___________________

Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

___________________

View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of Horton, Pelion, taken from the dirt road that connects Horton with Metohi, a small village higher up.

Loading image. Please wait Potistika Beach :: Potistika, Pelion :: August 2002 :: © A.Papadopoulos Potistika Beach :: Potistika, Pelion :: August 2002 :: © A.Papadopoulos Part of the Beach :: Potistika, Pelion :: August 2002 :: © A.Papadopoulos Potistika From Above :: Potistika, Pelion :: August 2001 :: © A.Papadopoulos A View of the Adjacent Melani Beach :: Melani, Pelion :: August 2001 :: © A.Papadopoulos Cool Rock :: Potistika, Pelion :: August 2002 :: © A.Papadopoulos

Potistika

Potistika (Irrigated Fields) is a fantastic beach, on the eastern flank of Mt. Pelion. Its shores consist of coarse-grained sand, broken by massive boulders, which plunge into the sapphire-blue waters.

Like most of the beaches on the Aegean, Potistika is exposed to the prevailing northerly summer winds, known as "meltemia", which oftentimes reach intensities of 7 or 8 on the Beaufort scale, producing waves in excess of 2 m (6.5 ft).

The beach is located at a distance of approximately 55 km (34.5 miles) from Volos, 11 km (7.5 miles) from Argalasti, and 17 km (10.5 miles) from Horto.


Top

Infrastructure & Restaurants

At Potistika there's usually a canteen, which sells sandwiches, mineral water, soft drinks and beer, though consuming the latter is inadvisable, especially if you intend to stay in the sun for too long. Unorganized tourists, such as myself, can also rent a couple of deck-chairs and a beach umbrella.

After you're done swimming, you may want to pay a visit to the "Climax," a restaurant, perched on the hill, about 50 m (165 ft) from where the beach ends. Here, you can enjoy the breathtaking view and cool off in the sea breeze, while sampling Valerie's international cuisine and ice-cold, German beers. They also offer an assortment of exotic drinks, which are really refreshing and... potent, thereby affording drinkers a decent buzz! Overall, it's a very worthwhile experience, despite the fact that prices are somewhat high for Greek standards.

If, on the other hand, international cuisine doesn't appeal to you, try the hotel - taverna "Elytis". It's a couple of hundred meters from the beach and, allegedly, serves traditional, homemade Greek dishes, but I haven't checked it out yet.

Top

Accommodation

Hotel "Elytis", located in close proximity to the sea, should cater for your basic needs. I don't know too much about it, so I would appreciate info on the quality of comestibles, accommodation and service.

Any other information in respect of accommodation in the area would also be greatly appreciated.

Top

Camping

Camping is prohibited on both the beaches. There was info on the Web about an organized camping site nearby, named "Aegeo", which, however, I could not locate. The mystery was solved by W.J. Flinterman, from the Netherlands, who sent me the following, very interesting e-mail:

"In your story about Potistika beach, you mention camping 'Aegeo', which you couldn't find. Well, the camping doesn't exist anymore. It is now something like a small holiday park. When facing the beach, the camping was located just outside the beach on the left. The ruin of the camping canteen can still be seen on the beach. It took some time for us to find out about that.

Free camping may be forbidden on both beaches, but we stayed in our camper at Potistika for a few nights last year, and one night at Melani this year (2006). This year we arrived at Melani in the weekend just before 15th August (Ascension Day) and the beach was packed with hundreds of Greeks... free camping in tents of all possible sizes, small buses or just on the beach. It was incredible."

Top

Directions


All the maps I have seen refer to Potistika as Melani, an adjacent beach, despite the fact that they are two separate beaches and the former is much more organized. Anyway, here goes...

Firstly, you have to reach Argalasti, southern Pelion's capital village so to speak. It's located 45 km (28 miles) from Volos. You can easily get there by following the signs. In fact, the road is quite good, save for a few tight bends and some heavy traffic, which usually "subsides" once you get past Afissos.

If you're in Horto, Argalasti is the first village you drive into going uphill. It's a short drive, of approx. 6.5 km (4 miles).

Once in Argalasti, locate the main square. You can't miss it; it's near the BP gas station and there's always a lot of commotion. Next, spot the sign directing you to Kallithea and Xynovrysi. This is a much harder exercise, because it's really faded and practically illegible. So, take a left at the kiosk if you're coming from Volos or a right if you're coming from Horto. By the way, if you need any supplies, such as food, water, cigarettes, etc., get them here. It would also be a good idea to refuel if you're running low on gas or petrol or whatever...

Approximately 3.5 km (2 miles) from Argalasti, the road bifurcates. Take the left branch, towards Kallithea and Xynovrysi. You will surely notice that the road becomes much narrower and will, no doubt, feel like thanking the gods, who, in their infinite wisdom, have minimized traffic.

You're bound to drive through Kallithea without ever noticing it. It's a tiny village to say the least. Xynovrysi is about 3 km (1.8 miles) from the junction. Locate the sign that points to Potistika, if that's where you're going, and turn left.

If you want to end up in Melani, keep going forward, but make sure to take a left approximately 3 km (1.8 miles) down the road, inasmuch as the one you're on leads to a dead end.

Both Potistika and Melani are located about 4 km (2.5 miles) from Xynovrysi. The road to Potistika is paved all the way down to the beach, whereas the one to Melani is a dirt road, in moderate condition.

Drive carefully, because both the roads are narrow and steep, with a lot a very tight bends, and it's a long drop down!

The drive from Xynovrysi to both beaches used to be exquisite, but sadly the recent forest fires have destroyed much of the flora. However, you will really be rewarded once you hit the surf!

To get a better understanding of the area, check out the associated map.

Top

Acknowledgments


Many thanks to Mr. M.J. Flinterman, from the Netherlands, for providing such useful information about camping at Potistika.

Top