Volos-Pelion: A Destination for All People and Seasons

Whether you decide to visit in the heart of winter or in the hottest month of summer, Volos is a city that will always have something to offer to its visitors. Snuggled at the foot of mount Pelion with a view of the Pagasitikos Gulf, it is the ideal base for your excursions to both sea and mountain.

The best aspect of Volos is its proximity to some of the most amazing beaches in the country and the most picturesque mountainous villages. But lets start out with the city itself. Volos is situated somewhere between the two largest cities of the country: it's about a 2.5-hour drive from Thessaloniki and a 3.5-hour drive from Athens (accessible by both train and bus).

As a city it's fairly easy to navigate due to its neat planning, with the biggest meeting point being the port or seafront. A car-free area with a long row of cafes for all types and where the cafes stop, eateries pick up. There's pizzerias and, of course, the famous tsipouradika. "What are tsipouradika?" you may ask. They are seafood restaurants where you order small bottles of tsipouro (aka moonshine in the U.S., but in Volos it tastes like ouzo) and for every two bottles (one has the quantity of a shot in it) you get 3 small appetizer dishes that are usually a little bit salty and vinegary to suit the tsipouro. These dishes may be anything from octopus, to shrimp, to potato salad, cabbage salad, squid, fish, mussels and the list can be endless. The tsipouradika and other eateries that are located at the port, may always seem busy, but they are very tourist oriented. Some of those preferred by the locals: "Bokos" and "Karakatsanis" in Nea Ionia, "Kochili" in the center on Metamorfoseos St., "Movoros" at Pteleos beach, "Mimikos" at the end of Alykes beach and the list is endless.

And although coming to the famous tsipouradika where octopus tentacles hang on a line to dry is good enough reason to visit Volos, the beaches within an-hour radius are an even bigger temptation in summer. (Read more about Volos and Pelion here)