HDE-802-MOUNTAIN SECRETS_TSAGARADA_EN

Half-Day Escapes

TRANSPORT: MINI BUS/BUS AREA : TSAGKARADA DEPARTURE TIME : Early in the evening or upon request RETURN TIME: 22:00 or upon request MINIMUM PARTICIPATION : 6-10 PERSONS CODE: HDE 802

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Price per person: From 35,00â‚Ź - 45,00â‚Ź per person (depended from participation) Price includes: Transfers by mini bus/bus Get to know TSAGKARADA in a different way!

English speaking escort (or other language if necessary) Meal in a local restaurant.

This is approximately a half-day visit to the heart of Tsagkarada. There will be about two and a half hours of walking on Travel insurance the cobbled mule-tracks and hidden paths between points of All taxes interest with short stops in between. The walking is not difficult What you should have with you: trekking shoes, hat,pair of but the tracks can be very uneven, so appropriate footwear must be worn and you should carry a bottle of water with you. trousers,sun cream and sun glasses, water.

Tsagkarada covers a large area with its high spots mostly hidden from view because of its lush vegetation. The foliage of Changes may occur in the above program upon agreement the chestnut, walnut, apple, pear and cherry trees provide a with the team leader. refreshing shade for our walk.

Tsagkarada consists of four settlements that take their names after the church situated in the square of each settlement. We will be visiting three of them: Agia Paraskevi with its 1,000-year-old plane tree; Taxiarchis with its marble fountain and an 1000-years-old plane tree dominating the flag-stoned square; Agia Kyriaki, the lost and derelict square in the lower village. We will walk between the three squares and will make a stop at the unusual Serpentine Garden. This is a semi-wild garden where one can practically see all the plants growing in Pelion plus other unusual species. We will have time for refreshments. The departure time of our trip may vary between seasons.

Tsagarada is the most populous village and capital of the Municipality Department of Mouresi. It is easier approached through the southeastern route from Volos via the villages Milies and Xourihti. It is a large, sprawling village built on the slopes of three long ridges that are covered by a dense forest of chestnut and plane trees, interspersed with orchards of many fruit trees and floral gardens, which explains why it is also lovingly called “The Green Sea” by its many fans. From its altitude it commands panoramic views over the Aegean Sea and the surrounding landscapes of unexampled natural beauty. It is also endowed with two beaches of unparalleled charm, a maze of cobbled alleys and mule-tracks waiting to be discovered and explored, and with many traditional stone houses and old mansions that betoken its long history and tradition.

Tsagarada consists of four smaller communities that take their names from the church found at the main square of each community: Agii Taxiarxes [The Great Archangels], Agia Paraskevi [Saint Friday’s], Agios Stefanos [Saint Stephen’s], which are situated

along the asphalted main road, and Agia Kiryaki [Saint Sunday’s], which is located down the slope toward Damouhari.

Tsagarada is Pelion’s best known village to both Greek and foreign tourists. It is a preferred holiday destination throughout the year not only because of its natural beauty but also thanks to the fact that it provides the visitor with high quality traditional lodgings, selected restaurants and tavernas, pubs, gift shops, art galleries, festivals and cultural events in summer, excellent services, local colour and the unique Peliot atmosphere.

The visitor must not fail to visit the four community squares where he will find the old churches under the protective shade of most impressive plane trees. At Agia Paraskevi for example he will have the opportunity to admire one of the Tsagarada landmarks, namely, the majestic 1000-year-old plane tree with a circumference of 14 meters, and at Agii Taxiarhes another one, 800 years old with a circumference of 17.5 meters. Both trees grow on a natural spring, and under them there is an old marble fountain with cold water of excellent flavour and quality.

INFORMATION-BOOKINGS VOLOS,19,Koumoundourou str ΤEL:24210 32171

A walk along the labyrinthine stone-paved mule-tacks and paths will provide the holiday -maker with healthy exercise, a sense of discovery and a chance to admire the local architecture, to enjoy the freshness of the luxuriant vegetation, to be spellbound by unique mountain-and-sea views, and be serenaded by nightingales.

The paths or roads down the slopes will eventually lead the visitor to the lovely and completely unspoilt shingly beach of Fakistra, known for its turquoise waters, or to Milopotamos Beach, Pelion’s most photographed and most frequented beach, a sand -and-pebble beach hewn in the rock. A visit there is a must, as it will be an opportunity for refreshment in the clean waters of the sea and relaxation in stunning natural surroundings, indeed an unforgettable experience that can be enhanced by feasting on seafood and other local delicacies served in the nearby tavernas.

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