Getaways to islands and seaside destinations to kick off summer - From the Ionian to Mani and the Cyclades.
The long weekend of Holy Spirit gives many the chance for a short escape and a first taste of summer holidays. From Pelion to Mani and from the Ionianto the Cyclades, we’ve gathered and recommend seven enchanting destinations to change your scenery and enjoy strolls through picturesque villages along with the first swims of summer.
Laconian Mani
Discover the wild Laconian side of Mani, stopping at as many villages as you can. Gythio,a beautiful seaside town built amphitheatrically, with colorful neoclassical buildings mirrored in the sea,will surely keep you for hours or serve as your base for excursions in the area. Continue to Areopoli, the liveliest town in Mani. The entire old fortified settlement is designated traditional, while its cobbled alleys are filled with tavernas and lovely bars. Descending from Areopoli toward the sea, the enchanting Limeni emerges, one of the most picturesque settlements in Greece, where crystalline waters reach the stone-built houses.
Oitylo is another beautiful traditional settlement with stone tower-houses, harmoniously combining mountain and sea. After a stop at the famous Diros Caves, continue south to the seaside Gerolimenas with its blue-green waters. At the southern tip of the Mani peninsula stands imposing Vatheia. Built in a wild landscape, with its stone tower-houses clinging to a slope, it is perhaps Mani’s most photographed village. Last stop on your tour, the southernmost tip of mainland Europe: Cape Tainaro, where, according to mythology, the gate to Hades stood.
Eastern Pelion
Mountain and sea, history and nature, hiking on countless trails and scenic drives, come together nowhere better than in Eastern Pelion, above the Aegean. Its villages may lead you into the forest to discover the magic of Pelion’s nature while at the same time sending you to gorgeous beaches. Zagora, the largest and most historic village, widely known for its famed apples, is an ideal choice for strolls with traditional character and views of the Aegean. Kissos and Mouresi, villages spread across an area of outstanding natural beauty, draw nature lovers like a magnet.Lush Tsagarada, divided into four districts (Agioi Taxiarches, Agia Paraskevi, Agios Stefanos and Agia Kyriaki), has beautiful squares and churches, traditional mansions and stone-paved alleys.
If you like hiking, don’t miss following the trail that starts from the district of Agia Paraskevi in Tsagarada and, after a walk through the forest, ends at the village of Damouchari (known from the film Mamma Mia) with its lovely natural little harbor and then continues to the seaside resort of Agios Ioannis.The exotic Mylopotamos, the tiny cove of Fakistra, Plaka, Papa Nero, Agioi Saranta and Horefto are just some of the enchanting beaches on this side of Pelion.
Northern Evia
An affordable and nearby destination, at least for Athens, Northern Evia combines everything and has offered much to the traveler. After a stroll along the seafront in Chalkida, admiring the «crazy» waters of the Euripus, you head uphill... Your first stop is Limni. The ‘seafaring town’ with an Aegean aura is amphitheatrically laid out so that every house enjoys a sea view. Next you’ll reach Rovies, built within an olive grove. The alternation of mountain and sea is unique. Here you’ll relax on a long beach with fine pebbles and sand and deep-blue waters.
Nature lovers should add a stroll to the Drymonas waterfalls, located between the villages of Kerasia and Drymonas, at an altitude of 620 meters. Next stop, Aidipsos. Greece’s largest spa town, with centuries of tradition thanks to its famed thermal springs, is a year-round destination. Thermal springs bubble up from the sea or pour down from above, allowing visitors to combine a swim in the sea with balneotherapy. Reaching the northwestern tip of Evia, on the Lichada peninsula you’ll find some of the island’s most beautiful beaches: Gialtra, Gregolimano, Agios Georgios and of course the famous Lichadonisia - otherwise known as the «Seychelles of Greece» – which you can visit by boat from Kavos.
Lefkada
It is an island, but you can arrive by car (in about 4 hours from Athens). And that is one of Lefkada’s big advantages. The ‘mainland’ island of the Ionian is blessed with dramatic landscapes and some of Greece’s finest beaches. Lefkada Town has a distinctive character and the alleys of its historic center hide surprises. The island’s east side, with calm, shallow seas, is ideal for family holidays, while the west is lined with striking, wild beaches with sheer cliffs, white sand and turquoise waters.
The most famous beaches on the island are Porto Katsiki and Egremnoi, which draw many millions of tourists from all over the world. Also famed are cosmopolitan Kathisma, Pefkoulia, Mylos, the beaches below Kalamitsi (Kavalikefta, Avali, Megali Petra), as well as Vasiliki, Ai Giannis and Myloi, favored mainly by windsurfers and kitesurfers. For nature lovers, there are the waterfalls at Dimosari, just outside Nidri, as well as the Melissa Gorge. For a break from the beaches, seek mountain coolness in the squares of the mountain villages of Karya and Englouvi, and in Exanthia, Lefkada’s lovely main village, which gazes over the Ionian from an elevation of 600 meters.
Tzia
Tzia, also known as Kea, is just one hour by boat from Lavrio and is the closest inhabited Cycladic island to Attica. Ioulida, the island’s capital, built amphitheatrically on the hills of Kastro and Mylos, is one of the most beautiful island capitals in the Cyclades. For swimming choose Yaliskari, a beach with golden sand and azure waters, or Spathi, Poisses, Xyla and Koundouros.
For food and drink, it’s worth going to Vourkari, a traditional fishing village that is a popular destination for sailors and food lovers. The island is also famed for its trails. Exploring them is enchanting, as you cross oak forests and encounter traditional stone-built springs and quaint chapels, ending at small coves and wonderful beaches.
Spetses
With the big advantage of easy access (just two hours from Piraeus by hydrofoil and 10 minutes from the small port of Kosta in Argolida), Spetses is always the reliable refuge for an escape with island air. The holiday scene includes romantic carriage rides, pines that reach down to turquoise waters, mansions steeped in history, monuments that testify to the great maritime tradition and a history intertwined with the Revolution of ’21, cosmopolitan life and exciting activities that never end.
The stately town of Spetses invites rides by traditional carriages and strolls past the mansions of the captains of the Revolution, while touring the island - by bicycle or some watercraft (cars are not allowed) - will reveal beaches where pines descend to the turquoise waters. For the first dips, note the «back» beaches of the island, Agioi Anargyroi, Agia Paraskevi and Zogeria, or Agia Marina and Kaiki if you want something closer to town.
Serifos
So close to Athens, yet at the same time so remote, Serifos hides priceless treasures worth discovering. Its more than 70 wonderful beaches, the Chora with its authentic Cycladic character and the still-visible traces of the island’s rich mining past give Serifos a unique allure. Strolls in the Chora usually start from the little church of Agios Konstantinos at the Venetian castle with its spellbinding view, to end at the bustling Pano Piatsa. The picturesque central square, with the neoclassical Town Hall and the imposing church of Agios Athanasios, looks like a movie set. Everyone will pass through here for coffee, meze and an evening drink.
Serifos’ trump card is its gorgeous beaches with crystal-blue waters. The closest to the Chora and the port are the sandy beaches of Avlomonas and Livadakia. Further east you’ll find Psili Ammos, a beach that the Sunday Times had named as the «best beach in Europe», Platy Gialos and the double beach of Agios Sostis with the church of the same name.Among the island’s most popular beaches is Ganema, with its long stretch of sand bordering the equally notable Vagia. If you’re seeking a beautiful and secluded beach, dive intoKalo Ampeli,in the southern part of Serifos.
