A day trip to Northeast Pelion is well worth it as it is so different from South Pelion that the Greeks say that it has “Άλλος Θεός”, another God. South Pelion is all about sleepy fishing villages and gently rolling hills of olive groves fronted by the calm waters of the Pagasitic Gulf. North East Pelion, on the other hand, consists of traditional stone built villages clinging to craggy cliffs covered with dense chestnut and plane forests tumbling into dramatic pebbled beaches, all washed by the bottle blue waters of the Aegean Sea. Combine your trip with a visit to Serpentin Organic Garden for a complete day.
The most famous village is Tsagarada, probably because it boasts a 1000 year old plane tree, a behemoth so big that a column is needed to support one of its major branches that has a bigger girth than most trees. It gives pleasant shade to the square and makes having coffee there a special experience.
If you drive down from Tsagarada, you will arrive at one of the most beautiful beaches in Greece: Mylopotamos. A small promontory with a natural arched opening splits the beach into two and gives it its unique appearance. It doesn’t hurt that the beach has fine white pebbles and turquoise crystal clear water either 😉 The second part of the beach even boasts a small cave with marked routes for climbers who feel like flexing their muscles instead of lazing away under an umbrella. Another 14 routes are available on a nearby rock. As it is a very famous beach, it does tend to get crowded in the high season but it is well worth a visit any time before July and after August far from the Madding crowd.
Other beaches in the area worth visiting are: Damouchari where the movie Mamma Mia was partially shot in 2007. Here is an great guide to Damouchari and its surroundings. The other beach nearby of jaw dropping beauty is Fakistra. Your biggest dilemma really would be deciding what to visit…
Naturally there are many excellent tavernas in North East Pelion but if you would like to finish your day with a meal a little closer to Happinest, we suggest that you stop at the village of Neo Hori on your way back. There are two excellent tavernas to try out. One is Germanos which is on the right of the large village square as you come up the steps. The affable taverna owner is Yiannis and he’ll take good care of you. He was given the nickname of “The German” after he spent a few years in Germany. His specialty are grilled meats but he also makes delicious cooked dishes like wild boar with quince. The other taverna which is directly on the road (no need to turn into the village) is Paradisos. The owner and chef is Constantinos Rigakis who specializes in traditional cooked dishes of the region. Both tavernas are very reasonably priced and the food is excellent.
If you would like more information about North East Pelion, this is an excellent article that waxes poetic eloquently about the area, its author is evidently enamored and quite rightly so!