How to Stay #FitForLife on Your Greece Vacation

Working to stay fit feels so much easier and less painful when you’re outside in the sunshine amid blue skies, breathing in fresh air and looking out at inspiring views.

Greece delivers these three fitness motivators in spades. Plan to make the most of your vacation in the country where the ancient gods flirted with nymphs in cerulean seas, on craggy islands and across undulating mountain ranges.

Seeking out the best souvlaki is mission critical, no doubt, but make time to explore your surrounds while simultaneously achieving your daily step count.

Here are some ways to feel the endorphins flow in five popular destinations in Greece, namely Athens, Mykonos, Crete, Messinia and Santorini.

Hike Crete’s Samaria Gorge and Track Down a Super Herb

Crete, Greece’s largest island, may be home to an astonishing 400 gorges, but Samaria Gorge, situated in Samaria National Park in west Crete, is the most impressive. At nearly 10 miles long, it is one of Europe’s epic hikes.

The park is open between May and October, and it takes a decent level of fitness and about six to seven hours to make the trek from Omalos to Agia Roumeli. The landscape varies from lush pine and cypress forests to vertiginous limestone peaks.

Book a half-day tour and workshop at an herbal farm with theTravelPorter in eastern Crete’s remote Kavousi Village and learn about the time-honored use of therapeutic herbs like oregano, linden, thyme, chamomile and Crete’s super herb, dittany.

Strong-tasting dittany tea helps soothe headaches, aids digestion and provides cough relief. It’s also known as eronta, meaning “youthful love,” and foolhardy men once hung from cliff edges to gather the elusive herb.

Downward Dog It and Run up Athens’ Highest Hill

Book a yoga session at NYSY Studios, the initials of which refer to pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Thales’ phrase “a sound mind dwells in a healthy body.” The longstanding studio, founded by Vivi Letsou, is on Nikis Street, close to central Syntagma Square.

Vivi and her team lead daily yoga and Pilates sessions, beginner through advanced, and frequently host workshops with respected global yogis.

Nourish your body with lunch at Avocado, a light-filled café that serves as the city’s holy grail of gastronomy for vegetarians and vegans. Don’t miss out on their classic Gratitude organic quinoa salad and macro plate with tamari-laced tofu and seasonal greens.

Mount Lycabettus, the highest point in the city at 909 feet, beckons early risers for a cool morning run along a circular, tree-shaded path. At the top, peer out at spectacular 360-degree views of the city and you might see Aegina, one of the Saronic Islands, on a clear day.

Go Kitesurfing and Waterfall-Hopping in Messinia

In Messinia, take to the natural harbor of Navarino Bay in a sea kayak for an upper-body-strengthening trip through sea caves, alongside striking rock formations and past medieval castles. At the isolated island of Sphacteria, you’ll swim in crystalline waters and might spot migratory birds and sea turtles.

At Costa Navarino, book a stay at The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino or The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, and take a family-friendly stand-up paddleboard tour in the shallow aquamarine waters of Voidokilia, one of Greece’s most eye-wateringly beautiful beaches. There, sink your toes into sand dunes and head up to see the ruins of Paleokastro, a Frankish citadel, which offers panoramic views of Gialova Lagoon and the historic town of Pylos, among other attractions.

If waterfall-hopping is your thing, slip into your swimsuit and hiking boots and seek out the 15 tranquil, blue-green lakes of Polylimnio, which are hidden within dense forests.

Gonna Make You Sweat on Mykonos

The Cycladic wild that is Mykonos is a must-do stop on the Mediterranean party circuit, but the island is also a pretty cool place to sate your MTB fix. Book a tour with Yummy Pedals, an outfitter offering mountain bike tours of the island. Families gravitate toward the easygoing bike and picnic tour, which entails cycling to tiny, secluded Fokos Beach, where a luscious spread of local treats is served on the sand.

If you’re the “go hard or go home” type, book the 6.5-hour tour that takes you to a small secret cove for a refreshing dip, then inland to the village of Ano Mera for a visit to the Virgin Mary Tourliani monastery, and finally to quiet Lia Beach for a swim or hike up a hillside.

Windsurfers also flock to Mykonos’ Kalafatis Beach, and no one knows the waters there as well as Pezi Huber, who runs individual and group classes suitable for all levels of experience, does. He also rents out sailboards, stand-up paddleboards and kayaks.

Trek to Traditional Villages and Ride Horses on Santorini

Santorini is renowned for its magical sunsets and traditional whitewashed homes clinging to the caldera cliff-face, but there’s much more to this desirable Cycladic destination.

Lovers escape to the rolling black sand beach of Perivolos in the southeast of the island, or lesser-known, aptly-named Eros Beach in the southwest, for a languid golden hour horse ride. Santorini Horse Riding runs a variety of interesting tours.

Ground yourself and connect with the hypnotic energy of Santorini’s quietly active volcano by taking an energizing hike along the island’s network of sign-posted trails. Head to out-of-the-way villages like Pyrgos, Mesa Gonia, Emporio and Finikia, each of which is curiously different.

Your best option is to recruit a local guide who can enhance the mind-blowing views of the navy-blue Aegean Sea with the sort of historical and cultural backstory that you won’t find in any guidebook.