KARPATHOS
Vacations and Sightseeing
Vacations and Sightseeing
| Basic information | |
| Official language | Greek |
| Capital | Karpathos Town (Pigadia) |
| Area | 325 km² |
| Population | 5,394 (2021) |
| Currency | euro (EUR) |
| Web | .gr |
| Code. | GRC |
| Tel. | +30 |
Popular destinations GREECE
| Aegina | Alonissos | Andros |
| Chios | Corfu | Crete |
| Hydra | Kalymnos | Karpathos |
| Kefalonia | Kos | Lefkas |
| Lesbos | Mykonos | Naxos |
| Paros | Patmos | Peloponnese |
| Poros | Rhodes | Samos |
| Santorini | Skiathos | Skopelos |
| Spetses | Thasos | Zakynthos |
Vacations and Sightseeing
Ferries call at the main port and the island's capital since 1894, Karpathos Town or Pigadia, in south-eastern Karpathos. Karpathos Town is a modern town, a burgeoning tourist resort at the southern end of the picturesque Vrondi Bay. The bay is a three-kilometre stretch north-west along the coast from the harbour. Arkassa is one of the most important holiday resorts on Karpathos.
The most beautiful beaches of Karpathos are on the east coast of the island: Ahata, Apélla (named the best beach in the Mediterranean by a German travel organisation in 2003), the beautiful sandy beach Agios Nikolaos near Arkassa, Kato Lako and Kira Panagia. To the north there are the creek beaches of Agios Minas and Forókli, and to the west there is Vanada beach at Diafani and Gialou Horafi beach at Levkos. Amopí is the main and busiest resort of Karpathos with the Pouliou Potami beach and the clearest waters of the Aegean. Many beaches on Karpathos can only be reached by boat.
The most beautiful beach on the island of Kassos is Helatros beach. Other beautiful, but difficult to reach beaches are those of Avlaki and Chokhlakia. Apart from the beautiful sandy beaches and crystal clear waters in the south-east of Karpathos, the other main attraction of Karpathos is in the north.
In the remote but quaint village of Olymbos (named after the famous mountain of the gods on the Pelopponnesus), time seems to have stood still and one feels as if one is in a living museum. Situated on an inhospitable 600-metre-high ledge on the west coast of the northern peninsula, this 15th-century village was for a long time virtually cut off from the inhabited world. The older women still dress in elaborately embroidered 19th-century costumes, with white or black headscarves and goatskin boots. On religious holidays, especially at Easter, they still wear beautiful festive garments. They also still grind grain in the old windmills and bake bread in communal ovens. Some of the inhabitants speak an ancient dialect with words from Doric times. In some cases, the old "matrilineal" inheritance system, whereby the mother's property is passed on to the eldest daughter, still applies. Olymbos is also known for its many windmills, some of which are hundreds of years old. About 75 windmills or their remains can be found in Olymbos, 30 are still in reasonable condition and four are still grinding grain and producing flour.
The car-free Mesochori and Spoa, two of the oldest villages on Karpathos, are also very similar to the folkloric, traditional Olymbos.
In Othos, the highest village on Karpathos (450 m), is the Karpathos House Museum, an ethnological museum with fine examples of Karpathian pottery, furniture, ancient tools and embroidery. An archaeological museum, opened in 2005, is located in Karpathos Town, with ancient coins, a very old baptismal font and pottery. The oldest findings are from around 4000 BC. Arkassa houses a small museum with archaeological findings, Menetés has a museum of folk art and Pylé an agricultural museum.
Karpathos is also a diver's paradise with many diving locations. Those dive sites have beautiful names like Kastelia Reef, the Labyrinth, Sea Bream Alley, Fokias Reef, Ahata Arch, Stingray Nest, Camel Reef, MS Dias Wreck, Falcon Reef, Alimounda Arch, Bullet Reef, Vronti Caves and St. Peter's Cathedral.
Sources
Wikipedia
CIA - World Factbook
BBC - Country Profiles
Copyright: Team The World of Info