Set a course for Argalasti, which will be the center of your explorations.

Wherever you see underlined text, it is a link to the respective Google Maps location.
I've also added intonations to the location titles, to help you pronounce them better (this tends to make communication easier when you talk with locals).

Neochóri

Before you reach Argalasti you will pass through Neochori. This is a relatively small village, very beautiful and with a couple of nice taverns and cafes at its center (if you're a meat eater be sure to visit Yiannis o Germanos). The village square is not directly visible and you will have to look out for road signs (in about the center of the village) telling you its location.

Neochori is one of the few spots in Pelion famous for the local stone trade, so you will come across a few shops selling that stone and little decorative items made from it.

Argalastí

The head-village of the Municipality of Southern Pelion, with all the administrative services of the area. This is a rather large village with life throughout the year, lots of shops and services, a health centre and a very beautiful village square. A couple of the restaurants in this village are on my food guide.

Sykí

A few kilometres before Argalasti you'll find a turn leading into Syki, which is a small picturesque village not touched by tourism. Syki is also one of the 3 main sources of the local Pelion stones, so you'll see lots of stone shops scattered along the way.

It's worth visiting the very beautiful and serene village square and to roam around the cobbled streets of the village.

Through Syki you can also reach three very beautiful beaches that haven't been affected by tourism: Pandazi Ammos, Potoki and Kommos (read below).

Xinóvrysi

A small very well-known village, to Greeks at least. The village itself isn't much to behold, but its three very beautiful beaches attract lots of tourism every year. Not the annoying or Mykonos kind of level of tourism, but rather a more selective kind of tourism.

Láfkos - Promýri - Mortiá - Katigiórgis - Kastrí - Plataniás

A series of small villages which is worth making a mini excursion through. With the exception of Platanias and Katigiorgis, all the other places are not exactly touristic and you'll get a chance to see how life is in the more secluded villages of Pelion.

Katigiorgis and Platanias gather some tourism in the summer, especially Platanias, and they feature some very nice restaurants if you want to make a food stop.

You'll also find loads of small and larger beaches, some of whch will be a bit of an adventure to reach. Please read below.

Beaches

Kalamos - Marmaro - Paou

You're in Argalasti and you start driving south, e.g. towards Horto. Just as the village ends, you'll see an exit towards Kalamos and Paou. These are two small seaside settlements, mainly inhabited during summer. These beaches are my top picks if I want to swim on the gulf side, especially on days where Afyssos, Bufa and Kala Nera are swarming with people.

During winter things are VERY quiet here, but you'll be rewarded with a nice long walk in a very picturesque seafront setting.

Pandazí Ámmos

A beach with pebbles, big and comfy, easy to access but you need to be a little careful with your car in the last few hundred meters.

Potóki

An accessible beach with fine pebbles and sand, relatively quiet and without any shops.

Kommós

One of the quietest beaches and most difficult to access by car. Very clean waters, small pebbles and very little contact with "civilisation". There's lots of fairly deep ruts along the gravel road, so sedans are out of the question and soft-roaders will get a run for their money. With a decent SUV or pickup truck you'll breeze through there, however.

Potistiká - Melaní - Páltsi

The three beaches of Xinovrysi. Organised, spacious, with fine pebble and sand and very accessible, they attract lots of tourism each summer and are very popular among the people who visit Pelion. The Daniel storm had its ways with them, quite a bit, but they still retain their beauty and accessibility.

Mourtiás

Mourtias in 2005 was classed as 7th in the world among the beaches of "immense natural beauty". It is a relatively quiet beach with pebbles and stones in the sea. A rock formation inside the sea forms a natural pool where it's safer for kids to swim in and overall does a very good job protecting the swimmers from the rougher waves. It's also a snorkeler's paradise, with a very intricate rocky seabed. Waters are crystal clear and access is easy, although you might have to compete a bit about parking space. There's also some cafés and restaurants open in the area during the summer season.

Lyri - Theotókos

Lyri has fine pebbles, very clear waters and very little tourism. Daniel has left its touch on the beach, so things need to get a little sorted out, but it still remains a very beautiful beach. There's no shops in the area, so do take care to bring your supplies along.

Theotokos is another largely pristine beach with very little tourism. Quiet, crystal-clear waters, pebbles, no shops.

Vlahórema

This is one sandy gem hidden inside the forest, engulfed in high rocks and trees. It is accessible through a footpath, along which you will enjoy some very beautiful scenery, but it has some points that are a little difficult to access, especially towards the end (but nothing to worry about). There's obviously no kind of organisation on the beach, so do make sure you bring your supplies and that you leave nothing behind when you leave.

Vromonéri

A small very beautiful beach, crystal clear waters and highly organised (or commercialised, depending on how you look at it). There's a beach bar, a hotel, sunbeds etc. The road trip towards the beach is also going to leave you with lots of nice pictures.

Plataniás - Mikró - Kryfolimniónas

Platanias during the summer attracts quite a bit of tourism, without being a hotspot (like, say, Mylopotamos). The beaches are organised, clean, with all the comforts you'd expect, lots of cafés, shops and restaurants at your feet and ample parking space. On the beach you'll find both pebble and thick sand, wide spaces to lay on and sunbeds for rent.

Mikro beach is right next to Platanias and is one more wide and comfy, sandy beach (thick sand and fine pebbles) with enough amenities close by. You'll need to bring your own umbrellas, but as far as coffee and food is concerned you're all sorted. A plus for this beah is that it is quite safe from the Aegean winds, so you can swim freely there if you're absolutely looking for beaches outside the gulf and the winds are strong.

Kryfolimnionas ("Panagiotis" for the locals) is a beach with problems. Trespassing problems. It's a small beautiful beach, but the people who bought the houses above it (French and Italians afaik) like to think the beach is their own property and they're trying to restrict access to everybody else, with lots of signage and attitude. So we politely try to remind them that they don't own this county. Yet. To reach the beach you'll need to have a decent 4X4.