LIPSI is one of the smaller islands at the northern end of the Dodecanese chain that runs up the coast of Turkey. It lies between the larger islands of Kalymnos and Samos and benefits from being on a main ferry route.
Visitors can dismiss all the outdated reports of 'donkey-powered' Lipsi. You will be dodging scooters, not donkeys, since the island's roads were improved. The huge harbour has also undergone a major revamp to accommodate the yacht flotillas that now make Lipsi a must-make stop on the holiday sailing route.
Lipsi still has the oodles of charm and the backwater atmosphere you expect from a tiny Greek island. Lipsi is very small - you can walk virtually anywhere in a day - and now crossed with a network of paths and roads, courtesy of EU grant money.
Peace and quiet are the island's main characteristics, though a fleet of mopeds for hire and the appearance of cars, a taxi and some lorries suggest it will soon be getting a lot noisier.
The yachting set has prompted a rash of tavernas around the enormous harbour and it's been a long-time favourite with the now defunct British-based Laskarina tour company that once commandeered quite a number of apartments.
Lipsi's position on the main Dodecanese ferry route and its large natural harbour, not to mention the proximity of Samos, Leros , Kalymnos and Kos, make it an ideal base for island hopping.
Lipsi is an island for those seeking a quite retreat where excitement peaks at the arrival of a ferry. Beaches are pleasant rather than outstanding. Tavernas and cafes are concentrated around the harbour which again, though pleasant, is not as picturesque as you might expect.
Boat hire
Cash point
Ferry port
Laundry
Tavernas
Lipsi harbour
Laid back LIPSI is just the place to laze away a holiday. The main port is vast with acres of concrete stretched around a very large lagoon.
The place hadn't lost its charm despite some plain architecture. This is mainly down to the unsparing use of white paint, some lively splashes of colour and shady tavernas dotted along the quay.
Villagers keep the place spick and span and colourful boats are always moored up, their nets spread to dry on the quayside.
It's a favourite port of call for the yachting set so it's not always quiet but the crowds are occasional and easily avoided.
Near the central square is a mini market that sells just about everything you could want and up the steps across the children's playground is an excellent bakery selling delicious snacks as well as the usual range of bread and biscuits.
The blue domed church of Agios Ioannis dominates from the hill and it's worth climbing the steps just for the views.
Charming, peaceful and unhurried; for an archetypal Greek resort Lipsi is pretty hard to beat.
Liendou beach
LIENDOU is the town beach and it's found at the western end of the harbour by turning right just before the ferry jetty and walking over the brow of the hill.
Set in a narrow bay it's a beach of coarse sand and pebble that shelves gently into the sea with some roadside trees behind for shade.
It is usually quiet, but tends to get crowded with children when school closes in the afternoon. The sea bed is stony but the water shallow so its safe for children.
There are no facilities on the beach itself but tavernas in the harbour are only a short distance away.
Lipsi harbour sits approximately in the middle of the island in a large and sheltered bay. West of Lipsi is a hilly ridge running east west. The road snakes up and over it to the north coast for no particular reason than to give road access to the island rubbish dump. The west has Lipsi island's best beach at Platys Yialos.
Kambos beach
The road leads on from Liendou, but before it climbs inland up the hill there's a small track off to the left that leads down to KAMBOS beach.
It looks remarkably similar to Liendou with a few patches of sand on the narrow shingle shoreline, but the sand here is sharp and not as pleasant as Liendou.
There is also some shade from a row of tamarisks that edge the low stone wall but the trees are stunted and you need to crouch for shade. There is usually plenty of litter to clear away first.
The water is clear, good for snorkeling, but stony underfoot. If goats are grazing in the fields behind you will probably end up maddened by the endless clonking of their bells.
Elena beach
Along the coast from Kambos is a chapel and, beyond that, the stone and rock beach of HELENA or ELENA.
The narrow coastal track peters out well before you get to the beach and its a tricky scramble over the rocky hillside to get to it. It mostly a case of following goat tracks through the rocks and scrub.
The beach is little more than a shower of rocks spilling into the sea and shade is hard to come by so Elena will really only suit the hardy and adventurous.
Kimisi beach
It's a long walk (2 hours) to the tiny but pretty bay of shingle and rock at KIMISI, once the home of an octogenarian hermit and a sacred place for the islanders.
There is also a pretty 16th century chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary - Kimissi tis Theotokos - which is open to visitors.
There are two routes to the beach. One is along an ugly bulldozed road past the island rubbish dump. A narrow track on the island ridge road marked with red spots.
The other leads past the chapel of St Stavros and the Church of the Five Martyrs then down into Kimisi bay along a narrow concrete staircase.
A red arrow on the route leads to UPPER KIMISI bay of rock and pebbles. The route, though marked, is not an easy one.
Taverna
Road to Platys Yialos
Platis Gialos beach
The beach at PLATIS YIALOS or PLATYS GIALOS boasts the best sand on the island though there is precious little of it.
A narrow strip of scruffy runs along the end of a deep long bay, south facing and with no shade, so it can get blisteringly hot on the beach.
There's is a shady taverna behind which fortunately hasn't yet capitalised on its exclusivity and offers good food at reasonable prices. The bay is long, shallow and sandy underfoot making it ideal for families and children.
To get there take the road past Liendou beach then up over the brow to the ridge road and turn left. Stunning views over the sea to Arki on your right are countered by quarries and the island rubbish tip to your left.
The beach is plainly seen ahead of you at the end of the bay. If you don't fancy a walk back, the taverna owner will summon a taxi.
The bulldozed road from Platis Yialos leads to the pretty inlet at MOSCHATOU after 30-40 mins walking. There is no beach as such, just an inlet of rock and stone with the tiny chapel of St Theologus adding colour. It used to be good for swimming until someone built a fish farm in the bay.
Beaches east of Lipsi Town are a little more difficult to get to than those in the west as there is no road as such and progress is mainly along unmarked footpaths and goat tracks. Beaches are not great either, stone and shingle with no facilities and little or no shade, but they do have the benefit of dramatic settings and the stark, isolated beauty that many Greek island visitors will crave.
There is a dramatic setting with sheer drops into the sea, but not much else in this rocky cove backed by fir trees in the remote north east of the island. It's a tricky route to KAMARIS or KAMARES too.
The main beach is 100m of pebble and large stones backed by fir trees which off some natural shade at the southern end before a headland with a rocky inlet. To the north are a couple of small coves.
The easiest, if longest, route is to take the road past the school out of Lipsi Town and turn right at the junction to the main island ridge road. Go along the ridge road and pass the rubbish tip to reach a track leading right nest to a shed.
You pass a quarry and an isolated chapel then fork left along the path keeping Aspronissi (White Island) on the horizon in front of you.
The track turns into a goat trail before dropping down to the stony beach. The walk should take about 45min.
Monodendri beach
The name MONODENDRI means single tree and that's all there is here - one lonesome pine growing out of the flat sloping rocks on the end of a pebble spit.
It is a tiny and there is no shade. The water here however is crystal clear and ideal for snorkeling. There are several coves nearby but all are small and it can feel crowded even when there are only a few people there.
There are in fact three beaches. The most northerly has the single tree, the central one is just a small bay of large stones and the south beach is a small sterct of stone.
To get there follow the harbour north out of Lipsi Town, past the cash machine then left up the hill past the moped hire shop. At the top of the steep hill go straight across at the crossroads then right after the rubbish tip through several gates.
You pass a house and an olive grove then drop down a goat track to the sea. A taxi will take you to the start of the track. The walk takes about 50min.
Tourkomnima beach
The beach at TOURKOMNIMA lies north of the headland, back to back with Kserokambos and is usually deserted.
The main beach is north facing and mainly stone with patches of sand. There is decent snorkeling on both sides of the bay and some trees for shade. A pretty chapel sits on the headland.
To get there head for Kohklakoura out of Lipsi Town but turn left at the fork and follow the path around the headland past Kserokambos. The walk takes around 45min.
Kserokambos beach
South east facing, with islands offshore, KSEROKAMBOS has more sand than its neighbour Tourkomnima but not much.
There are smaller coves further south along the shore and some splendid snorkeling to be had around the offshore rocks.
To get there follow directions to Kohklakoura then turn left at the fork in the track and over the headland. The walk takes about 40min
Kohklakoura beach
There is a fine wide beach of white pebbles at KOHKLAKOURA but it suffers from the lack of shade. Beware it can get very hot here on the sizzling stones.
To get there take the road east from the harbour past the moped hire shop and turn right at the school, past the priest's house with the blue neon light to the crossroads.
Carry straight on down the hill, past the chapel until the asphalt gives out then take the right fork and follow the track downhill to the beach. It takes about 30min.
Katsadia beach
KATSADIA bay is a very popular anchorage for yachts and a couple of tavernas have sprung up to serve the yachting set.
It is a beautiful wide bay with a very narrow shingle and sand beach. There are a few coves to the south also worth exploring, particularly at PAPANDRIA.
To get there take the road to Lohklahoura but turn right at the crossroads and follow the headland with views of Lipsi harbour below. Take the left fork to Katsadia and the right fork for Papandria. It takes 30min.
Lipsi is a small island with a population of just 700 with fishing, a little farming and tourism the main occupations. The large sheltered harbour provides anchorage not just for local fishermen but for visiting yacht flotillas too. It's not a mountainous island - just 16sq km and 35km of coastline - and, with no beach more than a two hour walk from the port. Millions of euros have been spent in recent years on improving the island infrastructure.
Cheap flights from all major European airports
Details in most European languages and currencies
There is no airport on Lipsi but the island is so well served by ferries that it makes the island relatively easy to get to from several nearby island airports.
Many visitors fly to Samos in the north or to Kos in the south and catch one of the many ferries that run the Dodecanese route from Rhodes to Piraeus.
Most visitors use Samos International Airport (SMI) or Aristarchos Airport, just outside Pythagorio, as this is the nearest to Lipsi. The airport was upgraded in 2003 and services are generally good with taxis and buses available to get you to the port.
As well as charter flights to the island Olympic Airways has three domestic flights daily (five in summer) from Athens. There are twice weekly flights to Thessaloniki and Air Manos flies to Athens, Thessaloniki and the islands of Mykonos and Santorini.
Lipsi island is on the main Dodecanese island ferry route and so is well served by ferries and hydrofoils heading both north and south. There is only one direct weekly ferry departure from Piraeus (Athens) to Lipsi and the travel time is about 19 hours.
The usual route from the UK is to fly to Samos and pick up one of the main ferries or hydrofoils heading south. An alternative is to fly to Kos and head north.
There are regular services from Lipsi to Samos, Kos, Kalymnos, Leros and Patmos as well as excursions to neighbouring islets like Aspronissi, Macronissi, Frago, Plavi and Arki.
Lipsi has only one road, well surfaced thanks to generous EC funding. Very few use it however and many wonder what the island has gained from such generosity. There is a minivan bus that leaves from a small park in the centre of the harbour for the main beaches and there is taxi and a couple of scooter hire outfits on the island.
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
| 12 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 23 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 13 | Avg day °C |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 7 | Avg night °C |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 | Sun (hrs) |
| 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | UV Index |
| 159 | 108 | 88 | 42 | 28 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 42 | 103 | 167 | Rain (mm) |
| 12 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 12 | Rainy days |
UV: 3 Low; 3-5 Moderate; 5-8 High; 8 Very high | Rainy days=1mm+ | 1 inch=25.4mm
In July and August temperatures can soar up to 40°C in the shade and many beaches have little shade. September to October and April to late June brings warm, comfortable weather, either side of the cooler winter period.
The beautiful Greek Islands are renowned for their spectacular scenery, magnificent mountainous backdrops, stunning sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. Holidays to the Greek Islands are often most cherished for this combination of sunshine, warm waters and beaches set against truly wonderful scenery. Whether it is a traditional beach holiday you would like or something with a little more history, you'll find that a break away to the Greek Islands is just the answer!
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