Home › Mount Olympus › Where to stay
Where to stay in Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus stretches between Thessaly and Macedonia, anchored by the coastal hub of Katerini, the mountain gateway town of Litochoro, and remote alpine refuges. Choosing where to stay dictates your proximity to climbing routes, sea breezes, or Macedonian village life. The terrain shifts rapidly from scrubby foothills to sheer limestone gorges, meaning seaside relaxation and high-altitude mountaineering are rarely accessible from the same doorstep.
Litochoro
Litochoro sits right at the foot of the eastern slopes, acting as the undisputed base camp for Mount Olympus. It feels like a traditional Macedonian town with steep cobbled alleys, stone houses, and rushing streams cutting through the Enipeas Gorge. From your doorstep, you can walk straight onto the E4 trail leading toward Prionia, or wander down to the central square for tsipouro in tavernas like Korifi, surrounded by plane trees.
Platamonas
Platamonas is a bustling coastal resort town where the Aegean laps against pebble beaches, all in the shadow of Mount Olympus. The vibe is lively in summer, filled with seafood tavernas lining the main strip and a marina packed with sailboats. Within a short walk from the central beach, you can hike up through olive groves to reach the imposing medieval Platamonas Castle perched on a coastal ridge.
Prionia
Prionia is not a village, but a high-altitude forest clearing at 1,100 metres where the paved road from Litochoro ends. It feels wild, damp, and deeply alpine, dominated by towering black pines and freezing glacial springs. There is no village life here—just a single rustic taverna and the trailhead parking lot. From here, you can walk directly to Refuge A (Spilios Agapitos) without tackling the lower gorge path.
One thing to think about
Avoid booking accommodation along the coastal strip of Katerini's seaside extensions like Korinos or Olympic Beach if you came for the mountain. While cheaper, these areas are dominated by dense, package-holiday concrete hotels, flat topography that hides the peaks, and long bus rides just to reach the actual foothill trailheads.
Other places to stay in Greece: lastminute.com · Megabon
Once you have a bed
The things that sell out first in Mount Olympus are the small-group tours and the skip-the-line tickets.
Common questions
Do I need a car to visit Mount Olympus?
A car is essential if you want to explore different trailheads, remote villages, and the coastline independently. While local buses connect Thessaloniki and Larissa to Litochoro and Platamonas, public transport to high-altitude spots like Prionia or the mountain hamlets is virtually non-existent, leaving you reliant on expensive taxis or long, grueling uphill walks.
When is the best time of year to stay on Mount Olympus?
The ideal window for hiking and staying in the region is from June to September. Earlier in the spring, snow blocks the higher routes near Mytikas, and alpine refuges remain closed. Autumn brings stunning foliage, but weather can turn unpredictably wet and cold very quickly above 1,500 metres.
Can I climb to the summit of Mount Olympus in a single day from Litochoro?
Technically yes, but it is a punishing 20-kilometre round trip with over 2,000 metres of elevation gain. Most experienced hikers prefer to stay overnight at Prionia or one of the high-altitude mountain refuges to break up the climb and safely catch the sunrise from Skala or Mytikas.
Hotel links go to Booking.com.