Choosing where to stay in Lesbos matters, because the island is very large, the third-biggest in Greece, and its main areas lie far apart. The most popular bases are the north around the castle town of Molyvos and neighbouring Petra, with the island’s best tourism infrastructure and beaches. The capital Mytilene in the south-east. Convenient … Read more
Lesbos, the third-largest Greek island, offers a wealth of things to do that no other Aegean island can match, from natural wonders to living traditions. Here you can walk through the Petrified Forest, one of the largest fossilised woodlands on earth, climb to the medieval castle above Molyvos. Explore the castle, museums and churches of … Read more
Getting to Lesbos, the large island in the north-eastern Aegean close to the coast of Turkey, is straightforward once you know your options. The two ways to reach the island are by air, flying into Mytilene International Airport, or by sea, taking a ferry to the port of Mytilene, the capital. Flights connect Lesbos with … Read more
Agiasos is one of the most beautiful and traditional villages on Lesbos, built amphitheatrically on the green, wooded slopes of Mount Olympus, the island’s highest mountain, high above the sea. Famous for its cobbled streets, stone houses with flowered wooden balconies, and its craftsmanship in pottery and wood carving, it is a place where old … Read more
Skala Eressou is one of the most distinctive destinations on Lesbos, a relaxed seaside village on the island’s west coast with a long. Dark sandy beach and a famously bohemian, free-spirited atmosphere. It lies below the ancient town of Eressos, traditionally regarded as the birthplace of the poet Sappho. Whose legacy gives the place deep … Read more
Petra is a charming seaside village on the north coast of Lesbos, a short way from Molyvos, famous above all for the church of Panagia Glykofilousa. Perched dramatically on top of a great rock at the heart of the village and reached by a flight of over a hundred steps carved into the stone. Around … Read more
For an island of its size, Lesbos has a notable variety of beaches, from long sweeps of golden sand to sheltered pebbly coves, spread around its deeply indented coastline. The south coast has the longest sandy beach in the island, Vatera. The lively Agios Isidoros near Plomari. The west has the bohemian sands of Skala … Read more
Plomari is a picturesque seaside town on the southern coast of Lesbos, the island’s second-largest town and famous throughout Greece as the capital of ouzo. Built around a harbour and climbing the hillsides in a jumble of old stone and neoclassical houses, it is home to renowned distilleries. Including the Barbayanni ouzo museum and the … Read more
The Petrified Forest of Lesbos is one of the great natural wonders of Greece. A UNESCO Global Geopark in the barren volcanic landscape of the island’s west, near the village of Sigri. Here, millions of years ago, a volcanic eruption buried a lush subtropical forest in ash, fossilising whole tree trunks, roots and leaves that … Read more
Mytilene is the capital, main port and lively cultural heart of Lesbos, a handsome town on the island’s south-eastern coast where neoclassical mansions. Ottoman monuments and a grand Byzantine castle reflect its long and layered history. The bustling waterfront is lined with cafes, ouzeries and tavernas, and the paved streets behind lead to museums, churches … Read more