Mount Parnitha National Park

Parnitha reaches 1,413 metres at Karavola, the highest point in Attica, and was declared a national park in 1961, the second in Greece. Above about a thousand metres the Greek fir takes over from pine, and the forest shelters the last free-ranging red deer population in Attica along with wild boar, foxes and over a hundred bird species. Trails radiate from the Agia Triada plateau to the Bafi and Flambouri refuges, both serving food and beds to walkers, and the summit ridge gives a view over the whole Athens basin to the sea. Caves, gorges and old shepherd paths lace the slopes. A serious fire in 2007 burned a large area of fir forest, and the regrowth is visible on the eastern flanks, a slow recovery still under way.

What you actually see

• The fir forest - Greek fir above a thousand metres, rare this far south.
• The red deer - a free-ranging herd, most often seen near the plateau at dusk.
• The mountain refuges - Bafi and Flambouri, both reachable on foot.
• The Athens panorama - the whole basin and the Saronic Gulf from the ridge.

When to go

Spring and autumn for walking; winter brings snow and the mountain becomes an Athenian day out for sledging. Summer is cooler than the city but fire risk closes trails and roads in high-danger conditions.

Honest expectations

The lower slopes carry heavy weekend traffic and a casino sits on the plateau, which surprises first-time visitors. Burnt areas remain conspicuous. Trails are marked unevenly and a map is worth carrying beyond the main routes.

Nearby

The Marathon reservoir lies east; Athens is under an hour away down the mountain road.