Karpathos is one of the great windsurfing islands of Europe, and the reason lies in a single stretch of coast in its far south. The plain of Afiartis, beside the airport. Funnels the summer meltemi into some of the most reliable strong wind in the Mediterranean. Its bays are shaped so that a beginner and … Read more
Olympos clings to a mountain ridge in the far north of Karpathos, a village so cut off for so long that it kept traditions the rest of Greece let go. Older women still wear embroidered dress and leather boots as everyday clothing. The local speech carries sounds of ancient Doric Greek. Property passes down through … Read more
Karpathos sits in the open sea between Rhodes and Crete, and its isolation is the reason the island still feels unhurried. The second-largest of the Dodecanese runs 48 kilometres north to south, with a spine of mountains that climbs above 1,200 metres at Kali Limni. That geography shapes everything a visitor does here: sheltered coves … Read more
Karpathos strings its beaches along three very different coasts, and knowing which is which decides whether you swim in glass-calm turquoise or chase a force-six wind. The sheltered east coast holds the island’s famous cliff-backed coves. The flat south around the airport gathers sandy shallows and a world-class surf bay. The quieter west scatters small … Read more
Ios sustains a rewarding food scene rooted in Cycladic tradition and the produce of its mountain farms. The island’s signature product is skotyri. A spicy soft cheese unique to Ios that appears in meze spreads and local dishes across the tavernas of the hilltop capital and the harbour below. Alongside this distinctive cheese, the island … Read more
Ios has earned a reputation across the Cyclades for its campsites and budget accommodation, drawing young travellers and backpackers island-hopping between Naxos and Santorini. The main campsites sit at Mylopotas, the island’s long blue-flag main beach about two kilometres from the hilltop town of Chora, right beside the sand. A smaller camping option exists near … Read more
Ios stretches 18 kilometres from north to south. While the frequent bus connects the port of Gialos. The hilltop town of Chora and the main beach at Mylopotas every 15 to 30 minutes, the island’s quieter coves and historic sites lie beyond the reach of public transport. Hiring a car, scooter, motorbike or quad bike … Read more
Agia Theodoti is one of the largest and most beautiful beaches on Ios, a peaceful, secluded bay on the east coast about ten kilometres from Chora. A wide, horseshoe-shaped sweep of clear, coarse sand mixed with fine pebbles. It is embraced by hills at both ends and sheltered from the wind, with crystal-clear water ideal … Read more
Gialos, also known as Ormos, is the port of Ios and the gateway to the island. A sheltered harbour set in a deep, well-protected bay about two kilometres below the hilltop town of Chora. The first thing you see on arrival is the white church of Agia Irini beside the harbour, where sailboats, yachts and … Read more
Homer’s tomb is one of the most evocative sights on Ios, the reputed burial place of the greatest poet of ancient Greece. It lies at Plakotos, on a windswept hillside in the north of the island, about thirteen kilometres from Chora, above the bay of Plakotos with sweeping views over the sea. Here a small … Read more