Katerini is the capital of Pieria, the region of Macedonia squeezed between the Thermaic Gulf and the Mount Olympus massif. With about 59,000 inhabitants it is a modern commercial city, built largely in the 20th century with the arrival of refugees from Asia Minor, without great monuments of its own but in an extraordinary position: within a few kilometres you pass from sandy beaches to the trails of the mountain of the gods, by way of one of Greece's most evocative archaeological sites, Dion. That makes it the ideal base for combining sea, mountains and history.
History
In antiquity Pieria was the land of the Muses, daughters of Zeus, and the religious heart of the kingdom of Macedon. On the plain the Battle of Pydna was fought in 168 BC, in which the Romans under Lucius Aemilius Paullus defeated King Perseus, ending the Macedonian kingdom. Katerini began in the Ottoman period as a small farming centre; it became Greek in 1912 and grew rapidly after 1922 with Greek refugees from Turkey, who founded whole districts and gave the city its character. Today it is an agricultural, commercial and tourist centre, visited in summer by many tourists from the Balkans.
The city
Katerini's centre clusters around the main square and a network of pedestrian streets with shops, cafés and pastry shops, very lively in the evening. The Orthodox cathedral, parks and weekly market complete the picture of a typical Greek provincial town, lively and welcoming, with prices lower than in tourist resorts. The city also has a few small museums and cultural spaces, and in summer concerts and festivals in its squares.
Dion, the sacred city
15 km from the city, at the foot of Olympus, lies Dion, the sacred city of the Macedonians, dedicated to Olympian Zeus. Here the Macedonian kings held festivals and games in honour of the gods, and Alexander the Great offered a great sacrifice before setting off to conquer Asia. The archaeological park is one of Greece's loveliest, set amid greenery, woods, springs and channels: you can see the sanctuary of Isis with its statues reflected in the water, the sanctuary of Demeter, the Roman baths with mosaics, the walls, the theatre and a great paved road. The museum displays statues, mosaics and a rare water organ from the 1st century BC. In summer the Olympus Festival stages performances in the ancient theatre. See Alexander the Great and Zeus.
Mount Olympus
Olympus is Greece's highest mountain and the home of the gods of mythology. The highest peak, Mytikas, reaches 2,918 metres; the massif is a national park, the first established in Greece, in 1938, and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, with beech, fir and black pine forests, rare flowers and chamois. The gateway is the village of Litochoro, about 20 km from Katerini, from which trails start and the road runs to Prionia, start of the classic path to the Spilios Agapitos refuge and the summit. Climbing Mytikas takes two days and mountain experience, but there are many easier hikes, such as the splendid Enipeas gorge, with waterfalls and pools between Litochoro and Prionia. See the gods of Olympus.
The beaches
The Pieria coast has long sandy beaches with shallow water, very busy in summer. Paralia Katerinis, 7 km from the city, is the largest and liveliest resort, with hotels, restaurants and bars, loved by tourists from Serbia and other Balkan countries. Further north are Olympiaki Akti and Korinos, further south Leptokarya and Platamonas, where the sea meets the slopes of Olympus.
Platamonas castle
On a hill above the sea, at the exit of the Vale of Tempe, stands Platamonas castle, built by crusaders in the 13th century and later Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman. Its massive walls dominate the coast and the railway; in summer it hosts a theatre and music festival. From the top you see Olympus on one side and the sea on the other.
Food and produce
Pieria is a farming and seafaring land at once. In the tavernas of Katerini and the coast you eat fish and seafood from the Thermaic Gulf, mussels farmed in nearby waters, grilled meat from Olympus pastures, cheeses, pies and garden vegetables. The area grows kiwis, peaches, cherries and tobacco, and good wine is made in the hills. In mountain villages such as Elatochori and Vrontou you can taste game, mushrooms and chestnuts. In the evening, on the central squares, mezedopolia serve sharing plates with ouzo and tsipouro, and the city's pastry shops offer sweets from the traditions of Asia Minor refugees.
When to go
Summer is beach season: from June to August Pieria's beaches are crowded and the evenings lively. For Olympus and Dion the best periods are late spring and early autumn, when the trails are open, the heat moderate and the woods green or turning. In winter you can ski on the Pierian mountains at Elatochori, and the summit of Olympus is covered in snow, a spectacle visible from the city.
Getting there
| Transport | Details |
|---|---|
| Train | Station on the Athens-Thessaloniki line: about 4.5 hours from Athens, one hour from Thessaloniki |
| Car | Athens-Thessaloniki motorway, about 70 km from Thessaloniki |
| Bus | KTEL to Thessaloniki, Athens, Litochoro and the beaches |
| Plane | Thessaloniki airport, about an hour away |
Around Katerini
| Destination | Distance | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dion | 15 km | The sacred city of the Macedonians, with archaeological park and museum |
| Litochoro and Enipeas gorge | 20 km | The gateway to Olympus, trails and waterfalls |
| Platamonas castle | 35 km | A crusader fortress by the sea |
| Vergina (Aigai) | 50 km | The Macedonian royal tombs, a UNESCO site |
| Vale of Tempe | 45 km | The Pineios gorge, see Larissa |
| Thessaloniki | 70 km | Greece's second city |
Where to stay and tips
- For the mountain stay in Litochoro; for the sea in Paralia Katerinis or Platamonas; for the city and transport in central Katerini.
- The Olympus season runs from June to October; in winter the summit is snowbound and for experienced mountaineers only.
- Visit Dion in the morning or late afternoon, when the light through the trees is loveliest.
See also Greek Macedonia and Greek cities.