Litochoro

Litochoro is known primarily as a destination for those wishing to climb Mount Olympus.

There is, however, much more to it as we found out.

Litochoro is a town and a former municipality in the southern part of the Pieria regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the Dio-Olympos municipality, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is located at the base of Mount Olympus, on the western shore of the Thermaic Gulf. The first recorded mention of Litochoro is in an account of a visit by Saint Dionysius to Mount Olympus in the 16th century. The town is a popular destination for those wishing to climb Mount Olympus as almost all climbing routes begin to the southwest of the town. One of the most famous Litohorians was Christos Kakkalos, who first ascended first Mount Olympus in 1913.

Litochoro

Litochoro is an authentic Macedonian town dating from the 14th century, located in the foothills of Mount Olympus. It relies heavily on tourism as the majority of the trails up Mount Olympus begin not far from the outskirts of the town.

In common with many Greek towns and villages, there is a central town square surrounded by a labyrinth of cobbled alleyways, lined with well-preserved maisonettes with their wooden balconies.

Long-established taverns, cafes, and shops selling local products abound in the narrow streets. Indeed we sampled some rather delicious greek “sweets” from one of the bakeries. Essentially, filo pastry stuffed with pistachio and drenched in honey. Incredibly sweet but sublime.

Zeus' bath tub

Zeus’ Bath Tub is essentially a waterfall of the Enipeas River where legend has it that Zeus was looking for such hidden places to enjoy with his lovers out of reach of his wife Hera.

The place is accessed from the top of the town, via a walk along the Levada which supplies the reservoir in the town with drinking water. It’s pretty easy walking, mostly level and although there are sheer drops into the canyon there is a sturdy guard rail along most of the route.

It was very quiet when we were there and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We did meet a warden along the route and apparently, it gets very busy during the main season, which could be interesting with the narrow paths.

Parking

Parking in Litochoro is in a car park next to the tennis club. Flat and level asphalt, with bins and a water tap, but no other services.

There is a military camp very close by. We were serenaded by heavy gunfire while we ate our supper, although strangely it didn’t bother us.

We heard The Last Post being played at 11.30 pm. What a lovely end to the day.

Other places of interest

The town is home to the Olympus National Park Information Center, a good starting point to find out more information about the various activities in the area.

There are several historical, and religious sites worth exploring in the area. They include Agia Parakevi and the church of Agioi Apostoloi, found just a short hike from Litochoro. Further up, the church of Profitis Ilias offers a panoramic sight of Litochoro, as well as the neighboring coastline.

Near the gorge of Enipeas lies the monastery of Agios Dionysios, which dates back to the year 1542. Built by a hermit who was living in a nearby cave, this monastery has been used as a shelter in times of conflict throughout history.

It's cold in them there hills

We had planned to visit the Monastery, a drive of about 15 km into the mountains. It all started fairly easily. A decent road, quite steep and winding, but in good condition, dry and clear of any ice or snow. As we climbed we started to see a few patches of very light snow at the edge of the road. The higher we went the worse it got. Decision made. Find somewhere to turn around and call it a day.

We continued on, knowing that there was a viewpoint and refuge not too far ahead, where we hoped we could turn around. The road conditions got worse and worse. Finally, I could go no further. The wheels were no longer getting any traction and it was too dangerous to try and go forward. Too narrow to turn around, and not possible to go forwards, there were no options left. I had to reverse back until I found somewhere to turn around. Reversing 1.4 km down a steep mountain road, covered in ice and snow, and round hairpin bends, is absolutely terrifying. The slowest drive of my life but probably the most memorable. Eventually, I got to a wider part of the road which was partially free from ice and snow where I managed to turn around.

Moral of the story: Greece is mountainous. Even this far south there is snow on the high ground, and often it isn’t cleared from the minor roads.