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
Manganari is the most idyllic and beautiful beach on Ios, a string of sheltered sandy coves on the tranquil south coast of the island. About 23 kilometres and a 40-minute drive from Chora, it consists of a series of golden-sand bays, signposted as Manganari North, Middle and South, lapped by calm, crystal-clear turquoise water. A … Read more
Mylopotas is the main and most famous beach of Ios, a long, golden sweep of sand about two kilometres south of the hilltop town of Chora. Roughly a kilometre long and set in a large, sheltered, south-west-facing bay, it has soft golden sand. Crystal-clear blue-flag water and a gentle, shallow entry that makes it safe … Read more
Ios Chora is the beautiful whitewashed hilltop town that is the heart of the island, one of the loveliest of all Cycladic capitals. Built amphitheatrically on a hill about two kilometres from the port of Gialos, it is a maze of narrow. Marble-paved, pedestrianised alleys winding between dazzling white houses, blue-domed churches and bougainvillea. Crowned … Read more
The best time to visit Ios is from June to September, when the weather is hot and sunny and the sea is warm for swimming, though the ideal choice depends on what you want. For the beaches and the famous nightlife at their peak, July and August are unbeatable, but they are also the busiest … Read more