Alonissos Greece | tourist holiday travel guide to Alonisos

Patitiri

The island's main port at PATITIRI has a narrow beach of shingle and coarse sand with access through a line of tavernas. Taverna owners are friendly enough (they'll pitch a table on the beach below if you ask), but the constant exhortations to eat every time you go to the beach can be wearisome. Better and cheaper food can be found in tavernas tucked away at the other end of town anyway. The beach is fairly pleasant with steep, wooded hills on three sides and there is good swimming to be had in the clear, rock strewn waters.
Many guide books write off the town's drab collection of breeze block buildings, but much has been done by the locals to add charm, and the results are not so bad. Flowers and vines and a splattering of paint help brighten up the shops, cafes and tavernas and the harbour offers a fairly pleasant, if short, evening stroll.
The resort is, in truth, little more than a cement quayside with two streets running parallel inland up the steep hillside. The harbour was originally full of wine presses - hence the name Patitiri, which means wine press - and the locals lived in the hillside village above. An earthquake wrecked the hilltop homes and disease destroyed the vines. Villagers were forced out of their homes to live in hastily built concrete homes in Patitiri.
A galaxy of small hotels stand on the cliffs overlooking the bay where there are pleasant views and shaded walks. Some bars and cafes have opened along the cliffside footpath where a rustic bit of rope fencing is all there is between you and the surf below; so hang on to the kids.
Patitiri's atmosphere is quiet, soporific even, and broken only by the regular arrival of hydrofoils as they pull into the bay to disgorge the daily visitors.

Patitiri visitor reviews

Chora

CHORA otherwise known as PALIA ALONISSOS is perched on the hilltop high up above Patitiri and approached up a goat track from the port. It's a 30-40 minute walk on the track or 60 minutes along the asphalt road. A small island bus makes the run from Patitiri before heading off for Steni Vala up the coast.
This used to be the island capital until the 1965 earthquake when the villagers were weeded out by the military junta and forcibly rehoused in Patitiri below. The derelict houses were eventually snapped by foreigners and well-heeled mainlanders for holiday homes and the place is now abandoned for much of the winter.
Narrow streets and fortified stone houses, built to withstand attack from pirates, have been cemented, paved and generally prettified. The result may be picturesque but this is now only a holiday home village with no heart to it and with little life other than tourism.
At Chora's highest point is a series of small squares with cafe bars and tavernas open for the summer season. And there are breathtaking views of the island. An old windmill and some preserved threshing floors are more interesting for their views than their architecture.

Beaches around Chora

Chora sits on a hill at the southern end of the island and there are several small and steep tracks that lead down in almost every direction to small beaches and coves that lie below. The tracks are not always easy to find and the beaches not always visible until you are actually on top of them. Some of the tracks are very steep and require quite a scramble down with an even bigger scramble to get back up.

GIALIA is reached along an unmade track that branches north off the main road from Patitiri just outside Chora. The track drops sharply into the small inlet at Ormos Gialia where a prettu windmill sits on the rocks overlooking a small sand and stone bay. As it is north facing it tensd to catch rubbish blown in by the offshore winds but its a pretty enough place although there are no facilities.

VRISITSA can be seen easily from the road out of Chora and sits in the next bay south of Gialia. There is a bit of a scramble down through scrub and bush to get to the beach. A flat bed of coarse sand and shingle sits at the end of a deep and steeply sided inlet that offers some protection from the wind. It is west facing so you can enjoy good sunsets here provided you can face scrambling up the hillside in the dark afterwards. There are no facilities here.

VITHISMA has a dark sand and shingle beach that is hardly visible until you are on top of it. It can be also be reached from Patitiri on foot. From the hillside above a small car park above leads to a very steep goat track that follows the line of the cliff. The track divides about half way down but eeither one will get you to the beach. The left track requires some tricky scrambling down a very steep slope, the right track drops even more steeply but at least there are some steps so the going is easier. The difficulties in getting to and from the beach explain why most arrive by boat from Patitiri harbour. The beach boasts some windsurfing in the high season. Many consider this the best beach on the island and some say it is the only one with sand but there are other sandy beaches to be found, though not many.

MOURTIAS has a delightful small quay at the northern end of a small cove of shingle and stone. Trees on the back of the beach offer some shade and there is good swimming among the rocks each side of the bay. A trio of tavernas offer plenty of refreshment.

MARPOENDA is the most popular of the beaches around Chora thanks to easier access. The downside is a rash of brightly coloured umbrellas, noisy radios and crowds cramming the small coarse sand and shingle bay. You need to get there early if you want to bag a place and it's not a place to head for if you wish to avoid the crowds. There are flat rocks beyond that are good for sunbathing.

Rousoum Gialos

ROUSOUM YIALOS lies just north of Patitiri on the way to nearby Votsi. It is a popular little place, mainly taking overspill from nearby Patitiri, about 10 minutes away on foot. There is a steeply banked shingle and pebble beach that can get crowded in the afternoon.
Apartments and villas have been built behind the beach which is backed by a low stone wall. There are rocks at the southern end for added interest and an attractive little harbour to the north. There are a few shady tavernas sited along the back of the beach which, being south facing, can get very hot in the middle of the day.

Votsi

God's gift to travel brochure designers, the tiny beach at VOTSI has stunning visual appeal. Really, two small bays, it's the northerly one that wins the prizes with a stone and shingle beach below a towering cliff. It looks out over a bay of incredibly clear water - so singularly clear the shadows of boats can be seen on the sandy bottom far out into the bay. The walk down to the beach is along a steep rough track. The beach itself is tiny and just a few visitors are enough to make it feel quite claustrophobic. There are no facilities here.
How unfortunate that such a stunning jewel should be surrounded by the unremittingly drab sprawl of ugly suburban housing that makes up the most of the village. Those that venture along the northern headland above the beach will be rewarded with delightful views, a decent taverna and some very pleasant woodland walks - but care should be taken at the sheer cliff edges often hidden from view behind scrub and trees.

Chrisi Milia

Fine sand makes a rare appearance at CHRISI MILIA or HYSRI MILIA where pines sweep right down to the seashore around the headland north of Votsi. Travellers can struggle to find it though. Signs to the beach are misleading and arrival by road really is a hit and miss affair. The descent is down a long and winding track through pine woods which seems to be leading nowhere until you suddenly hit the shore.
Once there, a lovely beach awaits with soft sand gently sloping into a clear turquoise sea and rocky pools at the far end to explore. Facilities come in the shape of a ramshackle cantina under nearby trees but it doesn't open until June. Island holiday reps favour this spot which has the best and just about only sand on the island. The beach soon fills up though, even in the low season, and late-arriving taxi-boat passengers may have to search for a good spot to settle down.
MILIA, just opposite Chrisi Milia, has a less interesting stone and shingle beach, though it is in a beautiful location.

Kokkinokastro

The bay at KOKKINOKASTRO has an arresting red cliff promontory (which gives it its name) at the end of a white stone and pebble beach. There is a steep and difficult climb down through a narrow gully at the end of a steep goat track. Winter rains carve deep ruts into the path and even goats must tremble at the prospect of clambering down to the stony shoreline. Remarkably, a beach taverna pops up during July and August, though exactly how is a mystery.
Nearby archaeological excavations have unearthed the site of ancient Ikos with evidence of the oldest known prehistoric habitation in the Aegean, but there is little of it to see. Ugly cement blocks have been dumped at one end of the beach, their only function apparently to spoil the view.

Leptos Gialos

LEPTOS YIALOS is a couple of bays north from Kokkinokastro but rather less easy to find. Access is down a long steep track from the main road. The beach is a strip of white pebble and is in a lovely setting, just a small south facing scoop of a bay backed by pine trees that tumble right down to the sea shore offering plenty of shade.
There are a couple of tavernas here that stay open quite late for those who enjoy a late swim and like to linger in the clear turquoise waters. A few sun beds and umbrellas are scattered along the shore.

Steni Vala

The tiny fishing port of STENI VALA is little more than a quayside of tavernas, a shop and a bar - but the setting is idyllic. The approach from the south is spectacular with wide sea vistas and the nearby deserted island of Peristera hanging offshore. Taverna fare is above average here thanks to the demands of visiting yacht flotillas.
The village is the headquarters of the Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Monk Seal. If you are in luck you may see seals recuperating in the small rescue centre. There are no beaches in Steni Vala itself but small bays can be found hidden along the coast at GLYFADA, GLIFES and TZORTZI. They can be reached by track or you can hire a boat. There is a daily bus service to Patitiri in the high season.

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Agios Dimitrios

The road hugs the coast as it heads north out of Stenis Vala until it reaches the huge triangular stone beach at AGIOS DIMITRIOS which sweeps seaward and the point of a dramatic scenic headland. The coast road through the Kalamakia area is lined with rock and pebbles. There are occassional stretches of flat pebble that could be called beaches but, with no facilities, they are hardly worth stopping for. The road rises above cliffs on the approach to Agios Dimitrios and there are panoromic views over the headland below with the large islet of Peristera offshore. The road sweeps down onto the headland and then disappears into dirt tracks that are curiously criss-crossed with chain link fencing, the purpose of which is utterly baffling, but typically Greek. There are two beaches of white pebble, one north of the headland and one south. An attractive beach bar has been built, mainly out of driftwood it seems, but don't expect drinks to be served cold until July when visitor numbers make it worthwhile for the owner to fire up the generator.
There are sun beds for hire on the south side. On both beaches the drop into the sea is quite sharp so this isn't a particularly good beach for children. The stones remain underfoot well out into sea so you need some sort of footwear, which is just as well as there are plenty of sea urchins about. The north side of the beach is quieter but can suffer from deposits of tar and oil from passing ships. Road access has been much improved recently and its quiet isolation is less assured.

Offshore islets

PERISTERA, the scarcely inhabited islet, was once joined to Alonissos and is graced with some nice sandy beaches usually relatively unpopulated. The place is a popular haunt of barbecue boats in the high season and a taverna sets up on the main beach. Underwater archaeologists recently discovered an ancient wreck off the island.

KYRA PANAGIA also known as PELAGOS or PELAGONISI is hilly with two deep bays and a restored monastery to the east.

GIOURA is dramatically rocky with precipitous cliffs and is specially protected as its underwater caves are the main habitat of the Monk Seal. It also harbours a rare species of wild goat and a remarkably beautiful cave in the interior, reputed to be the original dwelling of the Cyclops.

PSATHOURIA is small and flat with the remains of an ancient city sunk beneath the waves to the east. In the north is a large lighthouse, built in the last century by the French.

PIPERI, closed to visitors as it is the most important habitat for the Monk Seal, Eleonara's Falcon and rare plants, has a precipitous rocky shoreline.

SKANTZOURA has a series of low hills on shores of white marble with an abandoned monastery at its centre.

Marine Park

The National Maritime Park of Alonissos was the first to be founded in Greece and comprises Alonissos and six smaller islands as well as uninhabited rocky outcrops. The area is an important habitat for many species of fish, birds, reptiles and mammals including the Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus Monachus) which has the unfortunate distinction of being one of the rarest animals in Europe. The Biological Station at Gerakas Bay on the northern tip of the island has been regarded as an embarrassing white elephant since the day it was completed in 1985 with a generous dollop of EC funds. The station has remained virtually unused, hosting just four official functions including its own opening ceremony. Now the much-maligned building, which looks just like a holiday villa, may act a forward base for research and there are plans for a marine park centre in Gerakas itself. It took 25 years to get the park established and, after another 20 it still had no plan, no staff, no authority and, so some claim, little hope of success.