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).
Lefokastro
A small picturesque village with a few taverns and some beaches which I regard as the best in the area.
For me the Agía Thymiá beach is my favourite in the area, as it doesn't gather much traffic, the waters are very clean and access is very easy (so night swimming is ON! 😉 ). There's no shops in the area, so get your supplies before you head there.
A little gem in the area, that is only during the summer season, is the Sunset Cafe Snack Bar, which is hidden at the edge of the village and it's one of those places that are hard to discover unless someone tells you about it. It offers all the usual stuff a café-bar offers, plus some very tasty dishes and pizza.
Ever since the "upper" road was built, you can reach Lefokastro from Abovós (the beach) much more easily. This road, however, was not properly maintained after the Daniel storm, so if your car is very low you might want to take the longer route. Normal cars and SUVs, however, will have no problem navigating it with a bit of caution.
Áfissos - Kalliftéri - Costa Cali
Áfissos is a picturesque seaside village that attracts lots of tourism in the summer months and has the analogous levels of service and traffic. There's loads of nice cafés and tavern right on the beach and this is quite an accessible destination (even by bus).
During the summer months Áfissos gets majorly congested. Especially on weekends the whole of Vólos "moves" here during the day to swim. Between these three spots, Kalliftéri is a little more relaxed but if you want even fewer people around you, I see you heading for the beaches between Áfissos and Lefókastro. That, or towards Parádisos or Búfa. Pretty much anywhere but Áfissos itself.
During summer weekends, because of the high traffic towards Áfissos in the morning and towards Vólos in the afternoon, I would highly recommend to NOT fall into this stream of cars. Especially near Volos traffic gets stuck and you might have to wait an hour or two before reaching your destination (especially if you're heading into Vólos after 6-7pm). The worst part of the congestion is always between Agriá and Vólos.
Korópi (Búfa) - Parádisos
Korópi is the official name but all the locals call it Búfa.
During the summer months the beach gets relatively busy and the two beach bars offer good services at decent prices.
Between Búfa and Áfissos you will find Parádisos, which is a relatively unknown spot, which is very good if you want to avoid the hordes of people visiting Áfissos. This is because to reach this beach you do need a means of transportation.
Kalá Nerá
In the summer this village is teeming with life and tourism, with loads of café-bars, restaurants, mini markers, loads of small shops, the works. There are 3 public parking spaces a couple of streets behind the seafront, in case you're having trouble finding a parking spot at the seafront.
During the winter things are much quieter, but the beach is still a perfect spot to have a long walk from one end of the village to the other, as the village is perfectly flat.
Káto Gatzéa, Áno Gatzéa, Agía Triáda
Káto Gatzéa is a small very picturesque village which is worth a visit irrespective of the time of the year. You can enjoy a long walk on a very cozy and beautiful seafront, take your coffee along and enjoy some very fine food at the local restaurants.
Áno Gatzéa and Agía Triáda are smaller villages with few inhabitants and the one place that attracts traffic is the Monastery of Agía Triáda (Holy Trinity), which is worth a visit if you're into that. This is one very relaxing place, and the monks are very welcoming. Visiting hours are Wednesdays and Saturdays, 08:00am to 13:00pm and 17:00pm to 20:00pm (tel: 2423022504).
Áno Lehónia and Káto Lehónia
In Áno Lehónia you can make a stop at the rail station, which is one of Pelion's feature locations. Especially all the kids will enjoy playing around the wagons, which are closed when not in use, and in the general area.
During summer, Lehónia is the quick and accessible location to have a swim in clean waters. Platanidia and Karnagio are two very clean beaches (even after the Daniel storm) and you'll find ample service with cafés and restaurants.
Ágios Lavréndios
A small picturesque village with the famous church of Agios Apostolos o Neos, which my father painted all the iconography inside. At the village square you can have a coffee at the very cozy and well-decorated "Irthame kai desame" cafe. The village is overall very accessible and a walk on its cobbled streets is highly recommended, as well as walking up to the slightly remote Hatzini square.
From Agios Lavrendios there is a gravel road that leads to the snow resort in Hánia.
Agriá
We left Agriá for the end. During the summer and in the warmer winter days the seaside road gets closed off and the whole seafront becomes one big walkway. This is also very often the reason for the long traffic jams we get on weekends on the summer months.
In any case you'll find lots of cafés, bars, restaurants, shops, super markets etc etc and lots of small activities to end your day nicely.