Mount Pelion rises east of Volos between the Aegean and the Pagasetic Gulf, with 24 villages on its slopes among plane, chestnut and fir trees and roads running down to beaches on both coasts. Volos is the low base with the most transport: the KTEL bus station, the seasonal flights at Nea Anchialos and the heritage train from Ano Lechonia, while the villages above it give the mountain setting.
visitgreece.gr ktelvolou.gr almyros-news.gr hellenictrain.gr
Volos and the Pelion villages are in the regional unit of Magnesia, in the Region of Thessaly.
Nea Anchialos State Airport (Volos Airport)
Volos is served by Nea Anchialos State Airport, in Almyros; its own site carries the Region of Thessaly footer. The summer 2026 programme ran roughly from May to October and linked the area with Brussels Charleroi (Ryanair), Düsseldorf (Eurowings), Paris Orly (Transavia charter), Katowice and Brno (Smartwings charters) and Heraklion in Crete (SKY express), as two local news sites list it (9 Mar 2026 and 6 Jun 2026). Treat it as a seasonal list, not a year round service. thessalyairport.gr almyros-news.gr onlarissa.gr
KTEL Magnesias, Volos bus station at Zachou 5
KTEL Magnesias runs the intercity buses from its Volos station at Zachou 5, with routes inside Magnesia, intercity routes and airport transfers, and sells e tickets online. Its winter timetable runs from Friday 11 Sep 2026 to 21 Jun 2027; the summer 2026 timetable ran from 26 Jun to 10 Sep 2026. ktelvolou.gr
KTEL intercity buses
Visit Greece says intercity KTEL buses link Athens and Thessaloniki with Volos, where you change to local buses for the Pelion villages; it gives about 4.5 to 5 hours from Athens and about 3 to 3.5 hours from Thessaloniki. visitgreece.gr
Hellenic Train, the Pelion train
The Pelion heritage train runs between Ano Lechonia and Milies on its regular weekend programme: trains 3800 and 3801 leave Ano Lechonia at 10:00 and Milies at 15:00, with a 15 minute stop at Ano Gatzea. In summer 2026 Hellenic Train added extra runs on the Fridays of July (10, 17, 24 and 31 July) and on 7, 14, 17, 21 and 28 August. hellenictrain.gr magnesianews.gr
Volos has the most transport: the KTEL bus station, Nea Anchialos airport for the summer flights and Ano Lechonia, just outside the city, for the heritage train. ktelvolou.gr hellenictrain.gr almyros-news.gr
Visit Greece names Makrinitsa, Portaria and Tsagarada as the best known villages of Pelion; quieter villages are scattered across the rest of the mountain. visitgreece.gr
With 24 villages on its slopes, Pelion lets you choose between the mountain and the sea: roads run down from the villages to beaches on both the Aegean and the Pagasetic Gulf. visitgreece.gr
See Where to stay and Rentals for prices and booking advice.
Opening hours, closures and ticket prices change by season: each card links to the official page we read on 9 Oct 2026, so check it again before you go.
Sight
Stone villages with mansions, squares shaded by old plane trees, cobbled uphill paths and running fountains are the main sight of Pelion itself, says Visit Greece; Makrinitsa, Portaria and Tsagarada are the best known.
Sources visitgreece.gr
Sight
The narrow gauge line from Volos to Milies was built under the Italian engineer Evaristo de Chirico, father of the painter Giorgio de Chirico, and the train is nicknamed Moutzouris after the smoke of its steam engines, according to Travelmyth (1 Sep 2026); Milies keeps the historic end station. Today Hellenic Train runs it between Ano Lechonia and Milies on its weekend programme.
Sources travelmyth.gr hellenictrain.gr
Pelion has an extensive network of walking trails through forest, streams and sea views, and the mountain is known for its herbs: Visit Greece counts more than 1,000 species. visitgreece.gr
Village roads lead down to beaches on both the Aegean and the Pagasetic sides of the mountain. visitgreece.gr
The Pelion ski centre was listed for the 2025 to 2026 season at 1,170 to 1,471 metres, with 5 lifts, 8 runs and about 5 km of pistes; day passes were 25 euros in high season and 18 euros in low season that winter, says Travelstyle. Dates and prices for winter 2026 to 2027 were not checked. travelstyle.gr
Our venue cards for Volos and the Pelion villages, with Google Maps, Tripadvisor and Review this place buttons, are on the Mainland food page:
Pelion Culture's Fall 2026 survey singles out spetzofai, country sausage cooked with peppers, in the village tavernas, and describes sharing meze with tsipouro as part of everyday eating in Volos. pelionculture.gr
Summer brings the seasonal flights to Nea Anchialos (in 2026 roughly May to October) and extra heritage train runs (the Fridays of July and five dates in August in 2026). almyros-news.gr onlarissa.gr hellenictrain.gr
Autumn is apple time: the Zagora cooperative harvests firiki in October. e-thessalia.gr
Winter is the ski season at the Pelion ski centre; check the 2026 to 2027 dates before you go. travelstyle.gr
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us.
General and reader enquiries
hello@heartgreece.com
Commercial enquiries
partners@heartgreece.com
Places close and prices change.
Tell us and we will fix it