A weekend in Palaios Agios Athanasios
Friday to Sunday: how to fit the snow, the village and the hot springs into three days.
Three days are enough to see the best of Voras without rushing. A plan that works:
Friday: arrive. Drive up in daylight so you reach Forest House or Nest Suite between 15:00 and 18:00 (driving in snow). Check-in is with a lockbox. Light the fire and walk down to the village for dinner.
Saturday: snow. Morning at the Kaimaktsalan ski centre, 17 km further up, the highest in Greece. The runs are wide and gentle, and there is a ski school for beginners. If you do not ski, the drive itself and the view from the lodge at 2,069 metres are worth the trip. In the afternoon, a walk around the village's flagstone lanes.
Sunday: hot springs or waterfalls. Check-out is 11:00 to 12:00. On the way home, choose: the Pozar baths, 44 km away, with water at 37 degrees all year, or the Edessa waterfalls, 33 km away, where the Karanos drops 70 metres. With time to spare, you can fit in both.
In summer. The same plan works with Lake Vegoritida, 24 km away, or the Panagitsa reservoir, just 9 km, in place of the skiing. At 1,100 metres the village stays cool.
Distances and times from the ski centre's details (meteo.gr) and the Pozar baths (loutrapozar.com.gr).