Epic, 1700-kilometre hiking trail opens in Greece

Travellers in Greece can now embark on their own epic odyssey thanks to a new network of trails criss-crossing the country’s southern peninsula, just launched for Europe’s summer hiking season.

The Peloponnese Trail, or the Peloponnese Mythic Trail Network, links 12 major walking paths over more than 1700 kilometres, along brilliant blue coastlines and historic towns and ruins.

In a twist of fate that could only be attributed to Hermes, the Greek god of travel and good luck, the Peloponnese region will also have a starring role alongside Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya in Christopher Nolan’s retelling of The Odyssey when it berths in cinemas on July 17.

Work on the trails started in 2015 with the creation of Arcadia’s Menalon Trail. The intervening decade has been devoted to updating signage, digital trail mapping and painstakingly restoring old mule paths – many not trodden since the 1970s – through olive groves, pine forests and mountain villages.

The trails, named for figures from Greek history and mythology, crisscross the Peloponnese’s agricultural heartlands and historic cities and weave in visits to such UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites as Olympia, Epidaurus and Mycenae.

Take the 203-kilometre Hercules Trail, which traces the hero’s labours through the vineyards of Nemea, the best-known wine region in the Peloponnese – where Hercules killed (then famously wore) the Nemean lion. Hikers can wander the mountainous valleys of north-eastern Arcadia, explore the Temple of Zeus and Mycenaean Tombs, and sample red wines produced with the agiorgitiko grape at family-run estates.

Elsewhere, the Messinia Trail ambles through Kalamata, the legendary home of King Nestor in Homer’s tale as well as the epicentre of modern Greek olive cultivation. The Sparta Trail visits dramatically crumbling palaces and mansions on a path to the Tomb of Leonidas.

Trailheads at Corinth, Kiato or Xylokastro can be reached using Athens’ suburban train service. Seasoned hiking operators, among them InnWalking and Wild Rover Travel, have eight-day self-guided packages along the Menalon Trail, including stays at guesthouses.

After a week spent hiking, treat your feet to a wellness stay inspired by Ancient Greek traditions at Mandarin Oriental’s Costa Navarino, the group’s first property in Greece, opened in August 2023 in Messinia. Or unwind by the pool at Kinsterna Hotel, a restored Byzantine-era mansion estate in Monemvasia that was awarded two Michelin Hotel Keys last year.