Overview
An eight day, self-guided walking holiday with trails ranging from the extraordinary sites of Athens to Kea, the Cyclades island that is closest to Greece’s capital, boasting an array of wonderful walking trails. In Athens, where you spend two days, explore the city on our ‘hike and bite’ tour through not only some of the city’s ancient cultural highlights, but also its green spaces. A quick ferry journey takes you to Kea, where you have five days to walk on ancient kalderimi to the likes of Otzia Bay, the ancient site of Karthaia and the elegant town of Ioulida.
- Unique ‘hike and bite’ self-guided walk through contemporary and ancient Athens
- Well-preserved village of Ioulida, capital of Kea island
- Ancient-Karthaia: archaeological site only accessible on foot or by boat
- Lion of Kea
- Otzia Bay
Click to view map
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Athens
Welcome to Athens: the birthplace of drama, democracy and philosophy. Though Athens is still suffering from the image of a city full of smog and cement, the changes before and after the 2004 Olympics have turned the city into a very enjoyable city. Athens is a city of contrasts: the cheapest souvlaki spot is next to the Roman Emperor Adrian’s Library and a Byzantine church, next to Marks and Spencer. Above all of the contemporary developments are the great sites of the Acropolis and Parthenon temple.
- Accommodation: Hotel Acropolis Hill or similar in Athens
Day 2: ‘Hike and bite’ in Athens | 5km
If you would like visit the Acropolis Museum, or the local food markets on Athinas Street, we advise you to do so in the morning. Just take a light koulouri half way through the morning, like Greek people do, and start your ‘hike and bite’ tour around 15:00 on Syntagma square where you see the changing of the guards on the hour.
Walk through the National Gardens to the Kallimarmaro Olympic Stadium, where you can follow an audio tour including a visit to the catacombs. Then along past the Temple of Zeus to a rooftop restaurant of an excellent hotel for snack, whilst enjoying views of the Acropolis.
Continue along past Dionysos Theatre and the Acropolis Museum and head up the sacred rock of the Acropolis. Descend into bustling Plaka for another snack in a typical traditional Greek taverna where you might also try some Ouzo. A short stretch along the Roman and Greek Agora leads you through the oldest parts of the city to the next eatery in Thission for your main course in an excellent restaurant. For dessert, you have to walk a little bit more to Thisseio, for another lovely roof garden. There are lots of excellent bars and restaurants in this area.
- Walking for the day: 6h, 5km, ↑150m ↓150m
- Accommodation: Hotel Acropolis Hill or similar in Athens
Day 3: Travel to Kea
You are met at your Athens hotel and driven along the most scenic route via the coast through the cosmopolitan suburbs of Glyfada and Voula to Cape Sounion. Here you have a one hour window to visit to the ancient temple of Poseidon, or just have a coffee admiring views of the mountain that juts out into the sea. The Doric temple dates back to the 5th century BC and is dedicated to the god of the sea, Poseidon. It is the last tip of the Attika peninsula one sees when setting sail to the islands. A bit further you come to the port of Lavrio, a somehow forgotten town with a rich mining history that is now recovering really fast from a very difficult period. There are delightful tavernas in the renovated marina with no shortage of fresh fish. Take the ferry to Kea where you are most likely accommodated in Ioulida the capital of the island. It’s a very pretty village, built on the slopes of several mountains. There are no cars allowed in the centre of the town.
- Accommodation: Hotel Serie Xenonas or similar in Kea
Day 4: Walk Ioulida-Otzia | 6.6km
Today’s delightful walk takes you from Ioulida to Otzia bay. Shortly after leaving Ioulida you pass the island’s famous ‘smiling’ lion carved out of a granite cliff about 600BC.
On many sections of this walk, you walk on old kalderimi paths. Traverse a wide valley with terraced hills to reach Otzia, with a sandy beach and couple of tavernas (open summer season only). Travel back to Korissia or Ioulida by public bus (not in low season) or taxi.
- Walking for the day: 2h, 6.6km, ↑120m ↓380m
- Accommodation: Hotel Serie Xenonas or similar in Kea
Day 5: Walk to ancient Karthaia | 7.5km
Take a taxi to the south-east of the island to the small hamlet of Stavroudaki from where you start your circular walk to the ancient site of Karthaia. Especially in spring, from mid-March to the end of April, beautiful spring flowers steal the show here. You can also rent a car or moped for a day and drive yourself to the starting point. The walk descends via a beautiful kalderimi from the hamlet of Chavouna. Pass the pretty church at Taxiarches and, in about one hour, you reach the ancient site of Karthaia located at Poles beach. This is a true oasis and you will, most likely, be the only one on a beach that is dominated by the Temple of Athena dating back to the 5th century BC. The walk back to Stavroudaki is even better than the way down: a completely intact kalderimi that runs uphill along the riverbed. Stop at Vathipotamos well before ascending further up to Stavroudaki.
- Walking for the day: 2h 30mins, 7.5km, ↑350m ↓350m
- Accommodation: Hotel Serie Xenonas or similar in Kea
Day 6: Walk Ioulida-Korissia | 9km
Today’s walk is mostly downhill as you walk from the capital Ioulida to the port of Kea: Korissia. The first section is via stony trails that run through a wide valley to the chapel of Ag. Konstantinos. Here you enter Milopotamos valley, with the remains of eleven water mills that made use of the water of Flea well, located upstream. It is particularly special here in springtime, with the sound of murmuring water. After the well at Flea, follow dirt roads over the hill all the way to Korissia, with some wonderful views along the way.
- Walking for the day: 3h, 9km, ↑350m ↓600m
- Accommodation: Hotel Serie Xenonas or similar in Kea
Day 7: Circular walk from Ioulida | 14km
Today’s walk takes you along a wonderful kalderimi up to the summit Profitis Ilias, from where you can see most of the island, parts of Attiki, Makronisos, Evia and Andros. You have an option of taking a short detour to Episkopi Monastery, a wonderfully tranquil place where you can see the remains of an old tower and the impressive (but closed) church. You can see that ancient construction methods were used in the church, indicating that there was once an ancient temple on this site. The hamlet of Ellinika is the turning point for today as you via dirt roads and trails back to Ioulida.
- Walking for the day: 5h, 14km, ↑500m ↓500m
- Accommodation: Hotel Serie Xenonas or similar in Kea
Day 8: Departure
Travel by ferry to Lavrio port, where our taxi driver will meet you and take you to Athens airport for your flight departure. Depending on your outbound flight, it might be necessary to travel back in the evening of day seven and stay overnight in a hotel close to the airport, Sounion or Rafina.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation is in 3-star hotels in double or twin private en-suite rooms. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms.
Click to view our default hotels for this trip
- Hotel Acropolis Hill (Athens)
- Hotel Serie Xenonas (Kea)
*Hotels are subject to availability. In case a particular hotel is fully booked for your desired dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast is included every day at your hotel. Also included in this tour are four dishes from a selection of Athens’s finest restaurants on our hike and bite walking tour, including; a cold starter, warm starter, main course and a dessert.
Difficulty and terrain
The tour is suitable for anyone in good physical shape. The walks are mostly unsurfaced track, cobbled mule tracks, footpaths, and some dirt tracks (read more about difficulty grades).
We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never shorten the path through unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed road notes and maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
The best time to travel to Greece is between April-June and September-October. In the summer months, it gets very hot. Active travellers should either go in the springtime (when nature is at its best) or after summer (when the seawater temperature is still very pleasant).
The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates, and you can start your trip on any date during the season.
Getting there
Click to view travel options and route planner
By plane
Our recommended airport for this tour is Athens (ATH).
By train or bus
From Athens airport, you travel easily by public transport to your hotel in Athens down-town. There is also the option to take a taxi or book our airport transfer service.
Inclusions
Included
- 7 nights accommodation
- 7 breakfasts
- Transfer Athens-Lavrio with stop for visit of Poseidon Temple in Sounion
- Water transport between Lavrio and Kea
- Transfer Lavrio-Athens Airport
- Cold starter in Hera hotel, warm starter in Zorbas Taverna, main course in Kuzina restaurant, dessert (Athens)
- 24/7 telephone assistance by our local office/representative
- Access to our Navigation system
- Detailed digital holiday information pack, including GPS-checked and regularly updated route descriptions, road notes and maps. Please note that the info pack is emailed to you before departure and no printed documents are mailed or provided on-site.
Excluded
- Airfare
- Taxi transfers Athens airport-Athens (very suitable public transport options available)
- Lunches, dinners, drinks and snacks
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on-site)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own.
- This holiday is available for solo travellers; a supplement will be charged as accommodation and luggage transfer costs are not shared (we never mix and match – solo travellers will be accommodated in single rooms)
- Extra nights
- Transfers
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