Mount Pelion

Pelion is the mountain the Greek myths made home for the Centaurs - wise Chiron tutored heroes in its caves - and it remains a world apart: a green peninsula rising to about 1,600 metres between the Aegean and the calm Pagasetic Gulf, draped in chestnut, beech and apple orchards where most Greek mountains are bare rock. Two dozen stone villages hang on its flanks - Makrinitsa the balcony over Volos, Tsagarada spread through forest around a plane tree claimed to be centuries old, Milies with its frescoed church - linked by kalderimia, the old cobbled mule paths that now make superb walking. The Aegean side hides dramatic beaches like Mylopotamos and Fakistra beneath the cliffs, the gulf side keeps family-calm water, and the Little Train of Pelion rattles its narrow-gauge way from Ano Lechonia up to Milies in season. A small ski centre at Agriolefkes means the mountain genuinely runs all four seasons.

What you actually see

• The stone villages - Makrinitsa, Tsagarada and Milies under slate roofs.
• The kalderimi paths - cobbled mule trails linking village to cove.
• The Aegean beaches - Mylopotamos and Fakistra beneath forested cliffs.
• The Little Train - the narrow-gauge climb from Ano Lechonia to Milies.

When to go

June and September give warm seas, open paths and room to park; July-August fills the east-coast beaches. Autumn turns the chestnut forest amber, and winter snow brings a modest ski season - Pelion never really closes.

Honest expectations

The roads are narrow, winding and slow - distances that look short take double the time, so base yourself on the side you plan to use. Beach parking on the Aegean coves is tight in high summer, and mountain weather can drop clouds on the tops without consulting the forecast.

Nearby

Volos's waterfront, the Pagasetic gulf coves and the ferry links toward the Sporades islands.