If you are looking for a trail combining scenic hiking with an occasional dip in the sea, this hike at Porto Germeno is for you.
Thanks to its proximity to Athens, it is perfect for an easy day trip from the Greek capital. But walking among the olive groves and along the rocky shore will make you feel like you’re strolling across one of the charming Cycladic islands.
The perfect time to visit in my opinion is the late spring or early autumn when it is warm enough for swimming but not too hot to move. During the summer heat waves, this hike would be exhausting due to the lack of shade and no refreshment along the way.
How to get there
The drive from the center of Athens to Porto Germeno took us around one hour and 20 minutes. We followed the Athens–Corinth highway until Elefsina, where we turned inland.
From there, we continued along the Elefsina–Thiva regional road until we reached a village called Paleochori, where we turned left. We then drove along the foot of Mount Pateras until we arrived at Krio Pigadi.
Here, we turned left onto the Inois–Porto Germeno road and soon began our descent toward the sea, enjoying beautiful views of Porto Germeno along the way.
You can find driving directions on Google Maps HERE.
Signposting & difficulty
The hike was about 11 kilometers long with approximately 470 meters of elevation gain and was moderately difficult. The path was mostly clear and easy to follow, though quite rocky and slippery in some areas.
Additionally, there wasn’t much shade along the way, which would have been helpful on a hot early summer day. Therefore, make sure to come prepared with a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water!
The trail was marked with a mix of red and blue signs painted on the rocks, but the markings were old and faint, so we mostly relied on a Wikiloc recording (you can find ours HERE).
One unexpected challenge we encountered right at the beginning of the hike was a pair of shepherd dogs guarding a flock of sheep. They came running at us, barking frantically, which forced us to retreat.
After a quick check of the map and realizing that the dogs were not planning to leave, we decided to take a short detour through the forest along the right side of the road.
This didn’t add much extra distance to our hike, but wasn’t so easy since some sections lacked visible path.
Mytikas & Agios Kyprianos Church
We parked our car at a fire station on the edge of Porto Germeno and continued on foot from there. As we soon understood, we could have driven all the way to the small beach called Sklavouno and save ourselves a few hundred meters of asphalt road.
As soon as we passed the beach, we found a dirt road branching off to the left. We joined the road and started our climb towards Mitikas.
According to the map, we should have follow the road all the way up to a crossroad, turn left and continue uphill until we would find a path.
However, a couple of shepherd dogs guarding their flock near the road prompted us to take a small detour through the forest. Once we got back onto another unsurfaced road, we continued uphill.
After about 150 meters we reached the end of the road, turned left and soon found our trail branching off to the right.
For the next one and a half kilometers the trail climbed uphill through the forested slopes with occasional views opening up behind us towards the sea, Porto Germeno and Mount Kitheronas towering above.
Once we reached the top of the hill, we came across another forest road and turned right. We passed a weathered looking farm, stayed to the right at a nearby crossroad and soon after we arrived at the end of the road.
We joined another trail here, winding among olive trees down to the sea. The next 3 kilometers were probably my favorite part of this hike.
The sea views from the trail were absolutely amazing at this point, and the landscape dotted by olive trees and fragrant oregano shrubs reminded me of the charming Greek islands.
But we couldn’t fully immerse ourselves in the beautiful scenery, as the trail was very rocky and steep, and we needed to pay close attention to our steps to avoid slipping.
Once we reached the picturesque church of Agios Kyprianos sitting at the tip of a peninsula overlooking the Corinthian Gulf, we immediately jumped into the sea to cool off.
If you decide to do the same be careful though, the rocks near the church are very sharp and covered with sea urchins, making the exit from the sea quite the challenge.
The coast
We left the church, following the same path as before until we arrived at a crossroad. We took the left trail running horizontally above the sea and after about 700 meters we arrived at the first beach of the hike called Smaragdi.
Except for two small boats the beach was empty and completely idyllic. The access to the sea was much easier thanks to the small pebbles covering the shore and the water clear and enjoyably cool. We spotted a few jellyfish here, a frequent occurrence in the Corinthian Gulf.
When we left the Smaragdi beach, we climbed back to the trail and continued along the coast. After another kilometer, we arrived at another beach, my favorite from this hike. To access the beach we had to walk all the way to the far end where we found a faint trail branching off to the left.
The access wasn’t very easy, we had to down climb few boulders on our way to the sea, but it was worth it! I only wish I didn’t forget my mask and snorkel, the rocky shore and sea bottom seemed worthy of underwater explorations.
Once we left the beach we continued along the coast until the third and the last beach of the hike in a beautiful small bay. This beach was the busiest thanks to the short walking distance from the road, and we didn’t stop here for a swim.
Instead, we crossed the beach and joined another trail climbing up from its far end. After another 200 meters we arrived at an asphalt road which took us all the way back to our car.
