Ikaria Greece | tourist holiday travel guide

IKARIA lies at the very southern tip of the Aegean group of Greek islands just south west of Samos and off the Turkish coast. Since ancient times, Ikaria has been known for it's dark red wine, its thermal springs, and the legend of Icarus. It is a relatively large Greek island and recently unfairly neglected by both the Greek government and the tourist industry.
Ikaria is not immediately appealing to many visitors. A long mountain mass projects out into the Aegean towards Mykonos and catches the full force of the scouring meltemi wind in the summer. Steep mountain slope plunge into the sea and the long coastline has few sheltered bays or good harbours.
For the general tourist it holds only a minority interest. The landscape is rugged and the villages unkempt and there are only a handful of good beaches. But the island has its adherents, particularly those who prefer not to join the mainstream and the best beaches compare with any in the Greek islands. If you are looking for somewhere off the beaten track and a taste of authentic old world Greece with few concessions to tourism then Ikaria could well be worth a visit.

Overview

Ikaria is known for its health spas to the east and west of the main port of Agios Kirikos. These attract Greeks in their thousands but very few foreigners.
Ikaria had a reputation as a 'hippie' island some years ago with most colonising the area around Armenistis, no doubt attracted by the island's relative isolation.
Ikaria has been used on several occasions as a place of exile, most recently under the military Junta which banished 13,000 communists there.
The sheer, rugged, and sparsely vegetated southern half of Ikaria is separated from the flatter north by the narrow Atheras mountain range. There is an abundance of fine quality slate used construct traditional terraces of many villages.
The development of the harbour at Agios Kirikos and an airport link to Athens have done much to open up the island to visitors in recent years.