I have lots in four continents, and I find that the Menalon trail was well designed, with changing landscape, connection to culture and people, and ease of navigation/logistic. If you... read more have the time to do the whole thing I highly recommend doing the whole thing but if you just do a part then the Stemnitsana-Dimitsana section was really nice for the monasteries.

I did it in 5 days in July. The heat was bearable since I left early morning, stopped mid-day, and walked again from 2-3 pm until the next village.

I did (1) Stemnitsa-Dimitsana, (2) Dimitsana- Zygovisti -Elati, (3) Elati - Vytina - Nymphasia ; (4) Nymphasia - Magouliana - Valtesiniko; (5) Valtesiniko - Lagkadia.

Day 1: Stemnista is a cute village, Dimitsana has everything you need. In Stemnista I asked the B&B owner and he helped me arrange transfer of my stuff to Lagkadia. Lots of culture in the trail with several monasteries. Really interesting! A monk explained the history of the monastery to me (in perfect French). I had snacks for that day

Day 2: Long day, I ran out of water. I usually carry 2 liters and refill during the day but on that day 3 liters would have been necessary since some water streams/sources are dry in July. I did not stop in Vytina. In Elati there is no guesthouse, so I rented an apartment from a local person. I got the contact by emailing the Menalon trail people. Elati has one taverna - shout out to John the 13 years old son of the owner for speaking good English! Great, hard hiking day, beer tasted great!

Day 3: Nice walk in the valley. In Nymphasia I stayed at the Nymphasia Resort Hotel, 20 minutes from the village. I stayed 2 nights, did not do much, ate a burger, went to the swimming pool, and had a massage because I'm worth it haha! The staff is great and will work hard to make you happy (including yogurt for supper brought to your room). Shout out to the receptionist guy who seems to work every day from 7 am until midnight, and still found the energy to worry that I was "relaxed ok"!

Day 4: Great hike in forest and open scrub. Stopped at the ermitage and was able to toll the bell several times as I was the only one. Neat experience! Had lunch in Magouliana before the main square. The taverna was busy and people all said hi and smiling. Nice, welcoming experience! That day was particularly hot as the afternoon walk is in open land (not forest) so take you time. Valtesiniko is my favorite village: small, authentic, beautiful, clean, well organized. The priest kind of walks around the village entering cafés and tavernas saying hi! Moussaka was great! From the top of the village you can see the mountains stretching and the churches down below lighted in blue and white. Shout out to the owners of Thea Valtesiniko who were super welcoming and caring.

Day 5: Wonderful walk in varied fir forest. Felt elated walking and stopping in the deep forest moss. I had snacks as this day there is no village between start and end. The weather was nice and the walk easy. Towards the end of the walk I was sad it was already over! There was a bus back to Tripoli at 8 am the day after. (Check schedule at your hotel).

  Half way walk in the lovely Lousious river and amazing hidden gems. Not too adventurous if you are in reasonable physical shape. Try to depart early before the heat and... read more the crowds.

  Easy access...landed Athens.. train direct to Korinthos.. great value car hire with Vasilopoulos car hire including pick up and drop from station.. 90 min easy drive to Stemnitsa for... read more overnight guest house then walk in 5 stages ..not 8. Trail times are very ambitious especially with backpack and gradients. Mountain and forest areas are stunning with numerous historic sites reroute. Villages are very hospitable with Stemnitsa ( Gartagani Guesthouse) and Nimfasia (Acropolis Guesthouse) our most memorable. We arranged a lift back to our car with guest house host in Valtesinisko (V/studios) at our arrival in Lagkadia which is a very charming village ( taxis are expensive and few).
Drive on to Vouraikos Gorge track train walk...another must.
An easy very rewarding waking week all round.
Great buys in jewellery ( Stemnitsa) and honey (Lagkadia)

  We have just finished the full 8 sections of the trail. Like many of the reviewers we enjoyed the fir forests, the rock perched monasteries, the picturesque villages and the... read more hospitality of the villagers.
The late season had its effect so some villages were practically vacant. This includes Zygovitsi, Elati, and Magouliana, with Nymphasia just a bit more lively. So when preparing accommodation better check availability beforehand. Luckily you can always call for a taxi from a neighboring village. People are very friendly - one time we were offered a ride to the guesthouse in the larger village, and in another the guesthouse owner took us to the next village to continue the trail.
Autumn proved to be very welcome for hiking. Except for few raindrops in the first two days the weather was shiny, with few clouds, and with just the right temperature, around 20c. The autumn also offers the special golden colors of the poplars and plane trees in the river beds.
Other memorable pictures are the great plane tree in the village square of Magouliana, and the clear quiet stream with moss-covered stones in the narrow shady creek before Elati.
Transportation from Athens should not be a problem. For access to and from the area we used KTEL Arcadia bus service. They have a quite regular line between Athens and Tripoli, few times a day from Tripoli to Stemnitsa and twice a day from Lagkadia back to Tripoli.