The best national park for wildlife and wilderness in Greece
Best Activities For You.
Best Activities For You.
Great for History
The awe-inspiring Mount Olympus, the focus of ancient Greek mythology, is a spectacular sight that captures the imagination of today's visitors and the ancients who worshiped it.
Olympus became Greece's first national park in 1938 and is home to more than 1700 species of plants, including rare endemic species such as wolves, jackals, deer, and more than 100 species of birds. Legend has it that it is also the home of the Greek gods, and many hikers have expanded the peaks bearing the name of the park, the highest mountain in Greece, to 15 shelters scattered on forested slopes. I am forced to stay in one.
Perfect for a short trip from Athens
An hour's drive north of Athens, this forested greenery is a popular vacation for Athensers who want to spend their weekends in nature trekking, rock climbing, biking, and canyoning.
The Park is home to many hiking trails, cave systems, and wildlife, including a significant number of the rare Red Deer. The park also has two sizeable well-equipped hiker cabins (serving meals) and a cable car built to serve the hilltop Montparnes Regency Casino.
Great for hiking, mountaineering and skiing
Parnassus National Park, near Delphi in mainland Greece, has three over 2300 meters high mountains. Parnassos itself (2457m), Zarkos (2416m), Geron de Vracos (2396m). On the slopes are yellow-flowering shrubs, plum trees, and kefarton fir, spruce, and juniper dotted with rare purple-flowering Daphne jasmine.
The park is popular with hikers, rock climbers (1882 m high Cuberos has a viral rock face for mountaineering), skiers, and snowboarders during the winter.
Perfect for wildlife
West of Florina in northern Greece, the two Lake Prespas are stunningly beautiful places rich in wildlife and history. Megali Prespa and Mikri Prespa (Big Prespa and Small Prespa) are one of the oldest lakes in Europe, with a million-year history. Greece shares Megali Prespa with North Macedonia and Albania and Mikri Prespa only with Albania.
There is a lot of wildlife. Brown bears, wolves, and wild boars are just a few of the 40 mammal species, along with 260 species of birds, including the world's largest Dalmatian pelican colony and the Great White Pelican in Mikri Prespa. In addition, the sleepy and atmospheric plateau village gatherings serve as a stepping stone to this majestic wilderness.
Ideal for marine life
Alonissos National Marine Park, Greece's largest national park and one of the largest marine protected areas across Europe, is dedicated to preserving the endangered Mediterranean monk seal and some rare seabirds. Established in 1992 as its main purpose. In the summer, boats from Alonnisos and Skopelos, members of the Greek Sporades island chain, make a day trip to a pristine park whose bottom is covered with oxygen-producing Posidonia. Elusive monk seals are rarely seen, but you can find dolphins (3 species), turtles, Eleonora's falcons, and even moving whales.
Great for History
The awe-inspiring Mount Olympus, the focus of ancient Greek mythology, is a spectacular sight that captures the imagination of today's visitors and the ancients who worshiped it.
Olympus became Greece's first national park in 1938 and is home to more than 1700 species of plants, including rare endemic species such as wolves, jackals, deer, and more than 100 species of birds. Legend has it that it is also the home of the Greek gods, and many hikers have expanded the peaks bearing the name of the park, the highest mountain in Greece, to 15 shelters scattered on forested slopes. I am forced to stay in one.
Perfect for a short trip from Athens
An hour's drive north of Athens, this forested greenery is a popular vacation for Athensers who want to spend their weekends in nature trekking, rock climbing, biking, and canyoning.
The Park is home to many hiking trails, cave systems, and wildlife, including a significant number of the rare Red Deer. The park also has two sizeable well-equipped hiker cabins (serving meals) and a cable car built to serve the hilltop Montparnes Regency Casino.
Great for hiking, mountaineering and skiing
Parnassus National Park, near Delphi in mainland Greece, has three over 2300 meters high mountains. Parnassos itself (2457m), Zarkos (2416m), Geron de Vracos (2396m). On the slopes are yellow-flowering shrubs, plum trees, and kefarton fir, spruce, and juniper dotted with rare purple-flowering Daphne jasmine.
The park is popular with hikers, rock climbers (1882 m high Cuberos has a viral rock face for mountaineering), skiers, and snowboarders during the winter.
Perfect for wildlife
West of Florina in northern Greece, the two Lake Prespas are stunningly beautiful places rich in wildlife and history. Megali Prespa and Mikri Prespa (Big Prespa and Small Prespa) are one of the oldest lakes in Europe, with a million-year history. Greece shares Megali Prespa with North Macedonia and Albania and Mikri Prespa only with Albania.
There is a lot of wildlife. Brown bears, wolves, and wild boars are just a few of the 40 mammal species, along with 260 species of birds, including the world's largest Dalmatian pelican colony and the Great White Pelican in Mikri Prespa. In addition, the sleepy and atmospheric plateau village gatherings serve as a stepping stone to this majestic wilderness.
Ideal for marine life
Alonissos National Marine Park, Greece's largest national park and one of the largest marine protected areas across Europe, is dedicated to preserving the endangered Mediterranean monk seal and some rare seabirds. Established in 1992 as its main purpose. In the summer, boats from Alonnisos and Skopelos, members of the Greek Sporades island chain, make a day trip to a pristine park whose bottom is covered with oxygen-producing Posidonia. Elusive monk seals are rarely seen, but you can find dolphins (3 species), turtles, Eleonora's falcons, and even moving whales.
Athens is not the city of all open-space parks surrounding ancient ruins. Per capita, green space is probably the lowest in Europe. However, there are several places to walk in the shade and run around in the sunny Greek capital. As a boon to visitors, some of the best attractions are in the city center and its attractions.
The vast Athens, the birthplace of modern Western civilization, has enough neoclassical buildings to keep you busy for a week. But beyond the Parthenon, discover more youthful aspects of the city, including new art galleries, cozy cafe culture, and outdoor cinemas.
Athens today offers more than ancient relics and quick routes to the Greek islands but still does not go beyond them from the to-do list. Instead, these are the best experiences in Athens.
