Evrytania tours cover the most mountainous unit in Greece: Karpenisi at 960 m under the Velouchi ski centre, the cliff monastery of Proussos at the end of a tunnelled gorge road, the stone villages of Megalo Chorio, Mikro Chorio and Koryschades, the permanently wet ravine of Panta Vrexei, the rafting rivers and Lake Kremasta on the western border. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
This page covers the Evrytania tours you can arrange from Karpenisi and Lamia, what each valley holds, the monastery and the villages, the skiing, walking and rafting, and how the mountain roads and the seasons shape the route.
What do Evrytania tours cover?
Evrytania tours cover Karpenisi under the Velouchi ski centre, the monastery of Proussos in its gorge, the stone villages of Megalo and Mikro Chorio, the Karpenisiotis and Krikelopotamos rivers, Lake Kremasta and the fir forests that fill the whole unit.
Evrytania is the most mountainous regional unit in Greece and the least populated in Central Greece, with about 20,000 residents in 1,869 square kilometres. Fir forest covers most of it, no road crosses it quickly, and the towns sit in valleys between peaks of 2,000 m.
- Karpenisi – the capital at 960 m, with the square, the museums and the hotels.
- Velouchi – the ski centre on Mount Tymfristos at 1,840 to 2,040 m.
- Proussos – the cliff monastery with its 9th-century icon, in the gorge south.
- Megalo and Mikro Chorio – the stone villages in the Karpenisiotis valley.
- Panta Vrexei – the ravine on the Krikelopotamos where rain falls all year.
- Lake Kremasta – the largest artificial lake in Greece, on the western border.
Our Central Greece tours page covers the wider region. Evrytania tours work as a long weekend from Athens or Lamia, with a car, and the driving is the trip as much as the stops.
What do Evrytania tours see at Karpenisi and Velouchi?
Evrytania tours at Karpenisi see a town of 7,000 at 960 m in a bowl of mountains, its central square and folklore museum, the ski centre on Velouchi 12 km above it with runs between 1,840 and 2,040 m, and the fir forest that starts at the edge of the streets.
Karpenisi lives on winter visitors. The town rebuilt after the civil war and again after the 1966 earthquake, so its buildings are plain, but the setting is not: Tymfristos, called Velouchi locally, rises to 2,315 m directly behind it and holds snow from December to April.
The ski centre runs twelve pistes and a lodge on the northern face, with a road that climbs from the town in twenty minutes. In summer the same slopes carry walking routes to the summit and paragliding launches, and the forest roads below them are used for mountain biking.
- Karpenisi square – the centre with the cafes, the shops and the bus station.
- Velouchi ski centre – twelve runs on Tymfristos, from December to April.
- Tymfristos summit – 2,315 m, walked from the ski road in about two hours.
- Folklore museum – the costume, tools and weaving of the mountain villages.
- Agia Triada – the town church, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1966.
- Forest roads – the biking and driving routes through the fir above the town.
The town fills every winter weekend and at Christmas, when Athenians drive up for the snow. Evrytania tours base there because every road in the unit starts from it.
What do Evrytania tours see at Proussos and the valley villages?
Evrytania tours at Proussos see a monastery built against a cliff 31 km south of Karpenisi, holding an icon of the Virgin attributed to Saint Luke, with a bell tower on a rock pinnacle, and the villages of Megalo Chorio, Mikro Chorio and Koryschades in the valleys around it.
The road to Proussos is the drive of the unit: 31 km of hairpins through the Klidi gorge, cut into the cliff with tunnels and overhangs, dropping to the monastery on its ledge above the Karpenisiotis. The house was founded in the 9th century, burned repeatedly, and keeps its icon in a silver case.
The valley villages hold what visitors come to see. Megalo Chorio has stone houses, a folklore museum and the paths above it; Mikro Chorio is split into an old village destroyed by a landslide in 1963 and a new one below; and Koryschades kept the schoolhouse where the mountain government met in 1944.
- Proussos monastery – the cliff house with the icon of the Virgin Prousiotissa.
- Klidi gorge – the tunnelled road between Karpenisi and Proussos.
- Megalo Chorio – the stone village with its museum and the mountain paths.
- Mikro Chorio – the landslide village of 1963 and its replacement.
- Koryschades – the restored village with the 1944 assembly schoolhouse.
- Gavros and Voutyro – the river villages with the trout tavernas.
Koryschades held the National Council of 1944, when the resistance government met in the village school, now a museum. Evrytania tours take the villages and the monastery in one long day from Karpenisi.
Which outdoor trips run in Evrytania, and how do visitors reach it?
Evrytania tours raft and kayak the Karpenisiotis and Tavropos rivers, walk to Panta Vrexei where water falls through the ravine all year, ski at Velouchi, ride the forest roads, and reach the unit by road from Lamia in an hour and a half or from Athens in four hours.
Panta Vrexei, the name means it always rains, is a ravine on the Krikelopotamos where water drips continuously from the overhanging rock, reached by an hour’s walk from the road near Prousos. The rivers below carry rafting from March to June when the snowmelt fills them.
- Rafting – the Karpenisiotis and Tavropos in spring, with local operators.
- Panta Vrexei – the permanently wet ravine on the Krikelopotamos.
- Velouchi skiing – twelve runs from December to April.
- Lake Kremasta – the 80 square kilometre reservoir on the Acheloos.
- Mountain biking – the fir forest tracks above Karpenisi.
- Walking – the paths between Megalo Chorio, Mikro Chorio and the gorges.
There is no airport, no railway and no fast road, so every arrival is a drive: Lamia to Karpenisi takes an hour and a half, Athens about four hours, and Agrinio two and a half from the west. Evrytania tours therefore run as three-day trips rather than day trips, and the best months are May, June, September and the ski season.
What do Evrytania tours eat and drink?
Evrytania tours eat trout from the Karpenisiotis, prosciutto and smoked pork from the mountain butchers, the hand-rolled pies of the villages, chestnuts and walnuts from the autumn forest, and drink tsipouro and the mountain tea of Tymfristos.
The rivers supply the tavernas. Trout farms at Gavros and Voutyro raise fish in the running water of the Karpenisiotis, and the village kitchens serve them grilled beside pies, wild greens and the local hard cheese.
- Trout – farmed and wild in the Karpenisiotis and the Krikelopotamos.
- Prosciutto and smoked pork – cured in the mountain villages through the winter.
- Chestnuts and walnuts – gathered in the forests round Proussos in October.
- Village pies – hand-rolled cheese, greens and pumpkin pies.
- Tsipouro – distilled in the villages and drunk with the meze plates.
- Mountain tea – the sideritis gathered on the slopes of Tymfristos.
Karpenisi’s square holds most of the restaurants and the shops that sell the cured meat and the honey. Evrytania tours eat in the villages at Gavros and Megalo Chorio, where the trout comes out of the tank beside the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Evrytania?
In the mountains of Central Greece, west of Phthiotis, with Karpenisi as its capital, Tymfristos above it and Lake Kremasta on its western border.
How long do Evrytania tours take?
Three days: one for Karpenisi and Velouchi, one for Proussos and the gorge road, and one for the valley villages and the rivers.
What is Proussos?
A monastery built against a cliff 31 km south of Karpenisi, founded in the 9th century, holding an icon of the Virgin attributed to Saint Luke, with a bell tower on a rock pinnacle.
What is Panta Vrexei?
A ravine on the Krikelopotamos where water drips from the overhanging rock through the whole year, which is what the name means. It takes about an hour on foot from the road.
Can you ski in Evrytania?
Yes, at the Velouchi centre on Mount Tymfristos, 12 km above Karpenisi, with twelve runs between 1,840 and 2,040 m, open from December to April.
What is Koryschades?
A restored stone village 3 km from Karpenisi whose schoolhouse held the National Council of the resistance in 1944 and is now a museum.
How do you reach Evrytania?
Only by road: an hour and a half from Lamia, about four hours from Athens and two and a half from Agrinio. There is no airport and no railway.
When is the best time for Evrytania tours?
May, June and September for walking and rafting, October for the chestnuts and the colour, and December to April for the snow at Velouchi.