Alonnisos: Where green embraces blue

Alonnisos – Sporades. Perhaps the most virgin of all, or at least comparable in purity to Skyros. Surrendered to its turquoise and blue waters. “Dressed” with continuous pine forests. This is Alonissos. With an atmospheric Chora, with a cosmopolitan air (since many foreign residents found here a sanctuary), with an important water park, and many routes for walking. If there are three adjectives that suit her perfectly, they are: sophisticated, interesting, and ecological.

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Alonnisos – Sporades: What to see and do

You are in the Sporades and Alonnisos. Stop for coffee, drinks, and food at the port and the bustling capital, Patitiri. It owes its name to the wine presses, as the locals’ main occupation was viticulture. At the edge of the harbor, you will find a small beach with turquoise, transparent waters, and higher up, you will see steep, pale yellow rocks with scattered pine trees.

In the evenings, these rocks are illuminated with spotlights. Where the mouth of the bay opens to the sea, two uninhabited islets known as The Two Brothers.

Walks that combine food in a “delicious” fish tavern along with an even more “delicious” beach in the following settlements: Megalos Mourtias, Votsi, Rousoum Gialos, Leftos Gialos, Steni Vala, Kalamakia, and Ai-Dimitris.

See the interesting old churches in the Old Village. Christ (Nativity), with the wood-carved iconostasis of the 17th century, Agios Athanasios, Ag. George and Ag. Dimitrios.

“Repetitive” walks in Chora. The old settlement of Alonnisos, built on a steep rock 200 meters above sea level, at a strategic point, and with a great view from above. Traditional physiognomy, tidy, beautiful houses, and paved streets.

In 1965, an earthquake dealt a … strong blow to the island, especially to Chora of Alonissos, which had to be reborn from its ashes. In Chora is Megalos Mourtias, with a beautiful beach and taverns.

A day trip to the deserted islands of the Marine Park. It should be noted that the Marine Park of Alonnisos is one of the last refuges for the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), the rarest mammal in Europe and one of the most endangered species in the world. Apart from Alonissos, the park spreads over six smaller islands and twenty-two dry islands.

Some are even of archaeological interest and are accessible by boat. With the latter, you can swim in Strovili, Blue Cave, Lechouni, Turkou Tomb, and near the chapel of Agioi Anargyroi. Also on the islands of Peristera, Kyra Panagia, and Psathoura.

Indulge in hiking. The municipality of Alonnisos has placed particular emphasis on promoting the island as a hiking destination. For this reason, old paths have been reconfigured, giving visitors a different feeling and offering them another “amenity” they may not have originally thought of.

What could be more beautiful to walk in nature and take a sneak peek at the blue sea. The route from Patitiri to Chora is worth it. There is a path towards Mount Kalovoulos. Add the route Agioi Anargyroi – Tourkoneri to the list. More or less an hour each route or less.

Alonnisos – beaches: where to swim

The moment has come that all travelers who will set foot in Alonissos have been waiting for. Where will they dive on the island of the Sporades? The options are many. For some, the best beach on the island is Agios Dimitrios, a beach with clear blue waters and pebbles on the shore. It is an organized beach that is very often visited by dolphins.

Equally beautiful is the beach of Leftos Gialos. Gerakas is the most remote beach of the island, in the north, 17 km from Patitiri. It has coarse pebbles and in some places stones. Note even Glyfa, a beach with white pebbles and sand in the sea. It is a long, well-organized beach with sunbeds and umbrellas.

Golden Milia and Agios Petros (with sand and fine pebbles, while in the afternoon the trees create nice shade) are two beaches that… are a must-visit. Add Draft, Agios Petros, and Megali Ammos to your list.

You will spend special moments in Votsi, the small fishing village of the Sporades.

On Kokkinokastro beach, you will see the ruins of the ancient homonymous wall.

Indulge in diving! There is no better reason to dive into the waters of Alonissos than the marine park of the island. In its waters lies the shipwreck of Peristera, which was accidentally discovered in 1985 by a local fisherman. Underwater archaeologists began coordinated underwater excavations in the 1990s. The merchant ship was loaded with wine amphorae from ancient Mendi in present-day Halkidiki, and ancient Peparithos, the island of Skopelos today. The ship’s destination was probably Athens, and its last voyage took place in the 5th century BC, during the Classical Era.

The underwater space has unparalleled aesthetic beauty, and its discovery is of global importance for the technology used in its construction. Until the discovery of this shipwreck, ships of the same size and volume were thought to have been built only during the Roman era, i.e., three centuries after this shipwreck, which proved that shipbuilding art and technology were far ahead of their time. To see this unparalleled beauty up close, you need to have a minimum level of diving certification. If you cannot see Peristera, you can definitely dive in the Alonnisos Marine Park. Even with zero diving knowledge, there are companies that train you one day and dive with you in the park the next.

Where to eat in Alonnisos

And we arrived at the main… A necessary stop at the Women’s Cooperative in Patitiri, which has been operating for 18 years. Here you will buy wonderful local sweets and the famous tuna of Alonnisos in a jar. In Steni Vala, everyone makes a stop at the Ikion café, which, apart from diving lessons, also makes delicious dishes – lobster spaghetti, Greek salad with tsitsiravla and kritama, sweet sultana to lick your fingers, and apple pie.

In Steni Vala, everyone also drinks water in honor of the famous cook Tassia, who runs Tassia’s restaurant. And what you will not try there. Artichokes a la polita that writhe, dreamy vlitas, and all the vegetables from Mrs. Tassia’s garden. And also zucchini flowers, croquettes stuffed with feta cheese, fish from their own boat, Alonnisos cheese pie with homemade phyllo, meatball-loukoumi, etc., etc.

Note also that in one of the most beautiful beaches of Alonnisos,  Agios Dimitrios, where the green of the pine trees meets the blue of the sea, stands the delicious corner of Mrs. Magda. In this quiet and hospitable place by the sea, you will drink your coffee or beer and taste exquisite homemade flavors – among them the famous cheese pie of Alonissos and the cunning meatballs. In general, all the traditional recipes of Mrs. Magda will excite you (to say the least).

In short…

If you are a lover of the natural, unspoiled landscape, mild tourism, and the islands that are revealed to the visitor little by little, Alonnisos will meet 100% of these expectations.