Skiathos: Excursions and Touring

From the capital, there are new roads leading toward the north, which you must combine with walking in order to access the three major inland sites on the island.  The old Kastro at the north has the ruins of the old capital and its three remaining churches, plus an outstanding view over the Aegean.  There is a path leading down to the windswept pebble beach below.  Kastro can also be reached by caique.  The monasteries of the island are largely abandoned, but interesting nevertheless.  The road north takes you to the inhabited Monastery of Evangelistria, constructed in the late 18th century, the site of the raising of the original blue and white Greek flag in 1827.  From here, you need to travel on foot to reach the abandoned monastery of Ai. Haralambos further north.  Toward the northwest, another abandoned monastery, Kechria Monastery, can be reached by a path extending from the main road.  This is the oldest monastery on the island, with a path leading down to Kechria beach below (photo to the right).  From the new road running from the south to the northwest coast, you can easily reach the pretty monastery called Kounistra, offering a lovely view, excellent icons, and a carved iconostasis.

Exploring the many glorious beaches of Skiathos is easily done by public bus or with car or bike hire.  A paved road closely follows the coastline from Chora on the east coast and around the south to Koukounaries on the west coast.  To supplement the lack of roads running from beyond Koukounaries and to the north to Kastro, there are many caiques with regular fixed schedules and destinations, all departing from Chora from the secondary port next to Bourtzi.  Starting from Chora and working south, the nearest beach is Megali Amos and the resort of Ftelia, which gets quite crowded for its nearness to town; next is Vassilias, followed by Achliadies and Tzaneries, all very busy, well-developed resorts with good beaches.  The next major spot is Kanapitsa, which is situated on the Kalamaki peninsula, and offers a wide variety of water sports and a diving center.  As you begin to work your way along the southern coast, you will find the lovely beaches of Vromolimnos, Ag. Paraskevi (photo to the left), and Platanias, all excellent beaches with marvelous swimming.  The pretty beach of Troullos is perfectly situated opposite some small islets, which add to the charm of its long crescent shape.  The connecting road north to the Kounistra Monastery and to the beaches of Aselinos starts from here.

If you continue following this route along the coast, you will next reach one of the most often-photographed beaches of Greece, Koukounaries.  This is the last stop on the public bus.  You’ll find a magnificent beach with a lake positioned behind it, and the sand beach lined with parasol or umbrella pine trees.  These imposing trees form a small forest, one of the three such forests existing in Greece, all Ramsar sites and wetlands. This species of pine, with edible seeds, only grow where they have access to brackish water.  The lake behind the beach has a narrow tiny canal connecting it to the beach; this is how the lake water gets slightly salinated and suitable for the parasol pine trees, which is what actually Koukounaries means!

Nearby you can walk to the beaches of Krassa (Banana Beach) and Ag. Eleni.  You are now on the tiny west coast of the island.  After you round the promontory and beyond the pine forest that separates Koukounaries from the north coast, you will arrive to Mandraki (by foot path from Koukounaries).  This is another beautiful sand beach backed by high sand dunes, and with a very dramatic presence.  Further along is the beach of Elia, fairly quiet and a bit isolated, but with a snack bar.  The next two beaches, Megalos Aselinos and Mikros Aselinos can both be reached by the main road to the Kounistra Monastery.  Further on, the magnificent beach of Lalaria can only be reached by caique.  It is a stunning beach backed and surrounded by perforated white cliffs.  The daily caique excursions will explore some inaccessible areas on the north coast, including some of the grottos, particularly the cave of Skotini.  This is something that should not be missed!