Greece’s Peloponnese is having a moment, thanks to the summer release of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film, The Odyssey, which features scenes filmed in the mountainous destination. Beyond the latest screen adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, due out in July, there’s another reason to plan a trip to the Greek mainland’s southernmost region.
The Peloponnese Trails, a network of hiking routes spanning more than 1,000 miles that showcase some of Greece’s most spectacular scenery, is scheduled to launch in June 2026. (The website is not yet live.) Highlights along the way include dense forests, rugged coastlines, ancient sites, and traditional villages that weave together history, culture, local traditions, and the warm Greek hospitality of this underexplored part of the country.
The new network is also poised to elevate the region as a premier sustainable adventure destination offering abundant nature-based activities, including hiking, cycling, kayaking, river trekking, and canyoning. According to Thanos Michelongonas, the region’s deputy governor of tourism, the trails will enable travelers to experience the Peloponnese beyond standalone attractions such as the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ancient sites of Olympia, Epidaurus, and Mycenaeas; they will experience it as a multidimensional destination.
“Visitors can now move through landscapes, villages, and historical routes that connect mountain, sea, and culture,” says Michelongonas, an avid hiker. “In this way, the experience is transformed from a simple visit to a journey of exploration of the place.”
Myths, legends, and mere mortals bring the routes to dazzling life. The Hercules Trail traces the legendary hero’s labors across the vineyard-covered valleys and hills of Nemea. Visitors can trek the mountainous valleys of northeastern Arcadia and sample rich, fruity red wines produced with the agiorgitiko grape at the many estates that make up the best-known wine region in the Peloponnese.
History buffs may opt for the Argolis Trail, which connects the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns with Ancient Epidaurus, whose fourth-century theater still hosts performances of Greek tragedies. Meanwhile, the off-the-radar Menalon Trail, the first trail in the country to be certified by the European Hiking Federation, stretches through atmospheric Arcadian stone villages such as Stemnitsa, Dimitsana, and Vytina and runs alongside the swift waters of the Lousios Gorge, where monasteries cling to cliffsides.
Among the Peloponnese Trails, routes throughout the region, like this one in Arcadia, are now part of the same network.
Photo courtesy of Peloponnese Trails
More than 20 local associations are collaborating with the region to bring the Peloponnese Trails concept to life, a role Michelongonas describes as crucial. “They have a deep knowledge of the landscape, history, and traditions of the area,” he explains. “They contribute to the maintenance of the trails but also to the transfer of local knowledge to visitors. Thus, the hiking experience remains authentic and connected to the local communities.”
More important, Michelongonas says, the trails create a new ecosystem of experiences around the nature and culture of the Peloponnese. Small businesses, local guides, agrotourism units, and traditional craftspeople offer services and products to visitors seeking cultural immersion. As a result, hiking plays an instrumental role in sustainable local development.
Michelongonas, who grew up in Sparta, east of Mount Taygetos, sings the praises of his homeland, where visitors can trek painstakingly maintained stone paths on the network of trails through some of Greece’s most spectacular landscapes. “Taygetos features exceptional environmental diversity, including olive groves, Mediterranean fir forests, and alpine landscapes,” he says. It’s also home to abundant cultural offerings, such as the late-Byzantine city-state Mystras, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it’s inextricably linked with historical figures such as second-century Greek traveler and geographer Pausanias, acclaimed Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis, and famed British writer Patrick Leigh Fermor, Michelongonas notes.
Tour options for the Peloponnese Trails
Adventure tour operator Trekking Hellas offers hiking experiences in the Peloponnese, led by local guides, that span one day or several. Niki Ploska, owner of the company’s Corinth branch, says that meeting local producers and stopping by small guesthouses and tavernas allows visitors to get a true sense of village life.
“Hikers can taste local products and get to know the people who produce them,” she says. “This collaboration allows for meaningful connection with the local community, providing travelers the opportunity to learn about the history, traditions, and evolution of the villages over time. This makes the experience more authentic and directly supports the local economy.”
KE Adventure Travel, meanwhile, offers an eight-day, self-guided hiking itinerary on the Menalon Trail, with stays at traditional guesthouses. Aside from checking out monasteries and mountain caves, trekkers can also stop by the Open Air Water Power Museum in Dimitsana.
Riley Pearce, trip development director at Backroads, which operates six-day tours (including one solely for women), says that what he loves most about the Peloponnese is how undiscovered it feels. “It’s the kind of place where hiking really is the best way to get an in-depth experience of the culture, landscape, and hospitality of the region,” he explains.
Where to eat, drink, and stay on the Peloponnese Trails
Gastronomy is a critical component of the Peloponnese Trails experience, whether you sample the cuisine from stores selling local products—such as Messinian olive oil and Nemean wine, honey, and cheeses—or eat at down-home tavernas with roaring fireplaces. In Dimitsana, the traditional taverna Drimonas prides itself on dishes like hearty Greek-style coq au vin with handmade pasta, while in the Mani Peninsula’s Kardamyli, Elies, a hotel and restaurant, excels in vegetarian-friendly fare served in the shade of olive trees steps from the sea.
Hikers can sample local food and drink at every step along the way, including local wine in Nemea.
Photo by Alisa24/Shutterstock
For accommodations, travelers can choose from a wide range of boutique mountain retreats and traditional guesthouses. In Arcadia, Manna Arcadia, a former sanatorium, pairs Scandinavian-style minimalism with refined culinary experiences. On the Menalon Trail, villages like Dimitsana rent rustic, home-style rooms. In Messinia, Abeliona Retreat combines hiking with wellness experiences such as outdoor yoga sessions. On Laconia’s Monemvasia-Maleas Trail, the Kinsterna Hotel, a five-star boutique in an old mansion, peers out over the fortress town of Monemvasia. In Kardamyli, a village on the Mani Peninsula, The Patrick & Joan Leigh Fermor House offers lodging in the home of the eponymous late writer and his wife.