Day 2 Cycling Milos Camping in Evia to Aliartos (Greece)

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On the 5th June 2025, I cycled from Milos Camping in Evia to Aliartos in Greece on day 2 of my Cycling Everywhere bike tour across Europe.

Cyclist taking a selfie under shady trees at a campsite with a loaded yellow touring bicycle in the background

Morning at Milos Camping in Evia before setting off — already realising that shade is going to be essential in the Greek summer heat.

🚴 87.9 km (54.6 mi)
⏱️ 8h 46m (moving: 5h 26m)
⬆️ 538m (1765ft)
⬇️ 449m (1472ft)

Rough summary: After spending the night in Evia island, I cycled along the coast, and took the small bridge back to mainland Greece, and then on to Aliartos. Although I had a shorter day planned for day 2, I somehow ignored my notes and hit out for a longer one. Shouldn’t have done that really!

The Route from Milos Camping in Evia to Aliartos

Download the GPX file for this route from Komoot

Leaving Milos Camping in Evia by bicycle

A good night’s sleep, and although I didn’t leaver super-early 08.30 was respectable enough given I still have to get used to setting up and taking down camp.

The first part of the day, was to cycle northwards along the Evia coastline to Chalkida, where I would then cross over the small bridge connecting this part of Evia to mainland Greece.

A curious thing about the bridge here – Depending on the tide, the water will flow in either direction underneath it!

Everything went fine, and after nearly 38kms I stopped for a Greek salad lunch at a little taverna on the coast, as after here, I was due to head inland.

 

A small Greek taverna and mini mart with a delivery truck parked outside and mountains in the background

A roadside taverna and mini mart near Anthedon — these small stops were lifesavers for water and snacks along the way.

A loaded yellow touring bicycle with panniers parked along a waterfront promenade with blue water and a hillside town in the background

A welcome break at the Chalkida waterfront, looking across the Euripus Strait. A good spot to rest before pushing on to Aliartos.

Second part of the day

After leaving the taverna, things started to go a little sideways for me. Curiously, when planning this route I had even made a little note to myself, which said – “Dave, stick to the plan, keep it a short day, don’t get tempted to push it”.

Do you think I followed my own advice? Of course, I did not!

So, instead of taking my time and finding somewhere to wild camp near the lakes, I decided to push on…. and on.

I was downing lots of water, but the distance, hills, and general lack of bicycle touring fitness wore me down in the end. As I knew they might when I wrote the note to myself!

Dripping in sweat, I kept riding and riding until I came to the town of Aliartos, and decided to throw in the towel and stay in a hotel. A vastly over-priced hotel at 50 Euros for the night!

Still, in a way I deserved to get my wallet punished for being stupid, and at least I could sit in the shade and recover from the ride in relative peace.

By the way, there was another bicycle in the hotel where I kept mine from another bikepacker, but I never saw them, and they had left in the morning before I did.

Also read:

Dave Briggs cycling from Athens to Nordkapp to Lisbon– Dave Briggs
Dave is a cycle tourist and travel writer from the UK who has been living in Athens, Greece since 2015. Dave spent 231 days cycling from Athens to Nordkapp (the northernmost point of mainland Europe) before turning south through Scandinavia, Germany, France, and Spain, ending in Lisbon. Follow Dave on social media for more cycling adventures and travel inspiration:

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