City break in Thessalia Region. Active leisure ideas for Thessalia Region - attractions, recreation and nightlife

The first association, which comes to your mind when you say ‘Thessaly’, is the mountains. Mountaineering and rock climbing are really well-developed here. It is possible to climb Mount Olympus; this is not a difficult climb, which can be completed even by beginners in alpinism. On the foothills of Olympus, quad biking and cycling are also available; and if you go just a little to the east, you will get to the beautiful beaches.

The region can offer winter entertainment to its guests as well, there are excellent ski resorts here. Pertouli, a small mountain village within the province of Trikala, has a long season – from December to the end of March. This is a very picturesque place, although there are only three ski-runs here and the most difficult one is a red slope. Here you will find excellent infrastructure, equipment rentals, and modern ski lifts. In addition to skiing, you can go mountain climbing or hiking, horse riding is also available here. However, this place is more suitable for a family vacation. The ski resort in Pilio (located on the Pelion’s Mountain peak) will suit those who are looking for outdoor activities. Here you will find seven equipped ski runs of varying complexity, ski equipment rental centers, five lifts, and many other facilities and services. The Agriolefkes Ski Center is the exact name of the place. By the way, night parties are often held here too, so it is for sure that your holiday will be rich in the events.

In Thessaly, there are many beautiful clean beaches, many of them are the Blue Flag beaches. There are three excellent sandy beaches in Volos; however, they are unappropriated for sports activities and you will not find any equipment there. Two perfect Blue Flag beaches are located near the village of Afissos, a famous coastal touristic resort. Here you can surf, windsurf or scuba dive, you can go for sea sport fishing or take a coastwise boat trip. Furthermore, there is a bicycle rental nearby. Platanias is a suitable place for the tourists who travel with light baggage. This is a sandy beach with small pebbles near the camping site, where you can stay with a tent or a caravan. The camping site is really good, there are kitchens, toilets, hot shower, and Internet here. You will even find a cafe and a shop, but, of course, the parking place is to be paid for. There is a small port here, where you can hire a boat for a sea trip or go on a regularly scheduled cruise to the Sporades, a group of Greek islands in the northwest Aegean Sea. It appears that the busiest beach is Kala Nera, which is 17 km southeast of Volos. It is a noisy place with bars and discos where music plays constantly. At the same time, there is a well-equipped pier for fishing there, fishing boats moor here; therefore, active and sociable tourists will definitely enjoy this place. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Be sure to visit Skopelos. This island has more than twenty beaches; many of them are suitable for spearfishing and scuba diving, as well as for snorkeling. In order to dive, you have to obtain special permission from the local administration. Do not disregard this requirement; otherwise, you might have problems with the law-enforcement authorities.

If you do not plan to get the abovementioned permission, go to Mikro Adelphi. Here you can dive without any restraints, but still, be sure to bring the documents confirming your diving qualifications with you. The island has lots of the Blue Flag beaches. Velanio is an unofficial nudist beach on the island. Milia Beach is perfect for those who are fond of water sports.

The best beach for outdoor activities on the island is Spitaki; among other things, here you can attend a sailing school. In addition, various walking tours, excursions, and trips for active people who are ready to test their state of training and endurance are organized here.

For climbers it will be interesting to conquer the heights of the Meteora. The height is only 400 m; however, this place attracts not only alpinists but also other fans of extreme sports since the conditions for paragliding and mountain biking are just excellent here.

In Karditsa, you will find everything for cycling, there is a bicycle rental and comfortable bike paths here. Take a bike trip outside the city and see all the neighboring places of interest.

At night, large cities provide many kinds of entertainment, most bars are open until the early hours, and a lot of them have live music. The local young people enjoy spending time in the nightclubs and discos, so the tourist will have an opportunity to relax. In Volos, most night bars are located in the pedestrian area eastward of Koumoundourou Street. The discos can be found on the very outskirts of the city, in Lahana. If you want to have a peaceful evening, we would recommend La Nave (Akti Nov), which is located on the coast; here you can enjoy live music or performances of guest DJs, there is a good selection of cocktails and spirits at the bar. “SPLENDID” genuine rock bar (48 Agiou Nikolaou) offers a unique ambiance and rock music to its guests. In addition to the cafe-bar and live music, you can play pool here too. In Larisa, we can advise visiting Red Button (54 Filellinon), here you will find live music and interesting interior design, this is a good place to relax in the evening. Pisina Summer Coffee Bar (Katsigra) is a great place to have some leisure time during the day, from time to time pool parties are held here. At the bar, you will be offered cocktails and drinks, and, of course, coffee. A very popular place among the locals is Mylos (1927 Georgiadou 53). It is always crowded here, so it would be better if you book a table in advance.