SKOPELOS
Vacations and Sightseeing
Vacations and Sightseeing
| Basic information | |
| Official language | Greek |
| Capital | Skopelos Town |
| Area | 96 km² |
| Population | 4,454 (2015) |
| 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
Skopelos Town, popularly known as Chóra, is the capital of the island. It is situated on a beautiful bay and surrounded by pine trees. This town retains its traditional charm and remains far away from mass tourism. It is a beautiful small town that reminds you of a fairy tale, with its beautiful whitewashed houses with red tiled roofs, flower gardens and balconies. The recently opened and visitable (Antigoni) Vakratsas house is a typical example of such a house built according to Venetian architecture. Other building types are the Pilio and Macedonian, the neo-classical and the rural style. There are many small white churches, narrow streets, alleys and steps.
Above the town are the remains of a Venetian Kastro, built in the 13th century by the Ghisi family. The way to the top is difficult to find when you are in the middle of the city, but the view is worth the walk to the top.
It is also worth visiting the Museum of Folk Art (since 1992) with icons, paintings, ceramics, black and white photographs, costumes, embroidery, tools, models of ships and traditional furniture of the island. Of particular interest is the typical Skopelos' wedding room with bridal wear and a bridal bed. The village of Glossa also has a Folk Art Museum, with traditional costumes and typical household items. Other museums are the Historical Museum in the Pavlos Nivranas House. Pavlos Nirvanas (pseudonym of Petros K. Apostolidis, 1866-1937) was a writer, not born on Skopelos, but considered the island, the birthplace of his father, as such. The history of Skopelos and of Skopelos Town, in historical, cultural, social and economic terms, is on display.
Skopelos has many beautiful sandy and pebble beaches, especially in the southwest of the island between Staphilos and Loutraki, where the blue-green water is crystal clear and the pine trees often grow right down to the beach. Some of the beaches are also naturist.
One of the most beautiful beaches is the pebble beach of Panormos. This beach is enclosed in a beautiful bay, closed by two small islands at the entrance. Panormos is popular and can get very crowded in the summer, but offers sunbeds, umbrellas and various water sports. Close to the beach is the small town of Panormos with tavernas, hotels and cafes.
Beautiful beaches are also those of Velanio (official nudist beach), Stafilos (sand and pebble), Agnondas (pebble and white sand), Limnonari (white sand), Kastani (sand), Glysteri (pebble), Perivoliou (pebble), Mari, Vathias, Kastoriá (sand and pebble) Antrines, Adrina and Adrinakia (pebble), Armenopetra (pebble), Hondrogiorgi (pebble), Kanalaki or Pethameni (sand), Hovolo (pebble and sand), Agios Konstantinos (sand), Agios Ioannis (pebble), Amarandos, Megalo Pefko, Sares (pebble) Neo Klima Elios (pebble), Glossa, Kalyves, Karkatzouna, Ftelia and Neraki, Ekatopenintari, Linarakia, Loutraki (pebble), Spilia, Chlia Stefani (pebble), Mavraki (pebble), Glyfoneri (sand and pebble) and Milia (longest pebble beach on Skopelos). There are also many bays on Skopelos that are difficult to reach, often only by water.
Skopelos, Greece's greenest island, is also great for hiking. There are many monasteries on the island that are easily accessible on foot. Beautiful monasteries include the Monastery of Panagia Evangelistria, which is located 3km east of Skopelos Town, on a mountainside. This monastery was founded in 1712 and offers a beautiful view of the island. The Monastery of Timios Prodromos was built in the 17th century and is open to the public. It houses a small museum with sacred icons, ecclesiastical relics and old papers.
The church of Agios Ioannis Kastri is world famous as the little white church from Abba's film Mamma Mia. At this church, the actress Meyl Streep sings ABBA's song 'The winner takes it all'. Of course, there are boat tours that visit all the famous film locations.
In the interior of Skopelos there are still many kalívia, farm houses with plum ovens in the yard.
Skopelos is also known for its many footpaths, many of them old mule tracks ('kalderimia') and quiet country lanes. Near Mount Delphi, there are four ancient tombs, dated by historians to the Roman period. The tombs are carved out of the rock and have a boulder as cover stone.
In the north of Skopelos is the Gourouni lighthouse. It is one of the oldest Greek lighthouses, built in 1889.
Sources
Wikipedia
CIA - World Factbook
BBC - Country Profiles
Last updated March 2024Copyright: Team The World of Info