Ano Chora: Hiking Trails, Forests, and Village Culture

Ano Chora lies at an altitude of 1,050 metres on the northern slopes of Mount Sirta and was formerly known as Megali Lompotina. Fir and chestnut trees are especially widespread in the forests. The village also features an old market quarter, the Church of Agia Paraskevi, and marked hiking trails. This gives you different options when planning your visit: nature, architecture, village life, or a visit in October.

Forests and trails around Ano Chora

The fir and chestnut forests give the landscape a distinctly natural character. The named routes also provide specific destinations and walking times to compare when planning a hike. The Heracles Trail runs from Ano Chora to Ampelakiotissa and is listed as taking three hours. The Diianira Trail to Podos is also listed as taking three hours.

The Oinea Trail to Kato Chora has a different duration: it is listed as taking one hour and 45 minutes. The Atalantis Trail leads to Kryoneria and is listed as taking four hours and 15 minutes. This means you can compare two trails with the same duration but different destinations with one shorter and one longer route. If you plan your days around walking times, you can first weigh up these differences and the respective endpoints.

The Church of Agia Paraskevi and its architecture

The Church of Agia Paraskevi was built from dressed black stone. It has a cruciform floor plan and two integrated bell towers. The floor plan describes the shape of the church, while the bell towers are another striking architectural feature. The materials, design, and towers offer specific points of interest for anyone wanting to learn more about the church’s architecture.

Besides the church, the municipality preserves and displays a vehicle in a room specifically designated for this purpose. Before your trip, check whether the vehicle will be on display during your visit.

The market quarter and the autumn festival

In the old market quarter, you will find narrow cobbled lanes and traditional coffee houses. These features give the village a different character from the forest landscape and hiking trails: here, the focus is on the quarter’s historic layout and its everyday gathering places. If you want to set aside time for the village itself as well as for a hike, the market quarter is a distinct point of interest during your stay.

Another reason to consider when to travel is the Chestnut and Tsipouro Festival in Ano Chora, held in mid-October. Local pies and boiled goat meat are served there. If you are planning your trip around the festival, check the exact dates in advance. That way, you can time your holiday apartment stay around an actual highlight of your trip, rather than factoring the festival into your plans only as a general feature of the village.

Plan your stay to suit you

When choosing a holiday apartment, you can start by considering what you want to shape your stay: the stated walking times and destinations of the hiking trails, the architecture of Agia Paraskevi, the market quarter, or the October festival. Each of these priorities raises different planning questions—for example, how much time to allow for a route, or whether your trip should coincide with the festival dates.

Discover more destinations: Krioneri, Katouna, Pálairos, Nafpaktos, Pyllini, Amfilochia, Pogonia, Vonitsa-Anaktorio

Return to the regional travel overview: Aetolia-Acarnania.