One of the most spectacular and potentially intense hikes you'll do on the Greek mountains. A legendary mountain located in the Pieria region, not far from Thessaloniki, Katerini and Larissa. According to the mythology, this mountain used to be the home of the 12 Gods, where Zeus cast his wrathful lightning bolts to the vulnerable humans.

Mt Olympus is Greece's highest mountain, with an altitude of 2,918m above sea level. The summit is called Mytikas and it's considered to be quite a demanding one. Though no real equipment is needed, except from your helmet. There are a few mountain refuges at various points on the mountain, with the two most prominent ones being at the Muses Plateau - a large plateau at 2,650m - where hikers usually choose to spend the night before ascending to the summit in the early morning hours.

The two refuges have the names of two Greek hikers: Christos Kakkalos and Yiosos Apostolides. Both mountain refuges are equipped with beds, bathrooms and a fully operational kitchen, making traditional Greek delicacies, as well as local Olympus tea and breakfast.

Although next to the sea, Mt Olympus's high altitude means quite a lot of rough weather and rapidly changing weather circumstances. It gets lots of snow and ice from November to May, which is why it's recommended that hiking it takes place during the hot summer months, when the snow has melted. Plus, it never really gets hot on the heights of the mountain. The temps rarely go over 16-17C even during heat waves and the nights are close to freezing.

The quaint town of Litochoro lies on the eastern foothills of the mountain, a beautiful place to stay, eat, watch both the sea of the Thermaic Gulf, and of course the summits of Olympus. One can actually spot Mytikas summit from Litochoro, on a clear sunny day.
The hike to the summits usually begins at the locations of either Prionia or Gortsia (both at around 1,000m high) and go from deep pine forests to rocky, dry landscapes as the altitudes create an increasingly unhospitable environment for flora and fauna. You will actually be able to spot the Balkan "rupicapra rupicapra" mountain goat even at very high altitudes on the mountain.