Mount Olympus tours compared

Which Mount Olympus tours are there?

Eight bookable tours: five day trips in the foothills, a private hike, and two summit trips. Prices run from $57 to $300 per person.

Here is every tour on this site. The column that matters most is the highest point: it tells you whether you are visiting the mountain or climbing it.

Times and inclusions are what each listing says on GetYourGuide in October 2026. The olive grove walk is not an Olympus outing as such, but it is the gentlest hour you can spend below the mountain.

Which Mount Olympus tours go to the summit?

Only two: the one-day summit climb from Kalyvia and the 2-day Mytikas hike from Thessaloniki. Every other tour stays in the foothills.

Both include a guide and a helmet for the final scramble, and both turn back if the weather is bad. They differ in almost everything else. The one-day climb starts in Kalyvia, a village on the west side near Elassona, drives a 4x4 to the Christakis hut at about 2,400 m and climbs over the Kakoskala plateau to the summit around 13:00. You must reach Kalyvia by 08:00 on your own. The 2-day hike picks you up in Thessaloniki, walks from Gortsia to the Plateau of the Muses, sleeps at the Apostolidis refuge (2,697 m) and summits the next morning, then descends to Prionia.

Neither is easy, and both set limits. The 2-day trip is listed as not suitable for people over 60, under 18 or over 100 kg. The one-day climb takes ages 13 to 70. How hard the climb really is goes through the route and the risks.

Which day trip is the best value?

The Dion and Olympus day trip from Thessaloniki at $57: transport, a guided visit to Dion with entry, lunch and a gorge walk. Nothing else comes close on price.

At $57 the Dion and Olympus day trip costs about what you would pay to do it alone, once you add the train, the taxis and the EUR 10 Dion ticket. The listing includes the bus from central Thessaloniki, an English-speaking attendant, Dion entry with a guided tour of the site and museum, and lunch. The catch is the group: it runs by bus, and the walk in the gorge is short. Guests remember the guides. One wrote: "What a wonderful day! Lazaros (our former Olympic alpine skier and now guide!) was full of knowledge and enthusiasm."

Pick it if you want the history and a taste of the mountain at the lowest price. Skip it if you came to hike.

The cheapest full day at Olympus: Dion with a guide and entry, lunch in a village and a walk in the Enipeas gorge.

★ 4.6 · 8 hours · from $57

Explore the Dion and Olympus day trip → Tour details

Small group, private or big group?

The small-group hike caps the day at six people and walks the most. The private hike is yours alone. The $57 day trip is a bigger group with less walking.

Three Thessaloniki day trips, three ways to share the day:

The small-group trip is our pick for most couples who like to walk. A guest from Germany wrote: "The group was super small (with only one other guest, it was pretty much private)." In summer the forest trail ends at pools where you can swim. The private hike has few reviews so far, but the price per person falls as your group grows, and the route reaches the Enipeas waterfall and the cave of Saint Dionysius.

One-day summit climb or the 2-day Mytikas hike?

The one-day climb if you have a car, limited time and good fitness. The 2-day hike if you want the classic route, transport from Thessaloniki and a night on the mountain.

The two summit trips side by side:

The 2-day hike costs more because it includes transport and a refuge night, and you walk the whole mountain rather than ride up half of it. Reviewers liked the company: one called the time "amazing" and praised "just chatting and getting to know the guides". Its cancellation terms charge fees depending on how close to the date you cancel, so book it once your dates are firm.

Mytikas in a single day: a 4x4 to about 2,400 m, then the summit with a guide, a helmet and a harness. Eight people at most.

★ 5.0 · 9 hours · from $231

Explore the one-day summit climb → Tour details

Which tour is best from Athens or by train?

From Athens, the $166 train day tour. If you arrive by train at Katerini or stay on the coast, the $71 minibus tour from Katerini station.

Both use the same idea: the guide and minibus wait outside Katerini station, the stop where Athens Intercity trains call. The Athens tour includes the return train tickets, a guide, Dion entry and a bottle of water; Platamon castle and a Dion photo stop are marked as extra fees on the listing. A guest from the US wrote: "The view of Mt. Olympus and the sea from the castle was amazing." It is a 13-hour day.

The Katerini minibus tour runs 6 hours: Dion, Platamon castle and the Enipeas gorge walk to the bathtub of Zeus. If you can travel up from Athens the day before, sleep in Katerini or Litochoro and take this one: less sitting on a train, more time at the mountain. How to get to Mount Olympus covers the trains.

What does each extra dollar buy?

From $57 you get the basics; $71 to $166 buys a different start or a smaller group; $231 and $300 buy the summit.

• $40: an olive grove walk and tasting near Platamon. Easy and short, a good rest day after a hike.
• $57: Dion, lunch and a short gorge walk from Thessaloniki.
• $71: the same idea, but starting at Katerini station and adding Platamon castle.
• $127: your own guide and car, a longer walk to the Enipeas waterfall, Dion entry extra.
• $146: hotel pickup, six people at most, the best forest hiking of the day trips.
• $166: the train from Athens. You pay for the distance.
• $231: Mytikas in a day, gear included, transport to Kalyvia not.
• $300: the full ascent over two days, transport and refuge included.

Refuge stays are cheap if you climb on your own: a bed at Refuge A was listed at EUR 18 for non-members. What you save in money you pay in planning and risk.

How do you choose the right Mount Olympus tour?

Decide summit or no summit, then pick by start point and how much you want to walk.

• I want the summit and I'm fit: the 2-day hike from Thessaloniki; the one-day climb if you have a car on the west side.
• I want to hike, not climb: the small-group forest hike.
• I want history and a view, cheaply: the Dion and Olympus day trip.
• I'm in Athens: the train day tour.
• I'm on the beach near Katerini: the minibus tour from Katerini.
• I travel with my own small group: the private hike.

Timing matters too. The summit tours run from June to October; the foothill days work most of the year, though Dion keeps shorter hours from November to March. See the best time to visit Mount Olympus.

Frequently asked questions