Sunset in Nea Makri, Day 1
Leaving Aliartos
Mediterranean sea for 2 weeks in Greece
Morning market
Cycling the Eurovelo route 11
Cycling in Europe June 2026
II landed at Athens Airport, assembled my bicycle and started cycling without visiting the city. I have to say that my first week of cycling was a real surprise, as it was nothing like I had expected. There were no dedicated cycle paths, no signposts to follow, and I found myself riding on fairly busy roads. To make things even more challenging, I was often chased by stray dogs.
I also noticed a few things in Greece that suprised me, such as people smoking inside restaurants and the amount of litter (trash) along some roadsides. Overall, the first week was a bit of a wake-up call and, at times, somewhat disappointing.
Nevertheless, every evening I stayed either at a campsite or in an apartment. To my surprise (again), there were very few campsites in Greece, but I was almost always right by the Mediterranean Sea, enjoying breathtaking views of its crystal-clear turquoise waters.
It took me 2 weeks to cycle across Greece from south to north. Along the way, I took a rest day in Volos before continuing to Thessaloniki and then crossing the border into North Macedonia.
