June 2026 - Our Trip to Greece
And this time – the Pelion Peninsula! The trip was originally planned as a multi-generational family getaway—my husband, my kids, and my parents. However, just two days after I booked the flights, my parents had to cancel for personal reasons. I made a few minor adjustments to the itinerary, but the flights—dates and times—remained exactly as I had originally booked them.
The flight times were quite challenging. Our outbound flight to Thessaloniki was at 5:15 AM, which meant we barely slept at all—we left the house for the airport at 1:00 AM. As for the return flight, it was scheduled for 00:40 AM on Saturday night. I chose that specific time originally because, back when my parents were joining us, they needed a flight that departed after Shabbat ended, and in Thessaloniki, Shabbat ends quite late.
The first day of our trip – the Orlia Waterfalls and the drive to Pelion
We landed in Thessaloniki around 8:00 AM, collected our luggage (a carry-on for each of us), left the terminal, and headed right toward the parking area, where the shuttle from the rental company was waiting (a company I specifically do not recommend; I will explain why later). The shuttle took us a few minutes to the rental office to pick up the car we had booked. We ended up paying quite a bit of money there for insurance for the whole week—it’s a pity I didn’t check via email in advance how much it was supposed to cost, as I might have arranged different insurance, not through them but through the site where I booked. We picked up the car and hit the road—the long drive to Pelion!
Our first stop was the Orlia Waterfalls, but just before arriving, we stopped at a nice café where we had some water, coffee, and pizza. From there, we continued a few minutes’ drive to a short and easy hiking trail leading toward the waterfalls.
The drive from the airport to the waterfalls takes about an hour and a half on toll roads (in total, we paid about 25 euros for tolls today, and the same amount applies on the way back). Parking near the waterfalls is on the side of the road.
The Orlias Waterfalls were truly beautiful; we sat there and enjoyed ourselves, some of us even went into the water, and it was a delight. Highly recommended!
Recommendation: Bring water shoes.
From the waterfalls, we drove to Platamonas toward the sea, where we found fish restaurants (note that fish are priced per kilo, and it’s not cheap—around 50-65 euros per kilo). We had lunch there and then returned to the car for the long journey to our hotel.
Our hotel is located in an area called Agios Ioannis, and it’s called the Kenta Beach Hotel. I chose to stay and settle in on the eastern side of Pelion, which seemed more interesting and beautiful to me.
On a day like this, after a sleepless night, it is very difficult to drive on this winding road—an hour of driving in the mountains with curves, climbs, and descents.
When we arrived at the hotel, they took our keys and the car, and parked it for us behind the hotel. After settling in and resting, we went out for dinner on the promenade near the hotel (pasta, pizza, fish). From there, we went back to the hotel to sleep, and that was the end of our first day. Goodnight!
The second day of our trip – Damouchari, Mylopotamos, Tsagarada
Good morning! We woke up around 9:00 AM, had a nice breakfast (not a huge variety, but we managed), and got ready for our day. We didn’t intend to drive too far today, but because the road we were supposed to take was closed for renovations, we were forced to take longer routes than planned. We drove for about 40 minutes (instead of 15) and arrived at a place called Damouchari, where kayaking trips to the Fakistra sea caves depart from. (It’s important to book in advance; I spoke with Thomas over the phone and set an arrival time for the kayaks—his phone number for WhatsApp is +306938491283). However, when we got there, the boys realized they would now have to kayak in the sun for about 3 hours, and that didn’t suit them, so we gave up on it and walked into the village to Damouchari Beach. It’s a beautiful beach with crystal-clear turquoise water. We bought a small mat and a beach umbrella to accompany us throughout the trip—it didn’t cost much and was definitely worth it. It was fun and refreshing at the beach. When we left to head back to the car, we bought fruit from someone selling it on the street and drove to Mylopotamos Beach—a unique and stunning beach. You descend to it via stairs (decent ones) from the parking lot above, and as you get closer to the beach, its beauty and the amazing view are revealed.
After swimming and resting at Mylopotamos Beach, we drove to Tsagarada, where we went to see the famous thousand-year-old plane tree. It is indeed a huge and beautiful tree. We didn’t find a nice place to sit right next to the tree, so we drove for about 2 minutes and found another spot to have lunch, which was delicious. From there, we returned to the hotel to rest, and in the evening, we went out for dinner near the hotel. At night, you can hear the waves from the bed—it’s a dream to sleep so close to the sea.
The third day of our trip – Horefto, Agioi Saranta beach, and the Poseidon caves
After breakfast, we drove to Horefto. The place seemed quiet and sleepy. We looked for someone offering boat trips to the Poseidon Sea Caves, and it wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be. I expected people to be actively offering their attractions on the main street of Horefto or at the harbor itself, but that wasn’t the case. However, we did see a sign with phone numbers, so we called and inquired about a cruise. The person checked with his skipper and scheduled us for 2:30 PM at the marina (a small marina at the entrance to Horefto; you can’t miss it when you arrive). So, we had about two to two and a half hours to ‘kill’. During this time, we drove 7 minutes to Agioi Saranta Beach, a stunning, well-organized beach with the option to sit under an umbrella with sunbeds (12 euros for two beds and an umbrella) and order drinks/food. We swam, drank, and enjoyed ourselves. From there, we went to the supermarket to buy fruit and water for the boat trip.
The boat trip cost us 240 euros for four people and was amazing! If you have to choose between this trip and the kayaking to the Fakistra caves—our skipper, Adonis, said it’s better to choose the Poseidon Caves because there are more caves and they are more impressive! So, we made the right choice.
We met our skipper, Adonis, and his wife at the marina and boarded the boat. They took us to the sea caves—about an hour’s boat ride each way. They took the boat right into the caves, and at the end, we stopped at a small, private, white beach just for us. The skipper took out and gave us a box of cherries. It was really enjoyable; my boys loved the boat ride and the sea. We were at the beach for almost an hour and asked to return when we had had enough.
From there, we went to Horefto to eat. We sat at a nice restaurant by the sea, had a fish dinner, and returned to the hotel
The fourth day of our trip – the western side of Pelion
Today we drove about an hour each way to the western side of Pelion. We started by driving to the historic steam train station in Milies. We arrived at the station, there was parking nearby, and from there we walked along the tracks for about 2.5 km in each direction (you can walk much less, just to the big bridge and back), it was nice. The train operates only on weekends, and in August there are more days when the train runs. The train ride takes about an hour and a half in each direction. We were satisfied with just walking along the tracks
From there, we continued to the village of Vizitsa. We parked the car and took a short walk to a beautiful square surrounded by cafés, with two large, lovely trees in the center. We sat there to have some ice cream and coffee. On the way back to the car, we stopped at a restaurant in the village and had pizza.
Next, we continued to Afissos to Kosta Kali Beach, a nice and well-organized beach. They had Wipeout-style inflatables in the water; the boys went on the obstacles and had a great time. The beach chairs were free of charge, but we ordered drinks. Bringing your own food onto the beach is prohibited.
From there, we went to get some ice cream and headed back to our hotel, a drive that took an hour and twenty minutes. We showered, rested a bit, and then went to the restaurant we liked near our hotel for dinner. We took a stroll along the promenade and returned to the hotel to sleep (the boys spent almost every evening at the hotel bar watching the World Cup matches).
The fifth day of our trip – a day without driving
Today we stayed in the area of our hotel and didn’t drive the car. Near our hotel are Plaka Beach and Papa Nero Beach. Every morning, we told our hotel owner, Dimitrios, where we were planning to go, and he would give us his tips (usually regarding the driving route, etc.). Today, he told me that Papa Nero Beach isn’t any different from the hotel’s beach, so there was no point in going all the way there. Additionally, the road there was under construction, so we skipped it. Regarding Plaka Beach, he told me that although it’s a short distance and the beach is close, it isn’t suitable for everyone because you have to walk over rocks for part of the way.
My older son stayed in his room because he had to study via Zoom today until the evening, so we walked with our younger son to Plaka Beach. The beach is pretty, but I don’t think it’s worth the effort to get there—we had already been to more beautiful beaches. We sat there for a while, went into the water a bit, and then headed back to the beach right in front of our hotel. We sat there, ordered some drinks and food, and it was pleasant and fun—the water was crystal clear and comfortable.
At noon, we went back to our room to rest, and in the evening, we returned to our favorite restaurant. We told them we were leaving tomorrow, and they treated us to a cherry jam dessert. After dinner, we took a stroll along the promenade and returned to the hotel to sleep.
This was our last day in Pelion; tomorrow we head to Thessaloniki.
The sixth day of our trip – Thessaloniki
Today is Friday. We had breakfast, checked out of our room, and said a fond farewell to Dimitrios, who gave me some flowers because I mentioned how much I really love them (these flowers are everywhere here in Pelion in a variety of colors, and I completely fell in love with them). Of course, I can’t take the pot back to Israel with me, but I will look for these flowers at nurseries back home and try to grow them in my own garden.
I had planned stops along the way to Thessaloniki in advance, but we decided to drive without planning where to stop; we would only pause if we felt the need to take a break and stretch our legs. In the end, we drove straight through, and apart from stopping for gas, we didn’t stop until we reached our hotel in Thessaloniki.
We arrived at the hotel and handed over our keys to have the car parked for us (30 euros per day for parking near the hotel). The name of our lovely hotel in Thessaloniki is the NYX Hotel by Leonardo. It’s in an excellent location, with a unique jungle concept that I really loved. I booked two double rooms, and they gave us two adjoining ones. Since our flight is tomorrow night, I also booked a different room that fits three people for us to stay in from tomorrow until the evening, without an overnight stay.
We settled into our rooms and went out to stroll along the street the hotel is on—Tsimiski Street, the shopping hub where you can find all the brands (Zara, Mango, Pull&Bear, Sephora, and many more). We wanted to eat at Chabad, which is close to our hotel, but since they were busy preparing for the Shabbat dinner, we couldn’t eat there. So, we went to an Italian restaurant we found on Google; it was nice. Afterward, we did some shopping and returned to the hotel tired.
In the evening, we went out to a tavern. We wanted to sit at a tavern called Plati (I had been there on my previous visit to Thessaloniki), but the place was full and required a reservation in advance—a shame. So, we searched and found another tavern nearby in an area full of restaurants, not far from our hotel.
The seventh day of the trip – the last day
הנה תרגום הפסקה האחרונה לסיכום הטיול:
“Although there are still plenty of things to do here in Thessaloniki, we focused mainly on shopping today. First, we bought a suitcase, because we arrived with only a carry-on each, and when I checked in for the flight, I added a suitcase for the return journey.
I let the boys go wild with their shopping (as long as there was room in the suitcase), because the prices were really great. At noon, we went for a massage—I had asked the hotel receptionist in the morning to call and book a massage for us at a place called Pysis, which I also know from our previous visit to Thessaloniki.
We showered and rested in the room we were given for the day (a room for three with a double bed and a single bed). The boys worked out at the hotel gym both yesterday and today.
Around 8:30 PM, we checked out and went to return the rental car. I will elaborate on that separately:
Car rental
I usually rent cars abroad through a reliable and excellent website called Discover Cars. The site acts as a search engine that directs you to various car rental companies around the world and at your chosen destination. That is how I found the rental company called Autounion, which I absolutely do not recommend!
We rented a Skoda Octavia and paid an extra 55 euros per day for full insurance coverage (zero deductible). On our way to return the car, at 9:00 PM, someone from the rental company called us and told us that for a 5-minute delay!!!!! we would be charged 35 euros!!!!! Five minutes!! Where have you ever heard of such a thing?! I have never encountered anything like this in my life. We told her that we were almost there, that there was heavy traffic, and that it would be a maximum of 10 minutes late. It didn’t help; she wasn’t there when we arrived, and the guy there insisted on charging us 35 euros, which really frustrated us and ruined our end-of-trip experience.
I filed a complaint with Discover Cars, and even though it wasn’t their responsibility and they aren’t the rental company, they offered to compensate us with a 35-euro credit for our next rental.
In hindsight, we could have set a later return time when we first booked the car (at the same cost), but since we needed a shuttle to the airport, I didn’t want to choose a later time.
Key conclusions and insights from the trip
Key Conclusions and Insights from the Trip:
Flight times: I do not recommend booking flights that force you to skip a night’s sleep entirely. True, these flights are usually cheaper, but unless there is another compelling reason to choose these hours—it is better to pay more and fly at a more reasonable time! What is the point of ‘gaining’ an extra day if you are exhausted and dead-tired the entire time?
Car Rental: Give priority to rental companies physically located at the airport. You want to avoid needing a shuttle to reach the rental office—this way, you can set a later return time without being dependent on a shuttle to get you to the terminal.
Check the rental contract: Always verify if there is a ‘grace period’ for returning the car. Most rental companies allow a 30-60 minute delay without extra charges. If they have a strict policy, contact the company a day in advance to inform them you might be late, and hopefully, they will be accommodating.
Full coverage (Zero Deductible): Getting full coverage directly from the rental company upon pickup is generally better than a third-party ‘excess reimbursement’ policy. To avoid surprises, I recommend emailing the rental company in advance to ask how much this insurance costs. If it’s too expensive, you can then opt for third-party excess reimbursement insurance instead.
About Pelion: We visited in June and felt the place was very quiet and almost empty—the tourist season hadn’t fully kicked off yet. That was fine for us, as it’s exactly what we wanted, but it’s good to know what to expect. The area feels untouched, quiet, and not overly developed in terms of tourism. The restaurants in the central, more ‘touristy’ areas aren’t exactly cheap, and there aren’t too many active attractions or water sports. It might be different in July or August, but I cannot say that from experience.
Driving to Pelion: The drive from Thessaloniki takes about three and a half hours, with the final hour being very winding and mountainous. The route is beautiful, but it can be challenging and isn’t suitable for everyone—take this into account when planning your trip.
In conclusion, we had a lovely, fun-filled trip with plenty of beautiful, quiet, and magical beaches. We enjoyed every moment! We are already looking forward to our next adventure 🙂
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments—have you ever considered visiting the Pelion Peninsula?
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