Introduction to Skiros

47km (25 nautical miles) from Kimi; 182km (113 miles) from Athens

Skyros is an island with good beaches, attractive whitewashed pillbox architecture, picturesque surroundings, low prices -- yet relatively few tourists. Why? Quite simply, it's difficult to get to. Olympic provides a direct air link, and in the summer occasional ferries and hydrofoils link Skyros to the other Sporades as well as to ports on the mainland, but these links are either fairly infrequent or involve land transportation to ports that are not on most tourists' itineraries. Aside from that, most visitors to the Sporades seem to prefer the more thickly forested (and thickly touristed) islands. Others of us, however, think Skyros's more meager tourist facilities and the stark contrast between sea, sky, and rugged terrain make it all the more inviting.

Also, many Skyrians have been ambivalent about developing this very traditional island for tourism. Until about 1990, only a handful of hotels existed on the entire island. Since then, Skyros has seen a miniboom in the tourist business, and with the completion of a giant marina, it's been attracting increasing numbers of visitors. Don't let this deter you, however; at least for now, Skyros remains an ideal place for a getaway.