphill or down steps, hard on weak knees. Parking is limited and can mean a long walk in on busy weekends.

Nearby

Portaria is a kilometre away; Volos and the Pelion villages of Vizitsa and Milies lie beyond.