Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
Pefkias
The Pefkias wood is a long stand of Aleppo pines on the seafront, several hundred metres deep, with paths through it and the pebble beach immediately beyond the trees.
The effect in July is unusual and very practical: shade on the way to the sea, cool ground under the trees, and cicadas loud enough to be a texture. Families spread out in the wood rather than baking on the sand.
The beach itself is pebble, the water is deep and clear, and across the gulf you can see the mountains of Delphi and Parnassos, snow-topped well into spring.
The town
An ordinary Greek town with a long seafront, cafes along it, a market street inland and a large summer population of Athenians who keep houses here. It is comfortable rather than picturesque.
Behind it: Trikala Korinthias
Twenty minutes inland the road climbs into Trikala Korinthias, three stone villages on the northern slope of Mount Ziria (Kyllini) at up to 1,100 metres, in fir forest.
Ziria has a small ski centre, an alpine lake in a doline high on the mountain, and some of the best walking in the northern Peloponnese. The combination of a beach town and a serious mountain twenty minutes above it is the reason to choose Xylokastro over other gulf towns.
Where it fits
- The Corinth canal, half an hour east.
- Kalavryta and the rack railway, about an hour and a half west.
- Nemea wine country, forty minutes south-east.
- Athens, about an hour and a quarter.
Getting there and how long
Direct on the Athens-Patras motorway, or by train on the Proastiakos suburban line from Athens via Corinth.
Two nights, or a very easy day trip from Athens.
Last checked August 2026. Transport and ski conditions change - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
What is Pefkias?
A large seafront pine forest at Xylokastro that grows right up to the pebble beach, with paths through it, giving shade beside the sea.
Is Xylokastro good for families?
Yes. The shaded wood beside the beach, calm gulf water and a straightforward town make it a long-standing family choice for Athenians.
How far is Xylokastro from Athens?
About an hour and a quarter by motorway, and it is also on the Proastiakos suburban rail line via Corinth.
What is Mount Ziria?
Also called Kyllini, the mountain twenty minutes above Xylokastro, with fir forest, a small ski centre, a high alpine lake and the Trikala villages on its slope.
Is the beach sand or pebble?
Pebble, with deep clear water and a view across the gulf to Parnassos.
Next
Read the Corinth canal, Nemea, or Kalavryta.