Greek Island Guide
Northern Aegean Islands

These islands are in general less popular than those of the Cyclades and the Dodekanese though they are no less beautiful and in may ways have retained their Greekness more than the very popular islands. Ferries to these islands generally leave in the late afternoon or early evening and you arrive in the morning, in some cases very early. Click on these links or scroll down. You can use the top button to return. When you finish you can use this link or the link at the bottom of the page to return to Greek Island Synopsis Main Menu

Chios	Ikaria	Limnos	Lesvos	Samos	Samothraki	Thassos

You can e-mail me if you have questions about the Greek Islands, itineraries, ferry connections, hotels or anything actually- Matt Barrett

Chios: The Home of Christopher Columbus
The port is a city with traffic and buses. Lots of interesting fortress villages known as Mastichochoria for their historic manufactoring of Mastika, a gummy sap that had major value in cosmetics and medicine before the use of petroleum and still used for a variety of purposes (including a kind of chewing gum and a liquor). Chios is one of the most beautiful of the Aegean islands and has a capable bus system. Renting a car is the best way to see it though. The tiny island of Psara is accessable only from Chios. Be sure to read Was Columbus Greek? An article about his possible origins on the island of Chios. Daily boats from Pireaus take about 8 hours and arrive at 4am. They continue on to Lesvos, Limnos and on some days to Kavala or Thessaloniki. There is also a boat that goes to and from Volos once a week and another to Samos and the majorr islands in the Dodecanese.

For hotel descriptions, bookings and rates visit: www.hotelsofgreece.com
You can find great houses to rent in Chios and there are also very nice B and B's. For more information contact Ana Kamais at www.greecetravel.com/villas

For hotels and travel arrangements contact Hahathakis Tours

See my new Chios site at www.greektravel.com/greekislands/chios

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Ikaria
Hot springs at Therma and Therma Lefkada . The Port of Ag. Kyrikos is the main town as well. Arministis is the island's main resort town and is surrounded by forests and fine beaches.There is an art school here called the Hellenic Cultural Center that may be worth checking out. They offer classes in Greek language and other programs as well. Ikaria is known for its apricots and lack of tourists. It was the Ikarians who dredged the Cape Fear river making Wilmington, North Carolina's primary seaport because it was a source for pine resin (as in Retsina). The Fourni islands , between Ikaria and Samos are a group of small islands with secluded beaches, accessable by small caique from Ag. Kyrikos that are well worth a visit if you like to swim and spend your time in small fish tavernas. Connected by ferry to Samos with a daily boat to and from Pireaus, nine hours away.
For more detailed information on Ikaria see Alexia Amvrazzi's article at www.greektravel.com/greekislands/ikaria

If you are looking for a non-touristy island this might be for you.
For hotel descriptions, bookings and rates visit: www.hotelsofgreece.com

For hotels and travel arrangements contact Hahathakis Tours

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Limnos
Far enough away to have avoided the mass tourism which has infected other islands, Limnos has some of the best beaches in the Aegean. The town of Myrina is famous for its excellent fish restaurants and massive volcanic rocks. There are ferries from Pireaus, Thessloniki and Kavala and excursion boats to the nearby island of Agis Efstratos.
For hotel descriptions, bookings and rates visit: www.hotelsofgreece.com

For hotels and travel arrangements contact Hahathakis Tours

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Lesvos: More Than Just Another Greek island

Molyvos, Lesvos I love this island which is known by the name of Mytilini. City port. Great market. The best food, especially seafood. Famous for ouzo and sardines. Try Dimino and Gianatsi which are my favorites and are distilled in the traditional way. Popular brands like Mini, Plomari and Veto are better than the commerical brands you will find in the airport or at home. (tip: to find the best ouzo check the alchohol content. The closer to 40%, the better the taste). The sardines come from two big bays, Yera and Kaloni. Erressos is the birthplace of Sapho. It's one of the best beaches in the world and a popular family destination as well as alternative travelers meaning in this case gay women, spiritually-minded and poets. Molyvos is built around a medieval castle. Many foreigners, some visiting, some living there. There's a Zen center and other spiritual and cultural forums. Plomari is famous for having the best ouzo, and the strongest. Kaloni is the bird-watching capital of Europe and has more wildflowers then anywhere in Greece. The best sardines too. Thermal spas at Skala Thermi, Eftalou and Yeros which people say can cure a variety of ailments. (They worked on my back). The beach at Vatera is about seven kilometers long. The town of Sigri has beautiful beaches, most long and empty and a summer wind that keeps the place so cool you don't need air-conditioning. The island is big. Too big for motorbikes. You will need a car if you want to explore but you can be perfectly happy without one. If my description of Crete has scared you off, come here instead. Ask for me in Vatoussa or Xidera where I hang out. The Sunrise Hotel is Luxury at economy prices. Also the Sea Horse in Molyvos is right in the harbor and is cheap. Lesvos is inexpensive ! You can save money by going here and have as much fun or more then you will elsewhere.

Ferries leave Pireaus at dusk and arrive in Mytilini at 7am every day, stopping in Chios. Some continue on to Limnos, Thessaloniki and Kavala. There is also a ferry that connects Lesvos with Samos and the Dodecanessos once a week. There are also connections to Volos, Psara, Samothrace, Alexandropoulis and Syros in the Cyclades. The town of Sigri had a boat to Rafina once a week and may again. The Maritime Company of Lesvos has recently bought a high-speed ferry which cuts the journey in half, making it almost as easy to get to the island as it is to go to the Cyclades. But there are no cabins and in my opinion I would rather stay in a cabin for 12 hours than sit in a chair for six. There is also an international airport so close to the beach that you can go for a swim if your flight is delayed. See my Lesvos page at www.lesvos.com which some people say is my best website

Check out the Hotel Aphrodite on beautiful and endless Vatera Beach. Canadian owned by a family with kids so if you are traveling with yours you know the value of having others nearby.
See www.hotelsofgreece.com/northaegean/lesvos/aphrodite

For houses and villas on Lesvos see www.greecetravel.com/villas

For Fly and drive holidays (that means you fly there and you get a car with your hotel) see www.fantasytravelofgreece.com

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Samos
Big and green. Nice beaches. Tourism is down here for some reason so take advantage while you can. Car or bike essential. Industrial city of Karlavassi with deserted warehouses and factories would make a cool set for a movie about the end of the world and is an up and coming tourist destination with bars,cafes and restaurants. The main port is busy but fun. Samos was the island that was on fire for a week during the summer of 2000. But don't let that scare you away because even though some of the forests in the interior of the island were pretty much destroyed, the coastal areas, beaches and resorts were unscathed and tourists given the choice to continue their holiday elsewhere opted to stay. Day trips to Turkey. Ephesus is fantastic, an entire ruined ancient city. Check out the Hotel Anema-by-the-Sea run by Greek-Canadians Toula and Diamantis Foustanellas. You can also see her description of the island.

For hotels on Samos see www.hotelsofgreece.com

For hotels and travel arrangements contact Hahathakis Tours

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Samothraki
This small island between Limnos and Alexandroupolis in Thrace is one to the most beautiful islands and boasts the highest mountain of all the Aegean islands. It is an island of forests and olive groves, springs and waterfalls and has some of the most abundant wildlife in Greece. Though virtually unknown to to tourists, many Greeks visit the island during July and especially in August. Daily ferry connections to Alexandropoulis and several a week to Kavala. There is also a boat to Lesvos and in the summer a hydrofoil service to Limnos, Thassos, Kavala, Halkidiki, Porto Lagos and Alexandropoulis. The Winged Nike of Samothrace in the Louvre Museum in Pariscame from here.

For hotels and travel arrangements contact Hahathakis Tours

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Thassos
Beautiful island in the Northern Eastern Aegean that used to be popular with Germans because they could drive down easily when there was not all the problems in Yugoslovia. It's still a beautiful island and even more so with fewer tourists. You have to take the ferry from Kavala which leaves every hour and there are 6 hydrofoils a day in the summer. Great beaches. See Steve Allan's Thassos Information

For hotels on Thassos see www.hotelsofgreece.com

For hotels and travel arrangements contact Hahathakis Tours

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