Greece on foot, gently: our finest accessible walks

People often imagine walking in Greece as a matter of long traverses and austere mountains. The reality is more welcoming. Most of the finest paths on these islands are short, waymarked and lined with fountains, chapels and tavernas. They were traced centuries ago to link a hamlet to its harbour or a monastery to its spring, not to put anyone to the test. It is that Greece we love to share: the one that is savoured, not the one that is conquered.

The kalderimia: walking as people always have

Before the roads, people went on foot from one village to the next on paved paths called kalderimia. Many have been restored and waymarked, and they are today the most agreeable walks in the Cyclades. The surface is even, shade is frequent, and the route almost always links two inhabited places, and therefore two chances to sit down.

On Sifnos, gourmet capital of the Cyclades, a network of waymarked paths of about a hundred kilometres criss-crosses the island. The path from Apollonia to Kastro is one of the gentlest: you leave the lanes of the small capital for a kalderimi lined with dry-stone walls, punctuated by white chapels, as far as that fortified village clinging to its cliff. An hour of steady walking, and a terrace facing the Aegean for the reward. It is one of the high points of our Cycladic enchantment through Serifos, Sifnos and Milos, a trip designed for those who like to walk without counting the hours and then sit down in the same spirit.

On Naxos, the green one, the Tragea valley unrolls its century-old olive groves and its small Byzantine churches hidden in the vegetation. You pass from one marble village to the next, Halki, Filoti, on almost level paths, in the shade. It is another way of understanding why so many travellers fall in love with the Cyclades, far from images of crowded postcards.

The coastal paths: the sea for your only horizon

Nothing beats a path that follows the coast, just high enough to take in the blue, just gentle enough for the walking to stay a pleasure. These paths have the advantage of offering easy exits: a cove, a small harbour, a boat stop almost always let you cut the walk short if the urge to dive in wins.

On Serifos, the path overlooking Livadi bay unrolls a continuous panorama over the sea, the fishing boats and the white chora perched higher up. On Corfu, the greenest of the islands, the paths set off in the shade of century-old olive trees before tipping down towards turquoise coves. From the bay of Liapades, our holiday Corfu, the Emerald Isle explores these byways in a star pattern: you return each evening to the same hotel, without repacking, and each morning you choose between a secret cove and a shaded terrace.

Further north on Corfu, the walk linking Kassiopi to Kouloura is among the most restful on the island. The path makes its way between maritime pines and pebble beaches to a tiny horseshoe harbour lined with cypresses, one of the most photographed corners of the Ionian Sea.

Walks from village to village

The simplest walk, and often the finest, consists of linking two villages. You set off after coffee, cross orchards and dry-stone fields, pass a shepherd or a laden donkey, and arrive just in time for lunch in the next hamlet. These walks rarely last more than 2 h and always end at a table.

Naxos and Amorgos offer that pleasure in its pure state. On Naxos, you go down the marble paths towards the southern beaches. On Amorgos, the secret one, you reach the monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa, clinging to its white cliff above the sea, by a short stairway cut into the rock face opposite the great blue. Our trip Naxos and Amorgos self-guided alternates each day between a walk, a cultural discovery and a moment of idleness, with the ferry crossings organised for you.

This rhythm suits everyone: you adapt the day to your mood, shorten it if the heat settles in, linger if the taverna is good. There is no group to follow and no timetable to keep, only Greece letting itself be discovered at a walking pace.

Gentle gorges: coolness in the hollow of the rock

The word gorge sometimes suggests adventure, but they are not all alike. Some descend on an even gradient, in the shade of wild fig trees, along a riverbed that keeps its coolness even at the height of summer. These are the ideal walks when the heat rises.

In Crete, the Imbros gorge is the best example. Shorter and quieter than the famous Samaria gorge, it winds between walls sculpted by time, beneath a vault of greenery scented with thyme and sage. At the exit, the village of Komitades welcomes walkers in the shade with olives, fresh cheese and Cretan simplicity. It is one of the paths chosen for our holiday Crete, island of wonders, which follows the south coast, far from the crowded beaches of the north, between fishing villages and the Libyan Sea.

To walk in the cool without giving up comfort, these accessible gorges lend themselves particularly well to a self-guided trip: you move on at your own pace, and a transfer waits for you at the exit to reach your address for the evening.

One detail often reassures those who hesitate: on these paths, you are never alone for very long. The villages follow one another, water and shade are not lacking in spring or in autumn, and the recent waymarking of the Cycladic paths has made navigation simple. Do still slip a hat, sun cream, water and a swimming costume into your bag: most of these walks end near a cove, and it would be a pity not to swim there.

Choosing your island according to your mood

These islands are not all alike. The Cyclades appeal through their whitewashed villages and their kalderimia, Corfu through its greenery and its Venetian atmosphere, Crete through its diversity and its unspoilt south coast. If you are hesitating, our guide to choosing your Greek island points you by mood and by pace, and our survey of walking in Greece island by island lists the finest paths of each destination.

For those discovering Greek walking, Sifnos and Naxos are reassuring starting points: waymarked paths, villages close to one another, and always a taverna at the end of the path. It is in fact to Sifnos that we devote a whole guide, so completely does the island bring together, within a few kilometres, everything that makes the gentleness of Greece on foot.

Walking in Greece with nothing to organise

The secret of easy walking often lies in what you do not see: the cases carried from one stage to the next, the charming addresses booked in advance, the route notes and the app that guide you step by step. That is exactly what our walking holidays in Greece offer. You carry only a small daypack, your swimming costume and a hat, and let the rest wait for you at the evening's hotel.

Our self-guided trips are designed for that: you set off when you like within the season, you walk at your own pace, you swim when the urge takes you, and you taste the Greece of tavernas and terraces with no constraint of timetable or group. The finest way, in our view, of remembering that walking can be a pure pleasure.

Frequently asked questions about easy walking in Greece

Do you need to be sporty to walk in Greece?

No, and that is the whole point of these islands. The finest Greek paths are short, often shaded and punctuated by villages, fountains and tavernas, so that you move on quietly, a few hours in the morning, keeping the afternoon for the beach or the terrace. Everyone follows their own pace, shortens a walk if the heat settles in and lingers where it is pleasant. A good pair of shoes, a hat and the wish to wander are amply enough.

How many days should you allow for an easy walking trip in Greece?

Reckon on a week to taste an island fully without hurrying. Our self-guided trips in Greece run from 8 to 12 days depending on the destination: Corfu is discovered in 8 days, returning each evening to the same hotel, while the Cyclades of Serifos, Sifnos and Milos, like the Naxos and Amorgos pairing, ask about ten days to link the islands by ferry. A week remains the ideal format for a first Greek walk, time enough to take the pace of the villages and the terraces.

Self-guided or guided walking in Greece: how do you choose?

It all depends on the company you are after. Self-guided, you set off as a couple or with friends whenever you like within the season, you walk at your own pace, route notes and tracks in your pocket, while we book the charming hotels and carry your luggage: it is the most flexible formula, ideal for these gentle walks where you like to linger. In the guided version, you make your way in a convivial small group with an English-speaking leader who knows the paths and the good addresses. Our self-guided trips remain the most sought-after for the Greece of terraces and coves, but the two spirits are equally valid.

Where can you find a map or a walking itinerary in Greece?

To prepare it yourself, the most reliable walking maps are those from specialist Greek publishers such as Anavasi or Terrain, available in bookshops and on the publishers' sites. The recent waymarking of the Cycladic paths also makes navigation simple on the ground. If you would rather organise nothing, our self-guided trips give you detailed route notes and the GPS tracks on an app, stage by stage. That is often the most restful: you enjoy the landscape without having your eye fixed on the map.

Continue reading

• Which Greek island is right for you? The complete guide
• Hiking in Sifnos: the island of flavours on foot
• Hiking in Greece: the best trails island by island
• When to Visit Greece: Our Month-by-Month Guide