Ikaria in October rewards travelers who want warmth without summer crowds. The sea holds heat from the long summer, so swimming stays comfortable through most of the month. Days run mild and pleasant, and the fierce meltemi wind that whips the north Aegean in high season has eased. Villages turn to the grape and olive … Read more
Ikaria in winter shows a different face from its summer self. The beaches empty, the crowds vanish, and the island returns to its own residents. Rain feeds the hills, turning the rugged interior deep green after the autumn showers. Daytime highs sit cool but mild by Mediterranean standards, and the sea keeps the air from … Read more
Ikaria is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, set apart in the stretch of water that carries its name, the Icarian Sea. The island belongs to the North Aegean region and rests between the Cyclades to the west and the eastern Aegean islands to the east. It sits just west of Samos and … Read more
Akamatra is a small, traditional village set on the Rahes plateau in the western highlands of Ikaria, an island in the north Aegean. Stone houses stand among pine and oak forest, near the larger settlement of Christos Raches. The village shares the unhurried, late-running rhythm that makes the Rahes region famous. Springs, gardens and orchards … Read more
Xylosyrtis sits on the green south coast of Ikaria, a short distance southwest of the capital Agios Kirykos. The village rests on well-watered slopes that fall toward the Aegean, wrapped in springs, terraced gardens, orchards and vineyards. Water runs freely through this stretch of coast, and the mild, sheltered setting long earned it a name … Read more
Pezi plateau sits high in the western uplands of Ikaria, an island better known for dry granite ridges than for standing water. The plateau holds something rare here: a small reservoir and wetland fed by mountain streams and rain. Reeds, oak woodland and grey granite ring the water, and the basin draws frogs, dragonflies and … Read more
Evangelismos Monastery stands as the great spiritual landmark of Ikaria, an island resting in the north Aegean where mountain ridges fall steeply toward the sea. Locals call it the Mounde monastery, and pilgrims know it as the Panagia of the Annunciation. The community holds old icons, a walled courtyard and a church that has drawn … Read more
Frantato is a small mountain village in the granite-strewn interior of Ikaria, set on the road that climbs inland from the north coast. The settlement draws visitors for one clear reason: it opens the way to the island’s astonishing boulder-built religious sites. Enormous rounded granite rocks frame the houses, gardens and springs, giving the place … Read more
Ikaria feeds visitors through kitchens rather than through restaurants in the polished sense. The island runs on family tavernas, village kafeneia and communal feasts, and the food carries the plainness that gives the place its Blue-Zone reputation. Cooks work with garden vegetables, wild greens, beans, goat, local cheese, honey and their own wine, and they … Read more
Kerame beach is a long, low-key sand strip on the north coast of Ikaria, tucked into the Karavostamo and Kerame area east of the port town Evdilos. The beach stretches as a wide band of pale sand and fine shingle, backed by tamarisk trees and green hillside. Travellers reach it for space, clear water and … Read more