Which mountain is Greece's highest peak?

Mount Olympus is Greece’s highest peak. More precisely, Mytikas, the tallest summit of the Mount Olympus massif, rises to about 2,918 metres above sea level. The mountain stands near the Aegean Sea, on the boundary between Thessaly and Macedonia.

Olympus is not a single pointed cone but a rugged massif containing dozens of summits, deep gorges and steep alpine cliffs. Its most dramatic neighbouring summit is Stefani, traditionally associated with Zeus’s throne. The mountain’s importance began long before modern mountaineering: in Greek mythology, Olympus was the home of Zeus and the other Olympian gods.

The first recorded modern ascent of Mytikas took place on 2 August 1913, shortly after northern Greece became part of the Greek state. Swiss photographers Frédéric Boissonnas and Daniel Baud-Bovy climbed with the experienced local hunter Christos Kakkalos, who reached the summit first. A common mix-up is to name Stefani as Greece’s highest point; it is visually striking, but Mytikas is higher. Mount Olympus also became Greece’s first national park in 1938.