Alonissos

Alonissos

Alonissos is an island that stayed quiet while Skiathos and Skopelos next door got famous, and it’s better for it. Deep green, covered in pine and olive and dense maquis that drops straight into water so clean it’s part of the National Marine Park — the first and largest in Greece — where the Mediterranean monk seal still actually lives.

It is not an island of big resorts and beach clubs. You base yourself in Patitiri, the port town rebuilt after the earthquake, or up in the Old Village, Chora, where stone houses with bougainvillea look over the sea and you can hear cicadas louder than any music. Days are boats to beaches like Agios Dimitrios and Leftos Gialos, or better, a boat into the marine park to islands like Peristera and Kyra Panagia where no one lives. Evenings are slow grilled fish, local tuna, and that feeling that the Sporades are still wild if you pick the right one. Alonissos is the right one.

If you want wild and green, this is your island

This one’s for people who want pine trees down to the sea and water so clear you can count fish. Alonissos is in the Northern Sporades, the quietest of the three main ones next to Skiathos and Skopelos. It’s lush, hilly, and wrapped in the National Marine Park of Alonissos and Northern Sporades, the first marine park in Greece, set up in 1992. It includes Alonissos plus six islands and 22 islets, home to the endangered Mediterranean monk seal. If you like nature more than nightclubs, you’ll get it here. Two main places, Patitiri the harbour where ferries come in, and Old Alonissos, or Chora, up the hill. Chora was hit by the 1965 earthquake and rebuilt, stone houses, little alleys, Byzantine churches, Venetian bits, and sunset views over the whole park. Beaches are natural, not built up. Think white pebbles, pines tumbling into azure water. Best ones are Agios Dimitrios, that famous double-sided peninsula you see in all the photos, Chrisi Milia, Marpounta, Tzortzi Gialos, Megalos Mourtias, and the quieter coves up north like Milia and Lefkos. Most are organised lightly, taverna and sunbeds, but not loud. There’s hiking everywhere, trails through pine and olive to old chapels, plus boat trips into the Marine Park to Kyra Panagia, Piperi, Gioura, Psathoura, Skantzoura and Peristera. Water is insanely clean by Mediterranean standards because it’s protected, fish and marine life everywhere. Evenings are low-key. Harbour fish taverna in Patitiri, wine bar in Chora, early nights. It’s perfect if you want peace, snorkelling, hiking, and you love wildlife. Great for couples and nature lovers who don’t need a party scene. It’s not for you if you want big sandy beaches and clubs. Beaches are mostly pebble and the island is deliberately quiet, that’s the point of the park.

Getting here and making it easy

Alonissos takes a bit more effort than the Saronic, but it’s worth it. Most common way is via Volos in Thessaly, about 330km north of Athens. Ferry from Volos to Patitiri, four hours with Hellenic Seaways or ANES Ferries, or just over three hours with Aegean Flying Dolphins. Distance is about 106km by sea. Tickets around 35 to 55 euro. You can also hop from Skiathos, about 1.5 hours, or Skopelos, about 30 to 45 minutes. To get to Volos, fly UK to Athens or Thessaloniki, about 3.5 to 4 hours, then bus or car to Volos, or fly UK to Skiathos direct in summer, about 3.5 hours, then ferry over. Best time is May to October. June and September are perfect, 25 to 28 degrees, sea 23 to 26, everything open but not packed. July and August is 29 to 32, busy with Greek families, book rooms early. May is super green and quiet, good for hiking. On the ground, stay in Patitiri if you want ferry convenience and tavernas, or Chora Old Alonissos if you want views and romance. Rooms are family hotels and studios, 70 to 110 euro shoulder, 110 to 190 euro August. There’s a bus linking Patitiri, Chora and beaches, plus taxis and scooter hire. The park has rules, no free camping, no fires, that’s because of fire hazard and protection, so don’t pitch a tent in the forest. Bring hiking shoes, not just flip flops, reef shoes for pebble beaches, and cash for small boat tours into the Marine Park, around 40 to 60 euro for a full day. Book ferries a day or two ahead in high season, and give yourself a buffer if you’re flying from Skiathos, weather can delay boats.

Sources

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Last Updated on August 26, 2026 by admin