ALONISSOS Greece is one of the less visited holiday islands of the Sporades chain that lies off mainland Greece's east coast. Unlike its noisy neighbour Skiathos, Alonissos has a tranquil, soporific atmosphere with lots of old-world Greek holiday charm.
Alonissos island may have escaped the ugly embrace of the package tour industry but there are still signs of change as more visitors discover its many attractions. Hotels and apartments have sprung up in the main port of Patitiri and newly resurfaced roads have made access to Alonissos beaches much easier than they once were.
The surrounding waters are a marine park and, Alonissos can boast some of the cleanest swimming in the Mediterranean. There are boat trips to several of the outlying islets, although visiting is restricted in order to protect endangered seal habitats.
Alonissos is a favourite both with independent travellers and with visitors here on all inclusive Greece holidays. Walkers too have plenty to crow about as Alonissos island is green, fertile and heavily wooded with some jaw-dropping scenery awating the footloose.
Good beaches are in short supply on Alonissos and most are small and steeped in stone. Few have more than the basic facilities and many can be difficult to find, thanks to some bizarre signposting.
Most of the original Alonissos island homes were buried in a 1965 earthquake and replaced with ugly breeze-block, with Patitiri and Votsi the most notable examples.
Walking trails run along the island backbone from one end to the other with terrific views along the way.
Nightlife on Alonissos is what brochures term 'low key' - which means there is litte beyond sitting in a taverna and watching the sunset. If it's tranquillity you are after and like to wander the hills or take small boats to deserted beaches then Alonissos is a holiday island for you.
Alonissos is not noted for its sandy beaches. It is rightly famous for its clean water and green landscape with most Alonissos beaches enclosed by pine trees and set in beautiful locations. But the beaches are mostly stone, rock and shingle but for a few exceptions. There is a clutch of beaches around the south of the island, below the Chora ,but these can be difficult to reach down steep dirt tracks. The remaining Alonissos beaches are strung out along the south-east coast and most are easily reachable off the main island road. The more popular beaches have substantial tavernas open throughout the season while those less accessible have a beach cantina opening in the high summer season.
Daily bus
Boat hire
Camping
Cash point
Diving
Ferry port
Museum
Tavernas
The island's main port at PATITIRI is, in truth, little more than a cement quayside with a couple of streets running inland up the steep hillside.
The harbour was originally lined with several wine presses - 'patitiri' translates as wine press - and the locals lived in the hillside village, or Chora, on the hills above.
An earthquake wrecked the hilltop homes and disease destroyed the island vines. Villagers were forced out of their homes to live in hastily built concrete houses in Patitiri and nearby Votsi.
Many guide books write off the Patitiri'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, vines and a liberal splattering of paint have helped brighten up the shops, cafes and tavernas and now Patitiri harbour offers a fairly pleasant, if short, evening stroll.
A galaxy of small hotels stand on the cliffs above, overlooking the bay and offering both pleasant views and shaded cliffside walks. A few bars and cafes have opened along the cliffside footpath where some rustic rope fencing is all that lies between you and the surf below; so make sure to hang on to the kids.
Down in the bay beyond the harbour, Alonissos has a narrow stretch of coarse sand with access to the beach through a line of tavernas. Patitiri beach is pleasant enough with steep, wooded hills on three sides. Good swimming is to be had in the clear, rock strewn waters.
Beach taverna owners are friendly enough (they'll pitch a table on the sands below if you ask), but the constant exhortations to eat every time you pass through to the beach can be wearisome. Better and cheaper food can be found in several tavernas tucked away at the other end of Patitiri anyway.
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. There is a small free private museum and coffee shop on the road to the Chora with exhibits on the ground floor and a traditional Alonissos house upstairs - well worth a visit .
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RuinsTavernas
CHORA otherwise known as PALIA ALONISSOS is perched on the hilltop high up above Patitiri and is approached either by road or up a goat track from the port.
It's a 30-40 mins walk on the track or 60 mins along the asphalt road. A small island bus makes the run from Patitiri before heading off to Steni Vala up the coast.
Chora was the island capital until the 1965 earthquake when the villagers were weeded out by the military junta and forcibly rehoused in Patitiri below or in nearby Votsi.
The derelict houses left behind were eventually snapped by foreigners and well-heeled mainlanders as holiday homes and nowadays the Chora is pretty much abandoned for the winter.
Narrow streets and fortified stone houses, originally built to withstand attack from pirates, have since been cemented, paved and prettified.
The result may be picturesque but the Chora is now little other than a holiday home village with no heart to it and with no purpose but tourism.
At Chora's highest point is a series of small squares where cafe bars and tavernas open up for the summer season. There are impressive views of the island from Chora.
An old windmill and some preserved threshing floors are more interesting for their views than their architecture.
Cantina
Watersports
Chora sits on a hill at the southern end of the island and there are several steep narrow tracks that lead down in almost every direction to small beaches and coves below. The tracks can be difficult to find and the beaches are 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. There a pretty windmill sits on the rocks overlooking a small sand and stone bay. As the beach is north-facing it tends to catch rubbish blown in by the offshore winds but it's a pretty enough place, although without any tourist 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 lies at the end of a deep and steeply sided inlet that offers some protection from the wind. The beach is west-facing so the visitor can enjoy good sunsets here provided they can face scrambling up the hillside 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 too can be reached from Patitiri on foot. From the hillside above a small car park marks the start of a very steep goat track that follows the line of the cliff. The track divides about half way down but either fork 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 to make the going 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 at the back of the beach offer some natural 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 beach to head for if you prefer to avoid the crowds. There are flat rocks beyond at PLAKES that are good for sunbathing with a camping site called Camping Rocks nearby which has a small cafe and toilets.
Boat hireTavernas
ROUSOUM YIALOS lies just north of Patitiri on the way to the village of Votsi. It is a popular little place, mainly taking overspill from nearby Patitiri which is 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 edged by a low stone wall.
There are rocks at the southern end for added interest and an attractive little harbour to the north. A trio of shady tavernas line the back of the beach which, being south facing, can get very hot in the middle of the day.
The more adventurous can seek out a small pebble beach at SPARTINES that can be reached on foot or by boat. A track through a roadside depot just before the junction to Milia leads down through woods to the secluded beach. There are no facilities here.
Daily busTavernas
God's gift to travel brochure designers, the tiny but delightful beach at VOTSI has great visual appeal and is certain to get the Nikons clicking.
Actually two small bays, it's the northerly one that wins the photographic prizes. A narrow stone and shingle beach cowers beneath a towering vertiginous cliff. Votsi looks out over a bay of incredibly clear water - so singularly clear that shadows of boats can be seen on the sandy sea bottom far out into the bay.
Access to Votsi beach is down a short, but steep, rough track. As Votsi beach is both narrow and short, with a sheer cliff behind, just a few visitors are enough to make it feel quite claustrophobic. There are no facilities here.
How unfortunate that such a dazzling jewel should be surrounded by the unremittingly drab sprawl of ugly suburban housing that makes up the most of Votsi village. The houses were thrown up quickly to house former earthquake victims ousted from former homes in the Chora and have since become permanent.
Visitors who 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.
Cantina
Fine sand makes a rare appearance at CHRISI MILIA or HYSRI MILIA around the headland north of Votsi where pines sweep right down to the seashore.
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 many claim 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, although it is in a beautiful location.
CantinaRuins
The bay at KOKKINOKASTRO has an arresting red cliff promontory (which gives the beach its name) and which marks the the end of a white stone and pebble strand.
Access requires a steep and difficult climb down through a narrow gully at the end of a steep goat track. Winter rains have carved 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 and provisions are shipped in by boat.
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.
Nearby is a pleasant pebbles stretch at TZORTZI GIALOS with shallow water and a beach cantina in the summer.
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LEPTOS YIALOS or LEPTOS GIALOS 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 like to linger in the clear turquoise waters with a late swim.
A few sun beds and umbrellas are scattered along the shore which has a little natural shade provided by the odd tree at the back of the beach.
Daily busCampingBoat hireDivingTavernas
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 at Steni Vala thanks to the demands of visiting yacht flotillas which have pushed up standards and prices.
Steni Vala 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 at the end of the harbour wall.
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 from Steni Vala to Patitiri in the high season. Steni Vala also has an organized camping site near the shore.
Cantina
The road hugs the coast as it heads north out of Steni Vala until it eventually reaches the huge triangular white stone beach at AGIOS DIMITRIOS which sweeps out to sea to create a dramatic scenic headland of breathtaking beauty.
The coast road the runs through the whole of the surrounding Kalamakia area is lined with rock and pebble beaches, some long and flat though none has any tourist facilities.
The road rises above cliffs on the approach to Agios Dimitrios to provide panoramic views over the headland below, with the large islet of Peristera just offshore.
The road than sweeps down onto the headland and disappears into dirt tracks that are curiously criss-crossed with chain link fencing, the purpose of which is utterly baffling, but typically Greek.
At the shore there are two large beaches of white pebble, one north of the headland and one south. A ramshackle, but attractive, beach catina has been built, mainly out of driftwood.
It doesn't serve drinks cold until July when visitor numbers made it worthwhile to fire up the generator.
There are sunbeds for hire on the south side of Agios Dimitrios where there is a small jetty for boats to pull in. On both beaches the drop into the sea can be very sharp with slippery stones underfoot, so this isn't a particularly good beach for families with children.
The stones remain on the sea bed for some distance fro the shore so visitors will need some sort of footwear, which is just as well as there are also plenty of sea urchins about.
The south beach at Agios Dimitrios seems to stretch to the horizon - a wide swathe of large white stones and pebbles. The north side of the beach is a little quieter (though neither beach could be said to be busy). Access to both beaches has been much improved recently.
After Skiathos and Skopelos, Alonissos is the third member of the chain of island known as the Northern Sporades and is located about 3km east of Skopelos. Alonissos is a long, thin island about 20km by 4.4km at it widest point. It is a green, fertile island, mostly limestone, with just four main villages and a population of around 3,000.
Apart from tourism the main industries are fishing and farming of olives, almonds, grapes and figs. The island was once noted for its wines but an epidemic destroyed all the vines. The beaches are mainly pebble and stone.
Alonissos island is the centre for the Marine Park of the Aegean and the surrounding seas and outlying islands are protected habitat for the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus Monachus). The seal has the unfortunate distinction of being one of Europe's most endangered species with only around 800 surviving world-wide.
PERISTERA, the scarcely inhabited islet, was once joined to Alonissos and is graced with some nice sandy beaches that are usually empty.
The place is a popular haunt of barbecue boats in the high season and a cantina sets up on the main beach. in the summer Underwater archaeologists recently discovered an ancient wreck off the island.
KYRA PANAGIA also known as PELAGOS or PELAGONISI is a hilly iselt 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 mythical 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, is normally closed to visitors as it is the most important habitat for the Monk Seal, Eleonara's Falcon and several rare plants. Piperi has a precipitous rocky shoreline.
SKANTZOURA has a series of low hills on shores of white marble that create a dazzling azure seabed along the shoreline. There is an abandoned monastery at its centre.
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, on of which was 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, no hope of success.
It has a website www.alonissos-park.gr/
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There was once a rather optimistic plan to build an airport on Alonissos island and the project was actually started in the mid 1980s.
The plans proved over-ambitious however and the scheme was eventually abandoned.
Package flight visitors to Alonissos land at nearby Skiathos International Airport (JSI), also known as Papadiamantis Airport, and passengers island hop on one of the regular hydrofoils that run to ports at Skopelos and then on to Alonissos.
Skiathos is about 3km north of Skiathos Town and takes charter flights from all over Europe during the summer including many direct flights from UK airports.
Olympic Airways has daily domestic flights from Athens (journey time about 20 minutes) and there are also flights from Volos by Argo Airways and from Thessaloniki on Astra Airlines.
Skiathos Airport is noted for its short runway, it is just over 1,600m, with sea at both ends. Passengers are often warned to expect high engine noise on landing and take-off.
Aircraft also take off with only enough fuel to get to nearby Thessaloniki. Full fuel tanks make planes too heavy to lift off on the short runway . The Thessaloniki fuel stop can add an hour to journey times.
There are few facilities at the airport. There are no restaurants, banks, cash machines or left luggage facilities and parking outside the airport is very limited. There is a small taverna next to the airport.
There is no dedicated shuttle bus service to the airport at Skiathos, only taxis, and these can be in very short supply after flights arrive.
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With no airport, daily ferries and hydrofoils from mainland Volos and Agios Konstantinos via the islands of Skopelos and Skiathos link Alonissos to the outside world.
The trip from Agios Konstantinos takes about four hours and from Volos another 30 minutes. Hydrofoils take about an hour from Skiathos and just 15 minutes from Skopelos.
Ferries also sail from Kymi on Evia a couple of times a week and hydrofoils head for Thessaloniki around four times a week.
On Alonissos itself taxi-boats sail from Patitiri to island beaches along the eastern seashore and, given the state of some of the roads, this can be a better bet than a hired car.
Taxi-boats tend not to circulate until June when they leave from the port every day between 10.30 and 11am, returning at around 5pm. Get tickets from the kiosk on the Patitiri harbour front. There are daily boats to Agios Dimitrios, Chrisi Milia, Kalamaki, Milia and to Steni Vala.
Four larger excursion boats - Gorgona, Odyssey, Planitis and Stella offer trips to islets in the local marine park. Boats leave Patitiri 10.30 - 11am to Peristera and to the east coast beaches on Alonissos. Other boats head out for islets at Skantzoura, Kria Panagia and Psathoura.
There are now about 45km of paved roads on Alonissos providing decent road or track access to most of the island's beaches.
A main road threads through the middle of the island linking Patitiri, Votsi and Gerakas. A crossroads at Tsolia Lakka, in the middle of the island, connects Agios Petros, Steni Vala, Glyfa, Kalamakia, Bambakies and Agios Dimitrios.
There are tracks off both these roads leading to other beaches. In the north there is a forest dirt track off the main road at Kourti Lakka (about 1km north of Votsi) that passes through Agios Anargiri, Turkoneri, Megali Ammos and ends at Agallou Lakka.
Car hire firms can be found in Patitiri but none are cheap. Driving on Alonissos is a hit-and-miss affair as signposts aren't the most helpful, although there have been some improvements in the last few years.
There is a bus service on Alonissos. The bus runs up to Chora from Patitiri from mid June to September. From Chora a less regular service heads north-east to fishing village at Steni Vala. Tickets are sold on the bus by the driver andit's a good idea to have the correct amount ready in small change.
There are four taxi drivers operating on Alonissos. The taxi rank is at Patitiri, opposite the Alykon Hotel and next to the bus stop. Note that fares may double for early morning trips or on public holidays.
Alonissos has some excellent walks. As the island is long and thin, walks along the hilly backbone offer extensive views of both sides of the island.
There is a good networks of tracks and paths, most of which are well signposted. Walking maps are on sale in Patitiri and on nearby Skiathos.
Foxy Island Walks has details of walks on Alonissos.
There is a good walk guide by Chris Browne 'Alonissos through the souls of your feet' from Travelleur
The Travelleur author has is own website on Alonissos Walks.
More walks can be found in 'Alonissos on Foot', in local shops, but some of the walks are quite outdated now.
Online details of walking trails on Alonissos can be found at the excellent Ivicourt website.
If you miss the bus from Patitiri to Chora there is a 30 minutes walk on the tarmac road or a 20 minutes trek on a well-marked goat track - quicker if you are heading downhill to Paritiri.
Alonissos is a small island and accommodation is limited, especially in the high season so it's probably better not to turn up without an advance booking. Island room owners do meet the ferry offering rooms to let and, if not, there is help to be had at the island room-owners association office on the waterfront.
There are several small and medium size hotels in Patitiri, most of them located on the hill overlooking the harbour but rooms here are usually booked well in advance. There are more apartments and rooms to let in the Chora above Patitiri and also at Rousoum, Votsi, Steni-Vala and at Kalamakia.
Almost all visitors base themselves in Patitiri or Rousoum where there are the best facilities. Steni Vala is the main choice of visitors away from the main port at Patitiri. There are now plenty of rooms in the resort , some shopping and several good tavernas. Some accommodation has been built near Geladias. but there is virtually northing north of there except a few rooms at the fishing hamlet of Kalamakia.
For those on a tight budget there are camping sites at Plakes, near Patitiri harbour (2424 065639) and also at Steni Vala (2424 065639).
While April can be unsettled it is a popular month with visitors to experience the Easter festivals. May sees the start of summer in the Sporades with a sharp rise in temperatures. There are spring flowers in abundance and by June rain is infrequent and temperatures soar. Mid-July sees most visitors arrive to cloudless days and high temperatures. Being a little further north, the meltemi wind is rarely strong and can give pleasant breezes during August when temperatures peak. September and October bring shorter days, cooler nights and fewer visitors. The sea is at it warmest for swimming in late October though most tavernas are now closed.
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | Averages |
| 11 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 12 | Day °C |
| 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 6 | Night °C |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 4 | Sun (hrs) |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | UV Index |
| 150 | 120 | 110 | 40 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 50 | 120 | 180 | Rain mm |
| 18 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 19 | Rainy days |
The only bank is the National Bank of Greece in Patitiri . It opens Mon-Fri, 8am-2pm, but expect queues in high summer. The cash machine outside can run out of cash in the high summer or in bad weather (no boat deliveries). Most shops are in Patitiri and they close 2pm - 5pm for siesta. There are greengrocers and mini-markets, a butcher, baker and fishmonger as well as two pharmacies and a couple of newsagents. There are three small mini-markets in Chora.
