Mount Olympus
Greece'S Highest Mountain (Mytikas, About 2,918 M) And Mythical Home Of The Gods; Olympus National Park (1938), Greece'S First, And A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve · Litochoro, Central Macedonia
Mount Olympus is Greece's highest mountain and, in myth, the home of the twelve gods. Its summit ridge rises from near the sea at Litochoro to about 2,918 m at Mytikas in a short distance, so a climb starts in beech and pine forest and ends on bare limestone above the clouds. Olympus National Park, Greece's first (1938), protects the massif, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve known for its rich flora. Most visitors drive from Litochoro to the Prionia trailhead, walk up the E4 path to Refuge A (Spilios Agapitos), sleep there and set out next morning for the Plateau of the Muses and the summits of Skala, Skolio and Mytikas. Others walk the Enipeas gorge from Litochoro, a lovely forest trail with pools and waterfalls, or visit Dion, the Macedonian sacred city at the mountain's foot. The honest caveat: this is a real mountain, not an easy day out. The final scramble to Mytikas is exposed rock where serious falls happen, snow lingers into June, afternoon storms build fast in summer, and the refuges fill on July and August weekends.
Olympus massif above Litochoro, Pieria; road to the Prionia trailhead (about 18 km from Litochoro), refuges at Spilios Agapitos and on the plateau, Litochoro, Central Macedonia, Greece
Open all year as a national park with no gates and no entry fee (confirm). The realistic hiking season for non-climbers is roughly June to October, while the main refuges are staffed (roughly May to late October - confirm); outside it the upper mountain is winter alpine terrain needing crampons, an ice axe and experience. The road from Litochoro to Prionia (about 18 km) is usually open in summer and can close for snow or rockfall. Reach Litochoro by KTEL bus from Thessaloniki or Katerini, or by train to Litochoro station a few km below the town; no regular bus goes to Prionia, so take a taxi. Book refuge beds weeks ahead for July and August weekends.