Petra beach

Lesvos holiday report and map

Petra Lesvos

PETRA has grown into one of the major tourist resorts of Lesvos with much done to tempt tourists to base themselves here.
The village centre has been made traffic free and bars and tavernas line the main beachfront. Petra beach is of coarse sand and pebble and there are showers, cabins and volleyball.
Petra village is packed with shops, hotels and tavernas. The narrow streets and cobbled yards make the old part of Petra similar to nearby Molyvos, though nowhere near as pretty.
Nevertheless it is worth wandering in its narrow cobblestoned streets of the old Petra village. Alleyways are lined with neoclassical houses noted for their decorative rails and gates.
The Turkish family mansion of Vareltzithenais is a good example of local Petra 19th century architecture and is open to the public.
Shopping in Petra is good with many small galleries and gift shops as well as a local ouzo distillery and a smattering of nightclubs.
Petra is the Greek for "rock" and the resort is overlooked by the church of Panagia Glykofilousa (Virgin Mary of the Sweet Kiss) built in 1747, which is perched on top of a 30 metre high rock.
The Feast of Petra on August 15 is an important festival date in the island calendar and a good time to visit Petra. The day before, villagers lead a bull around the streets before killing it for the traditional 'keskeki' dish. Charcoal heats the cauldrons sited in the courtyard of the chapel of Agios Nikolaos overnight as celebrations begin in the village square.
After a mass the following morning the priest blesses the 'keskeki' and it is distributed to everyone.
The Agios Nikolaos chapel has some 16th century frescoes and the icon of Panagia Glycofilousa is believed to perform miracles.
Over the summer there are daily excursions from Petra to nearby islets of Agios Georgios and Psiras and there is a bus service to Eftalou and Anaxos.