A diverse system of roads cuts through the varied landscape of Greece. Traveling through Greece in December and January we see nature recovering from a dry summer. The hills are getting greener, the olive groves and citrus trees are heavy with the upcoming harvest and late bloomers are showing off their blooms.
We travel from Albania across mainland Greece to the southernmost tip of the Peloponnese. Back we take the east side of the country to the north to enter Macedonia. The roads we take are generally good. Yet we, or our OsmAnd navigation, sometimes choose to drive on unpaved roads.
A short video impression of the roads
We drive around in the Greek landscape and end up on quite a few challenging roads. Our off-road driving skills are put to the test and we share our tips.
The animated map at the end of the video documents our month-long travels through Greece.
The Northwest
As we cross the border from Albania to Greece, the landscape of the Ionian coast continues. The sea is a bit more turbulent in this season and the skies are less cloudless, but that just adds to the beauty of this landscape.
We spend the night at a beautiful bay in Sarakiniko, a fashionable seaside resort in the summer, now an extinct natural bay.
The flora becomes a bit more southerly:
Nafpaktos is located in the extreme south of the Greek mainland. The town charms us with its picturesque harbor and the terraces that are open (heated) even in winter.
The Peloponnese
We drive south
We reach the Peloponnese via the huge Rio-Antirrio bridge, also called Charilaos Trikoupis bridge. The bridge connects the narrow seaway between Rio (Peloponnese) and Antirrio (Greek mainland) and is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world. By the way, the passage costs €21 for our Milady, later we hear that the ferries that also sail here only cost €4.
We take the time to visit the historical highlights on this side of the Peloponnese and camp “in the wild” as much as possible.
We drive for miles through vast olive groves and along citrus plantations.
Every now and then we take a dirt road, just because we can.
The Mani Peninsula
On the Mani peninsula, in Marmari, we meet Carol. We work with her for a week at WorkAway, see the blog about our Greek Encounters.
Mani offers a raw landscape, steep cliffs on the sea and inaccessible mountains inland. The villages are often hidden deep in the mountains and the roads leading to them are steep and poorly maintained. Nevertheless, this rawness can certainly appeal to us, we enjoy working at Carol and the time we can spend exploring this beautiful peninsula.
We can relax on the private beach in Marmari.
The Caves of Diros
On Sonja’s birthday we go to the caves of Diros in the morning. With a boat we are sailed through the accessible corridor system. These are really the most beautiful caves we have ever seen, especially the water makes it extra special.
The Eastern Peloponnese
The east of the Peloponnese offers beautiful beaches and picturesque villages. We visit Monemvasia and make a few nice trips through the mountains of the interior. The change in landscapes also causes a considerable change in temperatures. In Leonidio we sit outside until late in the evening, it is freezing in the mountains.
We experience Christmas and New Year’s Eve at a campsite in Leonidio. This place is surrounded by mountains and in this season a paradise for climbers.
The Northeast
Corinth Canal
The Peloponnese is disconnected from mainland Greece by the Corinth Canal. In Greek antiquity, plans were already made to make a connection between Piraeus and the Ionian Sea in this isthmus. In the 19th century, the plans were finally fulfilled with the digging of this 6.3 km long canal.
The Eastern Mainland
We drive along the coast for a few more days and find the most beautiful places to stay.
Then we go inland to visit Delphi and the Meteora monasteries, among others. Milady sometimes has a hard time with the steep roads, but with a little love and driving skills she manages to get up and down safely. We drive beautiful roads through the interior and enjoy the views.
