Rock Climbing in Greece

The most famous sport climbing area within Greece is found at the superb island of Kalymnos, closely followed by Leonidio and Manikia on the mainland.

The island of Kalymnos (near Kos) is an excellent sport climbing destination with great weather throughout the year and many superb, bolted limestone routes at every grade. Most of the rock climbing is found within walking distance of Massouri, which offers mainly 1 and 2-pitch sport routes from fine F3 slabs to overhanging and pumpy F9a routes. In total there are around 4,200 routes at all grades to climb. Find out more about climbing in Kalymnos…

Leonidio is firmly established as the best sport climbing area in mainland Greece. The crags that surround Leonidio are a mixture of red and grey limestone rock that is highly featured, offering over 3,000 routes across a wide range of grades, from F3 to F9a+. Find out more about climbing at Leonidio…

Manikia is a small village in the central region of Greece, and is located around 2 hours driving time (130km) to the north west of Athens. In the Manikia-Vrisi area there are over 600 sport routes on good quality limestone rock. Most of the routes are in the F6’s and F7’s, though there are routes from F4’s up to F9a epics. The harder routes tend to be huge 30m tufa-strewn journeys through massive overhangs, plus there are lovely grey limestone walls and slabs full of easier routes. Not all the routes are single pitch either with 26 good quality multi-pitch routes also available. Find out more about climbing at Manikia…

Athens may not be the obvious destination for a sport climbing holiday, but there are a surprising number of crags within a short distance of this city. In fact, there are 33 crags within an hour’s drive that are dotted around the hills surrounding Athens. Find out more about climbing around Athens…

Athens also has a great bouldering scene with around 800 problems spread across 25 different sectors. These hidden gems offer a variety of challenges that will appeal to climbers of all abilities, with problems ranging from Fb4 to Fb8b+. The largest bouldering area in Athens is at Mt Penteli where these rugged schist rocks offer excellent friction. Find out more about bouldering around Athens…

There is a diverse range of rock climbing to be found in Crete, from single pitch sport routes to long trad multi-pitch routes requiring natural protection such as nuts and friends. The sports climbing on Crete is concentrated around Kapetaniana to the south of the capital Iraklion. Find out more about climbing in Crete…

Karpathos is an island to the east of Crete with soaring mountain ranges and charming quiet beaches, and a growing sport climbing destination. If you like the climate and climbing on Kalymnos but dislike the crowds, then Karpathos is an excellent choice. Find out more about climbing in Karpathos…

In the northwest of Greece lies the rock climbing area at Meteora. Here there are many fantastic towers of conglomerate rock up to 300m high. There are over 900 routes many of which are bolted. Find out more about climbing at Meteora…

The Peloponnese region of Greece is an up and coming rock climbing area that has been developed in recent years around the cities of Tripoli, Nafplio, and Kalamata. In the popular holiday area of Argolis there is some excellent sport climbing to be found on solid limestone rock, with the majority of the routes being single pitch. Find out more about climbing in Peloponnese…

There are also many bouldering options in Greece with the most extensive areas being the granite bouldering fields on the islands of Tinos and Kos. Find out more about the best bouldering in Greece....

Around Patras there are several bolted limestone rock climbing areas. The majority of the routes are single pitch, though the crag at Varasova has multi-pitch routes up to 800m long. Find out more about climbing around Patras…