€5.5 million later, the country begins to map its own feet
The Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy has signed a new round of programmatic agreements to create, upgrade, and promote walking and hiking trail networks across selected regions of the country.
It is part of the long-promised — and long-delayed — effort to establish a National Network of Hiking Trails, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility and presented as a step toward sustainable tourism and local development.
On paper, everything is in order.
In practice, Greece is still learning how to turn paths into policy.
At a glance
- €5.5 million allocated for hiking and walking routes
- Projects funded by the Recovery and Resilience Fund
- Multiple municipalities and institutions are involved
- Focus on safety, signage, and trail accessibility.
- Framed as sustainable tourism development
Who signed
The Ministry’s agreements were signed with an eclectic mix of local authorities and institutions, including:
- Vatopedi Monastery
- Municipalities of Pyli, North Tzoumerka, Dodoni, Corinth, Thermi, Dio–Olympus, Orestiada, Edessa, Amfikleia–Elateia, Nestus, Tempi, Mantoudi, and Domokos
More areas, the Ministry says, will be added “soon” — a word doing a lot of work in Greek public administration.
What the money is supposed to do
According to the official description, the projects include:
- Improving trail walkability and safety
- Installing signage and visitor information
- Minor technical works and protective interventions
- Highlighting natural and cultural heritage
The stated objectives are familiar:
- Sustainable local development
- Protection of the natural environment
- Promotion of “soft” forms of tourism
- Improved accessibility to areas of natural interest
None of this is controversial.
None of it is new.
The real question: trails or gestures?
€5.5 million spread across more than a dozen regions does not create a national hiking network. It creates islands of intervention — unevenly maintained, differently signposted, and often disconnected from each other.
Greece already has:
- Thousands of kilometres of historic paths
- World-class landscapes
- Global hiking appeal
What it lacks is consistency:
- Unified standards
- Long-term maintenance funding
- Clear responsibility once the ribbon-cutting is over
Without those, trail projects risk becoming what Greece does best:
announcements with beautiful intentions and short operational lives.
Tourism impact, cautiously optimistic
Done properly, hiking networks can:
- Extend the tourism season
- Support rural economies
- Relieve pressure from overcrowded hotspots
- Attract high-value, low-impact visitors
Done halfway, they produce:
- Faded signs
- Broken steps
- Liability issues
- And disappointed walkers who do not come back
The difference is not the funding source.
It is governance.
This initiative sits comfortably within a recognizable national rhythm:
- European money arrives
- Agreements are signed
- Projects are announced
What remains to be seen — again — is whether these trails will still be walkable, signed, and safe five years from now, when the Recovery Fund headlines have moved on.
Because hiking paths, unlike press releases, require boring things: inspections, repairs, budgets, and accountability.
