Avlona to Agia Marina Hike at Mount Parnitha

Hiking from Agia Marina to the Twin Churches in Parnitha, Greece

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Are you looking for a great hike close to Athens? Would you like to spend a day wandering through a peaceful countryside of rolling hills and meadows in full bloom, discovering charming little churches along the way?

Do you feel like you have exhausted the hiking options of Mount Parnitha walking on the southern slopes of the mountain around Mpafi and Flambouri refuges uncountable times (like I did)?

Then, it’s time to head to the northern side of Mount Parnitha near Avlona for a completely different but equally awesome hiking experience! What’s more, Avlona can be easily reached by train from Athens so you can enjoy a day in nature even if you don’t own a car.

Getting to Avlona from Athens

Avlona is located along the Athens—Thessaloniki railway and can be easily reached by train. The trains leave from Larisa Station, near the center of Athens, and arrive at Avlona in about 45 minutes. A return ticket costs 6,40 euros, and the trains run almost every hour (check out the timetables HERE).

The drive from the center of Athens took us around 50 minutes and was easy. We left Athens following the highway to Lamia, leaving it at Sfendali. We drove towards Avlona and through the village until we reached a large crossroad, where we turned left on a street called Polytechniou.

From here we drove uphill through the narrow streets of Avlona (follow the Google Maps direction HERE, this part was pretty confusing), passed the picturesque church called Agia Trianda until we reached the end of the asphalt road.

Greek Tortoise
Greek Tortoise

Maps, signposting & difficulty

The trail from Avlona to Agia Marina is marked by red signs and a few tables pointing in the direction of the church at some of the crossroads. It is marked quite haphazardly, though, so bringing a map is definitely a good idea.

The area is covered in the Anavasi Map of Mount Parnitha and you can also find plenty of recordings of the trail on Wikiloc. Starting in Avlona, we followed a combination of asphalt roads, forest roads, and well-defined trails.

The hike is not too challenging. There isn’t much elevation gain or difficult terrain. At 20 kilometers, it is pretty long, though, and can be tiring towards the end, especially on a hot day.

The hike to the Agia Marina church can be made significantly shorter and easier if you are coming by car. Parking the car at the Stoudhiou Monastery will decrease the distance to about 12 kilometers while you’ll still be able to complete the whole circular hike.

For an even shorter walk, you can drive all the way to the small Agios Nikolaos church at Voutima and only walk the last two kilometers to the church. You’ll be driving along unsurfaced forest roads, though, so this option is probably best avoided in rainy weather.

Hiking from Avlona to Agia Marina in Parnitha
Nothing but forests and flowery meadows at Northern Parnitha

Hiking from Avlona to Agia Marina

Starting from Avlona’s train station, we passed underneath the railway overpass and walked up towards the mountain. Soon enough, we started spotting first signs pointing to Agia Marina, Profits Ilias, and Stoudhiou Monastery. It doesn’t matter which one you choose to follow; they all lead in the same direction.

For the first 3,5 km of our hike, we followed an asphalt road climbing towards the Stoudhiou Monastery. This would have been an uneventful journey if it weren’t for the beautiful views of Avlona and the island of Euboea in the distance. The picturesque Agia Trianda church, about halfway to the top, was another pleasant distraction.

On top of the hill, we passed a farm with weird and slightly disturbing decorations. Think teddy bears hanging from trees or doll heads impaled on a fence in a partially burned forest. No need to worry, though; the gentleman living in this unusual setting is a perfectly lovely and very friendly elderly goat farmer.

A view of Avlona
Looking back toward Avlona
Asphalth road leading towards Agia Trianda church from Avlona
An uneventful stretch of asphalt road leading from Avlona towards Agia Trianda church.
Agia Trianda
Agia Trianda church
Goat, Greece, Parnitha
Meeting some handsome guys along the way. Photo by Bara Walker

Near the Stoudhiou Monastery, the asphalt road turned into a wide dirt road. For the next couple of kilometers, it runs through a beautiful pine forest and across meadows and fields. I’ve done this hike three times now, in January, April, and October, and surprisingly, every time, the fields were bursting with colorful wildflowers.

After a few kilometers, we reached another small church called Agios Nikolaos (Profitis Ilias). Just before the church, the road forks and a sign for Agia Marina points to the right. We followed the right branch of the road until we reached a small pond.

Right after the pond, we found a trail marked by yet another sign pointing towards Agia Marina. The beginning of the path was not all that clear, but once we found it, it was easy to follow. At first, the trail passed on the edge of a beautiful forested gorge before turning inland across the ridge.

A crossroad of forest roads with a sing pointing toward Agia Trianda
One of the few signs along the way
Daisies
Daisies everywhere
Hiking accross a meadow covered with daisies and other wildflowers
Hiking in Greece during spring is something else!
Meadowas near Agia Marina church
The lovely countryside along the way
Hiking from Avlona to Agia Marina in Parnitha
Another rusty old sign pointing towards the trail to Agia Marina
Another rusty old sign pointing towards the trail to Agia Marina
Agios Nikolaos church
Agios Nikolaos church
Hiking from Avlona to Agia Marina in Parnitha
The terrain is getting rockier and steeper

Agia Marina Church

After a while, we finally started catching the first glimpses of the tiny white church of Agia Marina glued to the side of a rocky outcrop. We passed underneath a couple of caves on our righthand side, only worth the denture for the views, and soon arrived at a crossroad of paths marked by a large cairn.

Here, we took the right branch (more about the left trail later on) and continued for another 50 meters until another crossroad. This time we turned left, climbed down a flight of stairs to a small terrace and finally arrived at the Agia Marina church.

The church’s history most probably dates back to the 12th century. It was built around a small cave, where, according to a legend, the icon of Agia Marina miraculously appeared out of nowhere to a passerby shepherd—a classic story for many Greek churches and monasteries.

But it is the natural beauty of the place that makes this little white church so special. From the terrace in front, you can admire the unspoiled forests covering the surrounding hills and hear nothing but the rustle of the wind and the twittering of birds.

A vie of Agia Marina church
Catching the first glimpses of Agia Marina clinging to the cliffs
Agia Marina church
Agia Marina church
The insides of the Agia Marina church
Agia Marina church
Agia Marina church
Agia Marina church

Returning back to Avlona

To return to Avlona, we took another trail, dropping to the left around 50 meters above the church. This part of our hike was a bit tricky. The path wasn’t marked at all, and instead, it was full of obstacles, such as fallen trees and steep descents.

Once at the bottom of the valley, we crossed a dry riverbed and climbed up on the other side. At this point, the path vanished completely, only to appear a minute later next to another dry riverbed. We didn’t cross this one; instead, we turned left and followed the stream. Soon, we reached a dirt road leading out of the valley.

From here, it was an easy stroll through lush green fields, passing another pretty church called Profitis Ilias. When we reached the Stoudhiou Monastery, we joined the main asphalt road to Avlona and returned the same way. It is a long walk back, though, and we cheated by hitching a ride back to Avlona from a friendly local farmer.

Crossing a dry riverbed near Agia Marina
Crossing a dry riverbed on our way back to Avlona
Pleasant countryside outside of Avlona
Pleasant countryside outside of Avlona
Profitis Ilias Church
Profitis Ilias Church

Update: Hiking to the Twin Churches from Agia Marina

On our recent trip to Agia Marina, we decided to venture further to the forested hills surrounding this picturesque little chapel and to hike to the Twin Churches sitting on the slopes on the opposite side of the valley.

On paper, this seemed like an easy detour, but the reality was completely different. The trail is faint and overgrown with shrubs, and fallen trees block the way.

It is marked by red signs, small cairns, and plastic stripes tied to the branches but it was still hard to find in many places. We followed a Wikiloc recording (you can see ours HERE) but still managed to get lost a couple of times.

That said, I think the trail is well worth the effort and uncountable scratches, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone with a taste for adventure.

The trail to the Twin Churches starts about 150 meters before you reach Again Marina. A large cairn marks the crossroad. It branches off to the left and descends into the valley.

On the bottom of the valley, we crossed a dry riverbed and climbed slightly up on the other side. This section of the trail offered the best views of the charming Again Marina church carved into the rockface on the opposite side of the valley.

Hiking from Agia Marina to the Twin Churches in Parnitha, Greece
Impressive caves near the church of Agia Marina
Hiking from Agia Marina to the Twin Churches in Parnitha, Greece
Agia Marina Church near Avlona
Hiking from Agia Marina to the Twin Churches in Parnitha, Greece
Hiking from Agia Marina to the Twin Churches in Parnitha, Greece
Hiking from Agia Marina to the Twin Churches in Parnitha, Greece
A view of Agia Marina from the trail to the Twin Churches

After a while, we reached another dry riverbed and followed it uphill. The trail crossed the riverbed multiple times and at some places, it was difficult to spot. Once we left the riverbed, we started a gradual climb through the forested slopes on the right side of the valley.

Soon, we come across a dirt road and turn right. After another 400 meters, we arrived at a fork in the road. The right branch descends down to the church of the Annunciation of the Virgin with a lovely terrace, a couple of tables, and a view towards the Again Marina church.

The left branch leads to a picturesque ruin of a Byzantine temple overlooking the valley. Both are worth a visit and are amazing places for a relaxing break in this unspoiled, peaceful corner of Northern Parnitha.

Hiking from Agia Marina to the Twin Churches in Parnitha, Greece
A slightly confusing part of the trail to the Twin Churches
Hiking from Agia Marina to the Twin Churches in Parnitha, Greece
The last section of the trail to the Twin Churches through beautiful pine forest
Plane trees near Agia Marina
Plane trees near Agia Marina
Hiking from Agia Marina to the Twin Churches in Parnitha, Greece
Twin Churches, Parnitha, Greece
The church of the Annunciation of the Virgin (Twin Churches)
Twin Churches, Parnitha, Greece
Twin Churches, Parnitha, Greece
Twin Churches, Parnitha, Greece
Hiking from Agia Marina to the Twin Churches in Parnitha, Greece
Twin Churches, Parnitha, Greece
The ruin of a Byzantine temple (Twin Churches)

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2 thoughts on “Avlona to Agia Marina Hike at Mount Parnitha”

  1. My wife and I did this yesterday and really enjoyed it!
    Thanks for describing this beautiful hike and many others in Parnitha.
    The trail from Agia Marina church down to the dry riverbed seems to have been cleared and marked recently and although still not the best trail, at least it was easy enough to follow.

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