Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
The tsipouradika
A tsipouradiko serves tsipouro, the local spirit, and every order arrives with a plate of food you did not choose. Order a second round and a different plate comes. The plates escalate: small fish, octopus, vegetables, then something more substantial.
You do not order a meal here. You order drinks, repeatedly, and dinner happens to you. There are dozens of these places along the waterfront and in the streets behind it, and it is the single best reason to stop in Volos.
The city
A working port and university city, rebuilt after earthquakes in the 1950s, so the architecture is largely modern. The long waterfront promenade is the centre of life.
Two things worth an hour: the archaeological museum, strong on Neolithic Thessaly and painted grave stelae, and the church of Agios Konstantinos on the front.
Just outside are Dimini and Sesklo, two of the most important Neolithic settlements in Europe, with visible house foundations and, at Dimini, a Mycenaean palace complex above them.
Pelion
The mountain behind is the reason many people base here. Pelion carries stone villages with slate roofs among chestnut and apple orchards: Makrinitsa, Portaria, Tsagarada, Milies, Vizitsa. The east coast below them has the beaches, several of them long and pale.
The old narrow-gauge railway, the Moutzouris, still runs a tourist service on part of the line between Ano Lechonia and Milies, over a Ferrari-designed bridge.
The Sporades
Ferries and hydrofoils to Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos leave from the port, which makes Volos a natural start or end to a Sporades trip.
Getting there and how long
About four hours from Athens, three from Thessaloniki, both by motorway, and there is a train line.
Two nights, more if you are doing Pelion properly.
Last checked August 2026. Railway and ferry services are seasonal - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
What is a tsipouradiko?
A Volos institution: you order tsipouro and each round arrives with an unrequested plate of food, escalating with every round. Dinner happens by accumulation.
What is Volos the base for?
The Pelion villages and their east-coast beaches, the Neolithic sites at Dimini and Sesklo, and the ferries to the Sporades.
How do you get to the Sporades from Volos?
By ferry or hydrofoil from the port to Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos.
Is there a railway on Pelion?
Yes, the narrow-gauge Moutzouris runs a seasonal tourist service between Ano Lechonia and Milies.
How far is Volos from Athens?
About four hours by motorway, or three from Thessaloniki, and it is on the rail network.
Plan by category
The Volos guides
2 guides, each scoped to a decision you actually have to make.
AttractionsThings to do
See the attractions →
HotelsWhere to stay
Compare the areas →