A Mount Olympus ATV tour climbs the forest roads of the mountain of the gods on a quad bike, from stone villages down to the beaches of the Olympian Riviera. Plan more mountain and island days with Greece Tours.

This page compares the quad, buggy and 4×4 options, then covers rental, rider rules, the best months, nearby add-ons and common questions.

What is a Mount Olympus ATV tour?

A Mount Olympus ATV tour is a guided off-road ride on quad bikes through the foothills of Greece’s highest mountain and the Pierian Mountains beside it. The bookable tour starts at Palaios Panteleimonas and lasts 6 hours, with trails, villages and views over the Thermaic Gulf.

The massif sits where Thessaly meets Macedonia, roughly 80 km from Thessaloniki to the south-west. The massif has 52 peaks and deep gorges. Mytikas, the top summit, stands at about 2,917 metres. In Greek myth, Olympus was the home of the gods, and today more hikers climb it than any other summit in Greece.

An ATV, short for all-terrain vehicle, is a four-wheeled quad bike built for dirt roads. On a Mount Olympus ATV tour, a guide leads a small group along hidden trails in the mountains. The ride passes old villages, forest and lookout points over the sea.

The guided tour and the rental sit on the eastern side of the mountain, in the regional unit of Pieria. The coast below is known as the Olympian Riviera, with its beach towns of Paralia, Leptokarya and Platamon. A Mount Olympus ATV tour links these beaches with the mountain villages above them.

Walkers who prefer the trails can read our Mount Olympus hike page, which covers the routes to the summit.

Which Mount Olympus ATV tour can you book?

GetYourGuide lists a 6-hour guided ATV tour from Palaios Panteleimonas and a 3-hour ATV rental on the Olympus Riviera. Unlimited Adrenaline sells a buggy safari at Mount Olympus, and Xtreme Greece runs a 4×4 jeep safari on the north-west side of the mountain.

The main Mount Olympus ATV tour is “Palaios Panteleimonas: ATV Adventures in Mount Olympus” on GetYourGuide. It offers guided ATV tours through Mount Olympus and the Pierian Mountains, with hidden trails, traditional villages and wide views. The tour lasts 6 hours in a small group, with pick-up available.

This listing allows free cancellation and needs only 2 hours’ notice. That suits travellers who decide on the day, once they have checked the weather. The listing is sold for adult riders.

For riders who want their own pace, GetYourGuide lists “Olympus Riviera: ATV Rental with Gear and Support”. It rents a fully equipped ATV for 3 hours, with full support from the company. The listing sits under the beach town of Paralia on the Pieria coast.

Two more options come from outdoor firms. Unlimited Adrenaline runs a buggy safari that climbs to a waterfall and ends at a beach. Xtreme Greece runs a 4×4 jeep safari on the remote north-west side of the mountain. Both are covered in detail below.

Where does the Mount Olympus ATV tour from Palaios Panteleimonas go?

The guided tour starts in Palaios Panteleimonas, a mountain village on the lower slopes of Olympus, and rides into the Pierian Mountains. The route mixes hidden trails, traditional villages and lookouts over the Thermaic Gulf.

Red-tiled stone houses of Palaios Panteleimonas among green hills

The village lies 43 km from Katerini, only 6 km uphill from the beach village of Neos Panteleimonas. The village looks out over the Thermaic Gulf. The path up to it crosses the forest of the lower Olympus, with chestnut, oak and arbutus trees on the slopes.

From the village, the Mount Olympus ATV tour heads into the hills. The GetYourGuide listing names three things to expect: hidden trails, traditional villages and wide views. The tour runs as a small group with a local guide.

The Pierian Mountains, the second range on a Mount Olympus ATV tour, rise to the west of the coast. Pieria combines wide plains, high mountains and sandy beaches. Severe winter weather is common in the Pierian Mountains and on Mount Olympus, which shapes the season for a Mount Olympus ATV tour.

The area has more to offer after the ride. The International Olympus Festival holds summer events at the nearby Castle of Platamon. Our Mount Olympus olive oil tasting page covers the olive oil and sunset trip to the same village.

What does the Mount Olympus buggy safari show?

The buggy safari starts at the Mitsiani Car Museum, visits the Monastery of Saint Efraim, climbs to the waterfall of Saint Kori at 350 metres for a swim and ends at a rocky beach in south Pieria.

Unlimited Adrenaline, a Greek booking site for outdoor activities, sells the “Buggy Safari at Mount Olympus”. The day begins at the Mitsiani Car Museum, with its collection of vintage cars. A visit to the museum is included in the price of the safari.

The buggies then head for the mountain, the same massif a Mount Olympus ATV tour explores. The first stop is the Monastery of Saint Efraim, in the foothills of Olympus. The route climbs to about 350 metres, to the waterfall of Saint Kori. Guests swim in the cold water of the small lake below the falls and take photos.

The safari then turns towards south Pieria. The last stop is a rocky beach, with a swim in clear water. Guests who want a meal can eat there before the drive back. The meeting point is the Orfeas Blue Resort hotel.

The rules are simple. Drivers need a driving licence, and the minimum age to take part is 4 years. Unlimited Adrenaline refunds in full for cancellations made 24 hours or more before the start. Later cancellations are not refunded, but the full price comes back if the operator cancels for weather.

What does the 4×4 route on the north-west side of Olympus show?

Xtreme Greece’s 4×4 safari starts in the village of Kokkinopilos at 1,100 metres and follows dirt roads through pine and fir forest to Xerolaki. There the three highest peaks of Olympus come into view, and a short hike leads to the caves of Nahum.

This trip shows a quieter side of the mountain than a Mount Olympus ATV tour on the eastern slopes. It begins with a walk through the streets of Kokkinopilos, an Aromanian village on the north-west of Olympus. From there, the high peaks seem to hang right above the houses.

The jeeps follow the dirt road towards Xerolaki. The route enters the forest of Kokkinopilos, full of streams, springs and fountains, among pines and firs. Meadows of flowers open up along the way, with views of the mountain. The group stops at the fountains of Tsoureka and Papazisis to drink the cold spring water.

The wild area of Xerolaki is the high point of the day. Here Olympus shows its three highest peaks: Mytikas at 2,918 metres, Skolio at 2,911 metres and Stefani at 2,908 metres, as Xtreme Greece lists them. The road then reaches the caves of Nahum, the natural entrance to the Megala Kazania, and the group hikes the last part on foot.

The safari runs from January to December, in Greek and English. Children from 8 years old can join with a parent. It is a jeep trip rather than a Mount Olympus ATV tour, but it covers ground that the quad tours on the eastern slopes do not reach.

Can you rent an ATV for Mount Olympus yourself?

Yes. GetYourGuide lists a 3-hour ATV rental on the Olympus Riviera, with gear and support included. Riders explore at their own pace instead of joining a guided Mount Olympus ATV tour.

The rental is listed as “Olympus Riviera: ATV Rental with Gear and Support”. It promises a premium ATV, full support and a fully equipped vehicle. The rider chooses the route and the pace within the 3 hours of the hire.

The rental runs in a small group, with free cancellation, and needs a booking at least 4 hours ahead. It is listed as a new activity on GetYourGuide. Check the driving licence rules with the company when you book.

A rental suits confident riders who know where they want to go. A guided Mount Olympus ATV tour suits first-timers and visitors who want a local to choose the trails. The guided tour also offers pick-up, while the rental lists none.

Other ATV trips around Greece show how the format works elsewhere. Our Athens ATV tour page covers the guided rides near the capital.

Who can join a Mount Olympus ATV tour?

The guided tour sells places for adults. The buggy safari takes passengers from 4 years old, and the jeep safari takes children from 8 with a parent.

The guided GetYourGuide tour lists adult places only. Drivers on the buggy safari need a driving licence, and Unlimited Adrenaline asks guests to bring it on the day. Check the licence category the company needs for its quads when you book a Mount Olympus ATV tour.

Families have options too. The buggy safari accepts guests from the age of 4, so younger children can ride as passengers. The jeep safari on the north-west side takes children from 8 years old with a parent.

Weather decides the day for all of them. Unlimited Adrenaline advises contacting the operator before any weather-dependent activity. If the operator cancels for weather or not enough bookings, it refunds the full price.

Why ride a Mount Olympus ATV tour on this mountain?

Olympus is Greece’s highest mountain, the home of the gods in myth and the country’s first national park, protected since 1938. A Mount Olympus ATV tour shows its foothills from the seat of a quad.

The mountain carries layers of protection. It is also a World Biosphere Reserve. The wider area of the mountain is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed for both its nature and its culture.

Its plant life is rich, and a Mount Olympus ATV tour passes through it. Wikipedia notes the mountain’s exceptional biodiversity and rich flora. The dry foothills, known as the Xirokampi, are covered in maquis shrubland, and forests of pine and fir grow higher up, as the north-west jeep route shows.

The shape of Olympus helps explain the views. Rain and wind carved a tower of rock almost 3,000 metres high, only 18 km from the sea at Litochoro. The mountain has a circumference of 80 km.

Litochoro is the main gateway to the summit. Litochoro sits on the eastern slopes, 22 km south of Katerini, with Thessaloniki 90 km away, and almost all climbing routes begin to its south-west. Our Litochoro tours page covers the town and its trails.

When is the best season for a Mount Olympus ATV tour?

Summer suits the swim stops on the buggy safari. Pieria has hot summers and cool winters, and severe winter weather is common on Olympus and in the Pierian Mountains, so a winter Mount Olympus ATV tour depends on the forecast.

The climate of Pieria is mainly Mediterranean, with hot summers and cool winters. Down on the coast, summer brings beach weather to Paralia, Leptokarya and Platamon. Up in the mountains, the winters turn harsh, and Wikipedia notes that severe winter weather is common there.

Summer suits the swims. The buggy safari stops at the lake below the waterfall of Saint Kori and at a rocky beach in south Pieria, and both swims are easiest in the warm months. Pack a swimsuit and a towel for a summer Mount Olympus ATV tour with water stops.

One trip runs all year. Xtreme Greece lists its north-west 4×4 safari from January to December, so winter visitors still have a way into the mountain. Check the forecast before any winter trip into the mountain.

Flexible booking helps in any season. The guided Mount Olympus ATV tour on GetYourGuide needs only 2 hours’ notice and allows free cancellation. That lets riders check the morning forecast before they commit to a day on the trails.

Whatever the month, bring your driving licence if you plan to drive, plus sun protection and water. A Mount Olympus ATV tour spends hours outdoors on open tracks above the coast.

What else can you pair with a Mount Olympus ATV tour?

Pair the ride with the archaeological park of Dion, the ancient site of Leivithra, a hike in the mountains or a beach on the Olympian Riviera. All lie in Pieria, near the ATV starting points.

Ancient Dion lies about 8 km north of Litochoro, with a large archaeological park and a museum. Leivithra, with its acropolis and park, lies about 9 km south of the town. Both make a calm half day after the dust of a Mount Olympus ATV tour.

The coast gives the obvious ending. The beaches of Pieria run from Paralia and Olympiaki Akti in the north to Leptokarya and Platamon in the south. The buggy safari already ends at a rocky beach in south Pieria for a swim.