Nikouria Island, Amorgos: Turquoise Beaches Off the North Coast

The shuttle boat on the brilliantly clear turquoise water off the islet of Nikouria, northern Amorgos

Nikouria is a small uninhabited islet lying just off the north coast of Amorgos. Opposite the beach of Agios Pavlos, with some of the clearest, most turquoise swimming water on the island. Reached by a short boat crossing of only minutes, its three sandy and pebbly beaches. Calm and brilliantly clear, make it one of … Read more

The Olympia Shipwreck, Amorgos: The Big Blue Wreck

The rusting orange hull of the Olympia shipwreck run aground in its cove near Kalotaritissa, southern Amorgos

The Olympia shipwreck is one of the most striking and atmospheric sights of Amorgos. The rusting hull of a cargo ship that ran aground in a bay near Kalotaritissa in the wild south of the island in . Famous from Luc Besson’s film The Big Blue, in which it appears in scenes. The wreck lies … Read more

Ancient Sites in Amorgos: Minoa, Arkesini and the Tripolis

The well-preserved Hellenistic Tower of Agia Triada near Arkesini in southern Amorgos

Amorgos has been inhabited since the Early Cycladic era of the third millennium BC. In antiquity it was unusual in holding three separate city-states. Minoa, Arkesini and Aegiali, which together formed a commonwealth known as the Tripolis, each with its own government and coinage. Their remains, on scenic hilltops across the island, along with the … Read more

Amorgos Car Rental: A Practical Guide to Hiring a Car

The road climbing to Chora, the capital of Amorgos, beneath its castle rock, on the island's mountain roads

Amorgos is a long, mountainous island whose beaches. Villages and ancient sites lie far apart and are served by only a handful of buses. For most visitors a hire car is the key to seeing it. Renting a car or scooter turns the scattered highlights, the wild beaches. The mountain villages and the two ends … Read more

Aegiali, Amorgos: A Guide to the Bay and Its Villages

The long sandy beach and turquoise bay of Aegiali with its village on the slope, northern Amorgos

Aegiali is the second port of Amorgos, set on a broad bay in the north-east of the island, framed by towering cliffs and backed by mountain villages. It has the island’s best and longest sandy beach, a relaxed, faintly bohemian atmosphere. The loveliest mountain villages. Langada and Tholaria, rising just above it, making it the … Read more

Katapola, Amorgos: A Guide to the Main Port and Its Beaches

The whitewashed rooftops of Katapola above its sheltered blue bay, the main port of Amorgos

Katapola is the main port of Amorgos, a relaxed harbour town wrapped around a deep, sheltered bay in the centre of the island’s coast. Formed of three whitewashed hamlets around one calm natural bay, ringed by fishing boats, tavernas and rooms. It is the island’s most central and best-connected settlement and the practical gateway to … Read more

Diving in Amorgos: Dive Sites, Freediving and Clear Waters

The clear turquoise bay of Kalotaritissa in southern Amorgos, typical of the island's diving waters

Amorgos has some of the clearest, deepest water in the Cyclades. The sea that Luc Besson chose for The Big Blue. It is one of the finest Greek islands for diving and free-diving. Dramatic underwater walls, caves and reefs. A rich marine life and a dedicated dive centre on the bay of Aegiali make the … Read more

Amorgos and The Big Blue: The Island of the Cult Film

The deep turquoise water of Agia Anna cove on Amorgos, the beach of Luc Besson's film The Big Blue

Amorgos is inseparable from The Big Blue, Le Grand Bleu. Luc Besson’s cult film about free-diving that was largely shot on the island and brought its deep, clear waters to a global audience. The images of impossibly blue sea and stark Cycladic light made Amorgos famous, and the film’s legacy still shapes the island’s diving … Read more

Amorgos Villages: The Best Villages to Visit

A bright whitewashed alley with an arch and blue doors in the mountain village of Langada, Amorgos

The villages of Amorgos are strung along the island’s long mountain ridge and around its two bays. Whitewashed clusters of houses, blue-domed churches and shaded squares kept quiet and traditional far from mass tourism. Above the bay of Aegiali rise the loveliest of them, the mountain villages of Langada and Tholaria, while the ports of … Read more

Amorgos Food: Traditional Dishes and What to Eat

The whitewashed mountain village of Tholaria on Amorgos, famous for its traditional tavernas

The food of Amorgos is hearty, rustic and rooted in the island’s rugged land and long tradition of livestock farming. Meat is at its core, above all the slow-cooked goat stew patatato, alongside home-made cheeses, the island’s own fava, cured pork and sausages, wild-herb honey and the famous psimeni raki. It is a cuisine of … Read more