Hotel Tips

To ensure the best stay, always ask for a room with a valley view at Parnassia Hotel. These are actually the rooms at the back of the hotel, away from the main street. They offer amazing unobstructed views of the gorge and over Itea’s olive groves far away, and they are much quieter. If you get a room facing the street, you will have a nice view of village life but you will also hear every car and passerby.

Plan your skiing schedule wisely. The road from Arachova to the Ski Center gets jammed with traffic on Saturday and Sunday mornings. If you want to ski, better leave the hotel by 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning before all this crowd arrives. The hotel staff can arrange for your ski equipment rental from partner shops in town, often at a lower rate,

Embrace the restaurant scene. Do not have dinner at the hotel (if they even serve it); go out. The town is famous for its grilled meats (paidakia) and local pies. Buy some Formaela cheese to take home- a semi-hard cheese that is delicious when fried (saganaki)-available in shops right next to the hotel entrance. Also, pack warm clothing. Even if it is sunny, the wind chill in Arachova can be biting, and the stone buildings, while charming, can feel cool if you are not dressed for the altitude.