5 Great Outdoor Activities in Greece

When most people think of holidaying in Greece, they picture a lazy seven days spent on a sun lounger overlooking the Mediterranean, or beside a swimming pool. Perhaps, if feeling particularly adventurous, they might consider hiring a quad bike or scooter to go on a quick tour of the town, or taking a boat trip to a secluded beach. But Greece has so much more to offer! Here are five exciting, outdoors activities that you could give your Greek holiday a little added adventure!

Greece by timea

1) Snorkelling/Scuba Diving

There isn’t any one location we’d recommend for this. The Mediterranean is particularly shallow around the Greek islands, and rich in salt, making it particularly suitable for snorkelling. What’s more, the sea life in this part of the world is simply incredible. Snorkel in water that comes up to your waist, and you’re still guaranteed to see many bright and beautiful fish.

If you’re feeling more adventurous you could try scuba diving. As well as stunning subaquatic wildlife, the Greek coastline is home to fascinating ruins, from submerged temples dating back to ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, through to more modern day shipwrecks!

2) Visit a Volcano

Many of Greece’s Dodecanese islands, in the eastern Med, and closer to mainland Turkey than Greece, were formed by volcanic eruptions over the fault line between the European and African continental plates. While most of the volcanos are now dormant a handful are active, including Nisyros, an hour’s boat journey from the more tourist-friendly island of Kos. After a hair-raising bus journey into the mountains you can walk down into the caldera itself!

Nisyros – Caldera, Greece by David Llewellyn

3) Rock Climbing

Greece is a beautiful place, but few places are as striking and breath-taking as Meteora, in the north of the country. This craggy landscape of towering rocks and pinnacles is home to a vast complex of Eastern Orthodox Monasteries, and some incredible opportunities for rock climbing. Be aware, though, that much of the rock climbing in Meteora is not for beginners!

Meteora, Greece by Trevor Leyenhorst

4) Walking Tours

If climbing cliff-faces sounds a little white knuckle, perhaps a more gentle mountain walk would be more to your taste. Less than an hour’s drive from the centre of Athens, Mount Parnitha offers a wide range of routes for hiker, walkers and ramblers of all abilities, from beginners to the more advanced! As you might expect, the scenery here is the stuff of picture post cards, so remember to bring your camera!

5) Cherry Picking

If Greece is famous for anything, it’s food. Whether its seafood, olives, honey or feta cheese, a holiday to Greece is never anything less than mouth-watering. Greece’s cherries are, without a doubt, among the sweetest and tastiest grown anywhere in the world, and the Peloponnese region, in the south, is famous for its cherry orchards. Picking cherries makes a great day out for all the family, but if all that sounds like too much hard work, fear not! There’s every chance you’ll get to eat as many cherries as you pick!

Author Bio
David Llewellyn writes about travel and tourism for Life Is Good.

Tags: Cherry Picking, Meteora, Rock Climbing, Scuba Diving, snorkelling, Visit a Volcano, walking tours

Category: Greece