Olympos: History, Churches and Hiking

For a travel decision based on your interests, Olympos offers specific points of reference for cultural history and hiking. Olympos is home to two old churches, the museum of folk artist Vassiliou Hadjivassilis, and ruins at the site of ancient Vrykus. At the same time, most hiking trails on Karpathos start in Olympos. When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing between these local topics and other examples from the wider destination of Karpathos. This way, you can first decide whether you mainly want to explore Olympos itself or also include topics from elsewhere on the island.

Churches, Museum and Festival in Olympos

The old churches in Olympos include Agios Onoufrios and Panagia Chrysovalantou. Olympos is also home to the museum of folk artist Vassiliou Hadjivassilis. In addition, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary is celebrated in Olympos. These cultural points of interest take different forms: two old churches, a museum, and a religious festival. If you are planning your trip around culture, you can therefore consider them as separate interests rather than looking for just one type of attraction.

Founding History and Ancient Ruins

Olympos was founded about five centuries ago after a powerful earthquake destroyed the coastal town of Vrycunda. Ruins dating to the 4th century remain at the site of ancient Vrykus. This presents two different historical perspectives: a founding story dated approximately and ancient remains attributed to the 4th century. If historical connections are important to your choice of destination, you can consider these different periods separately.

Hiking: Olympos and Karpathos

The hiking options are also clear: most hiking trails on Karpathos start in Olympos. For your planning, this is a useful indication of the village’s role as a starting point. When planning your hikes on Karpathos, bear in mind that most trails begin in Olympos.

Another hiking option on Karpathos is the Avlona–Tristomos–Vananda–Diafani route. It is considered particularly interesting and relatively difficult, includes swimming, and takes approximately 7.5 hours. This information answers different planning questions: roughly how much time to allow, how difficult the route is considered, and that swimming is part of it. The duration is explicitly approximate and provides a time frame for this route in particular.

Birdwatching on Karpathos

For nature enthusiasts, the birdwatching guide “Karpathos of birds” offers another perspective. The municipal guide includes more than 200 bird species that can be observed, an ornithological map, and 10+2 routes for nature lovers. Its topics therefore include species, map-based orientation, and routes. If birdwatching is your main interest, you can consider the guide as a specific Karpathos resource alongside the hiking trails.

Archaeological Sites on Karpathos

The archaeological sites on Karpathos can also be pinpointed. Ancient Potidaion, also known as Poseidion, was located where Pigadia is today. The preserved remains of a Hellenistic acropolis can be found on Vounos Hill above the port of Pigadia. This brings two historical points of interest near Pigadia into focus: the location of ancient Potidaion and the acropolis remains on the hill above the port.

Discover more destinations: Kyra Panagia, Lefkos, Diafani, Kipos Afiarti, Arkása, Fri, Karpathos, Tristomo.

Back to the main travel overview: Karpathos.