Skopelos Greece Travel and Holiday Guides.

Skopelos Greece Tavernas, Beaches, car-hire and sightseeing holiday guides for the Greek Island of Skopelos.

Skopelos is covered with trees, has good tracks and paths for walking and hiking and is really peaceful.

We went on holiday to Skopelos Greece - and stayed in Skopelos Town - in the second half of June 2003 and were delighted to find it to be a typical small Greek Island with a laid back atmosphere, as always very freindly people and good (and inexpensive) food. Skopelos Town has a great little port to wander around and the tavernas are perfect to sit in during the evening and watch the rest of the world pass by - just what you would expect and hope to find on a Greek Island - and just as importantly (for us anyway) there are plenty of tracks and paths available for hikers too.
Skopelos is very hilly, in fact apart from the 4 or 5kms between Skopelos Town and Stafilos (which only rises between the two coasts a little) you are pushed to find anywhere particularly flat for more than a few hundred yards. Skopelos Town is quite quiet with very little traffic - the front by the tavernas and bars is shut to traffic (allegedly) in the evenings so mostly only people (beware of prams) and a couple of pony/horse carriages are likely to potentially mow you down. We were told that the town gets very busy from mid July and then through into August since many Greeks from the mainland as well as Italians arrive for their summer holidays - then even getting a table in one of the many tavernas during the evening can be difficult.

Buses and Taxis and Ferries. When we arrived in mid-June the bus service was fairly limited through the day with sometimes 2 hour gaps between services and not all buses going right through to Glossa. However by the second week more and more buses were being added to the timetable. The longest route is between Skopelos Town to Loutraki and takes about an hour and at the time cost 3 euros for two of us..
The buses do pretty well keep to timetable - they do however get very very packed - especially if you want to get on at Stafilos to return to Skopelos Town on the last bus. One early evening the last bus arrived and already maybe a dozen people on it were standing, and am sure around another 30 or so of us then got on - talk about sardines.

Taxis can be found near where the hydrofoils come in (Skopelos Town harbour) and are quite reasonable - a bit of negotiating is always worth while on the cost for your journey and anyway as normal the price should be agreed prior with the driver (around 8 to 10 euros seemed to get you quite a way most often). Taxis also linger around Panormos, Glossa and Loutraki.

There is a very good ferry and hydrofoil service between Sciathos - Skopelos as well as the mainland - the hydrofoil trip between Sciathos and Skopelos takes about 45 minutes - they are quite small hydrofoils with good windows so you can get a good view of both islands on the trip since the boats keep quite close to the two coastlines. Much larger ferries also visit Skopelos several times a week - usually in the evening - and the chaos surrounding their arrival and departure beats any tv. One point worth mentioning, the ferries turn round very quickly:- they unload and reload and are gone in just a few minutes so being late to catch one is not a good plan.

Car Hire. There are plenty of car and scooter hire facilities in Skopelos Town - am too old for scooters now so am unable to say their costs. We hired a small Fiat for three days for 72 euros - the insurance is a bit weird in that you cannot get true fully comprehensive cover - they have a damage fee which varies between 200 and 300 euros should you wreck the car. (Note that if you hire during a Greek holiday weekend the prices at least double). Apart from the Skopelos Town to Loutraki main road, most of the roads are very very narrow and full of tight hairpins - as well as being very hilly - and hiring anything other than a small car just makes it harder to drive round. Also many of the roads are tracks - you can hire a jeep but curiously we never came across one jeep in our 100 odd miles of track walking whilst there - nor did we see one jeep whilst we were driving on the tracks in the car, we only noticed them on the tarmac roads. One particular issue to consider re jeeps could be the bees - at times we had to close the car windows whilst on the tracks because we were being bombarded by bees and twice by wasps (the latter do try and sting you) - if you were in a jeep escaping them is not a choice of course.

Snakes, lizards, jellyfish, sea-urchins, bees and wasps. The only snakes we saw were on the tarmac roads, where they had been run over and from the amount we saw there must be a lot of snakes (and ex-snakes) on the island. We did twice see live snakes crossing in front of us whilst driving on the road (and nearly put the car into the ditch to avoid running one over on one occasion so thank goodness at least that snake lived to see another day). Far as tracks and footpaths were concerned - we walked over a 100 miles on the island and never saw one - as normal with most snakes they will try and stay out of your way so the noise of you walking on tracks will scare them off, and when walking on paths especially near damp areas we always scuff a little now and again to let them know we are around. Have not yet come across a viscious killer lizard yet on any Greek island so they are seemingly not a problem and there are plenty to watch and enjoy.

We came across jellyfish in the sea (where else..) at Stafilos, they were around 2 to 3 inches across and at times there were quite a few - they were mostly in the first few yards of the shore just floating along enjoying the warmer water etc. like the rest of us - was unaware whilst we were at the beach that anyone got stung. Freinds of ours were in Skopelos a few weeks before we went and said that at Panormos beach they had a problem with sea-urchins - we had some very lighweight bubble-shoes which we used when going into the sea so did not have any problem with this - actually these shoes were useful anyway a) because the sand was very hot to walk on and b) helped when walking into the sea due to the numerous rocks and stones on the seabed.

There are so many bees on the island it's unbeleivable - they did not sting us at least, but they are quite large and one type have very luminous green/torquoise eyes. We found that if you are not moving they will land on you and may give you a sort of "nip" but they seemed unable to land if you are walking. The wasps are a different issue - they will happily land on you whether you are moving or not and they do try and sting you. We found that the wasps seemed to be mostly near wet/damp areas and of course where there were fruit trees with rotting fruit. On the beach which we mostly used - Stafilos naturist beach - an occasional bee would turn up but when told politely to "bug off" they would do just that. Occasional wasps turned up especially if you were eatiing fruit but a few swipes with a towel or hat would also make them clear off - so not a problem on the beaches really.

Beach Tavernas and rip-off sunbeds/shades. Generally the cost of sunbeds(2) and umbrellas was 5 Euros on the beaches we visited - this in June 2003 so it may alter obviously. These were the prices being charged on for instance Panormos and Klima and not a lot different to the old Dracula days - similarly the prices in the beach-side tavernas were much the same as found around the island. However a glaring exception were the costs on the 3 Stafilos Bay beaches - sunbeds/umbrella were 8 Euros and the beach tavernas were charging over the odds for a couple of fantas/cokes. Needless to say the tavernas were not so very busy and - apart from weekends when the local islanders were on the beaches - very few of the sunbeds etc were being utilised. Whilst still on my grump - airport drinks+food are often expensive compared to the real world and Sciathos airport is no exception - its therefore worthwhile considering taking some drinks and a bit of grub before getting there for use whilst waiting for the plane back. Also maybe think about the trip back in that aircraft have to refuel on the mainland as a rule, and this is usually at one of the military airfields. You have to just sit on the plane and wait - we have had to do this 3 times this year on the way back from islands and each time we were around 90 minutes - so a couple of cold drinks are worth taking on board with you (you can of course maybe get water from the cabin crew or one of their tiny but very very expensive cans of something).

 

Photos of Old Klima, Glossa, Loutraki plus a few misc.

Old Klima was destroyed during an earthquake in 1965 but recently people have been buying and renovating the houses and now there is a nice "Old Greek Village" feel and look about the place. Old Klima is well worth a visit but note you cannot drive into the village -  either get off at the bus stop on the main road or there is room for a few cars to park.

 

 Glossa can be easily reached by bus - takes about an hour from Skopelos Town - the bus ride is actually a very good way of seeing the island coastline since you get really good views most of the time. You can also park just outside the town, near where the bus stops before it heads down to Loutraki. Glossa's small alleys have loads of steps.

The only way to see Glossa is wander around the place, actually using a car inside is not really possible anyway. There are two tavernas we found, one near the bus stop and another is in the town itself. Glossa is high above Loutraki, you can either walk or drive down via the main road or there is a very steep old cobbled path and track which cuts out the hairpins to walk down. Loutraki itself has a few tavernas, a bus stop and is also an alternatve ferry port.

The small church of Agh Iaonnis (the photo on the far left sitting on its rocky foundation) can be reached easily via a very windy narrow road which starts from the main road just before you reach Glossa.
This church is very definitly a don't miss trip, and if you walk the 100 steps up to it you will probably not forget it either.

 There is also a walk which starts at Old Klima but of course you probably will have to walk back as well - quite a few kilometres. We did not have time to do this - what looked like quite a complicated walk - so have not given any instructions for doing it

To the left are two of the island's little churches, Agh. Riginos and Agh Triada

 

On the left are a couple of pictures of Elios (also known as Klima) - note this is not to be confused with Old Klima.

On the far left is a picture of Aloupi and the other 2 photographs are of a Skopelos bee - we had trouble taking it's photo since for some reason it did not want to pose - bees are like that...

 

Three ways to get to Skopelos's Velanio naturist beach (Stafilos) walking via Stavros Monastery, Mili, Aga. Marina, Aloupi, Polemistra Church and the heliport.

The Greek Island of Skopelos Holiday Walks described all end up at the naturist beach at Stafilos (Velanio Beach) where you can have a nice peaceful swim and sunbathe if you wish although it's not compulsory.  Incidentally there is a regular-ish bus service which you can use to get back from the beaches if you feel dis-inclined to take the walk back.

Skopelos Town to the Stafilos beaches (1) This walk is just a nice way of going to the beach at Velanio (one of Stafilos's three beaches and the naturist beach), rather than going on the bus and takes about an hour or so. The walk is about 5 kms and basically follows the old road - actually still a track - across the island in one of the few flatish parts of Skopelos.
Start the walk from the harbour in Skopelos Town, and facing the sea go right along the road and look out for a concrete road signposted to Mili (this is by some tall bamboos). Follow this road up, ignore the first junction and keep going until you come to a house right in front of you where the road goes straight on or goes right - turn right here. Follow the lane down - passing the ruins of Monastery Kotronaki (aka M. Prodromou) on your left - until you come to another junction - go right here along the dirt road. Take the next track left (past a house) and continue on a narrow path (passing a wood yard and it's huge logs) which bears right to join a wide main track. Turn left up this white and hot and dusty track and follow it up for about 7 or 8 minutes - when it forks keep right and follow it until you reach a T-Junction.

Go right here and after around 50 metres turn left along another dirt track. From here just keep going - passing two small churches (the one with the beautiful flowers is well worth looking round and we were fortunate to be shown inside it by an elderly lady) - ignore any joining tracks - until you reach the main tarmac road which is also the Stafilos beach bus stop. There is a taverna opposite and some stone walls to sit on, and rather a lot of pesky wasps at times. To continue to the beach turn left and then shortly left again down the steepish beach road - just before the steps down to the first beach is a spring with some very welcome cold water. The steps lead to the first of the Stafilos beaches, walk across the beach and take steps up and over the low headland to reach the second beach - Velanios part A.
Go along this beach and through some large rocks (marked in red paint naturist) and you reach Velanios beach part B - this is a really nice beach with few umbrellas etc. and scenic rocks and cliffs. Worth noting that if you want to get the bus back to Skopelos Town the walk from this beach to the bus stop takes about 20 minutes and is quite hard going. We often also walked back from the beach to Skopelos Town rather than get sardined on the bus, and you can shorten the way back a little. Rejoin the original inbound track by the bus stop and follow the track back - ignore the first lefthand track but at the next track junction go right, then after about 50 metres go left and follow this main track down to the main road, then go right for a shortish (1km) wander back into the town.

 

Skopelos Town to the Stafilos beaches (2) This is quite similar to the above Stafilos beach (1) but involves going higher up into the hills with some nice paths on the way. Start the walk from the harbour in Skopelos Town, and facing the sea go right along the road and look out for a concrete road signposted Mili (by some tall bamboos). Follow this road up, ignore the first junction and keep going until you come to a house in front of you where the road goes straight on or goes right - go straight on here. Continue past the Chapel and when the path forks take the righthand path and soon come to the small church of Profitis Ilias - a small path starts on the left hand side of the chuch - this when we walked it was heavily overgrown with plenty of brambles but this is only for a about 50 metres and then you come to a stone wall, turn right by the wall and very quickly the path bends to the left and here there is a very small path on the right - take this as it winds uphill - again this path is quite overgrown and in places fairly steep. Eventually the path is cut by a newly bulldozed track - in effect the path does continue straight on up but when we walked this the way was blocked by wire fencing and we had to go left and fiddle about to regain the original path above this track. Keep going on uphill on the path eventually to arrive at the church Ag. Marina.

Having had a look at the church follow the (now) track past some springs and continue gently upwards to reach a track junction - take the right fork and at last you are going downhill. Ignore any actual lefthand turns (but note your track does take a very sharp right hand direction at one point) and keep going til you reach a short overgrown track on your right leading to the visibile Monastery Stavros (currently abandoned) - a nice cool spot with some nice tree-shaded walls to sit on for a while. Return to the track/road and turn right and continue down - ignore a newly cut track coming in from the right and also ignore a second track also on the right (unless you want to just walk back to Skopelos Town via Mili). About 100 metres further along turn left - (if you go straight on here you come to the main Skopelos Town - Stafilos road) - and continue on a narrow path (passing a wood yard and it's huge logs) which bears right to join a wide main track. Turn left and the rest of the walk is as per above Stafilos (1) walk-notes.

 

Skopelos Town to the Stafilos beaches (3) The walk starts off from the ring road and rather than describe the way through the alleys etc in the Town we are describing it's route from the Hotel Denise. A few metres past the hotel and still going up the ringroad spot a concrete road on the opposite side of the road, take this and continue past the cemetry and then down to a junction by the church of Aloupi. There is a spring here but when we were there it looked quite scruffy and there were loads of wasps around so beware.

The walk continues along a concrete track to the left of the church, and winds very very steeply up to the top ridge - stay on the main path and ignore any incoming sidetracks. It comes out on a road [N39°07'09" E023°42'55"], turn left and stay on this road - passing the church of Ag Paraskevi - until the tarmac road veers right, where you take the dirt track on the left. Continue along this dirt track - ignoring any side inbound sidetracks - and after around a kilometre you come to a clearing with a smallholding and also Polemistra church on your right. Continue on the main track - still ignoring any inbound sidetracks until you arrive at the main road [N39°05'40" E023°42'44"] which you cross to re-pick up your track opposite. Keep going on this track you eventually arrive at a goat station, pass round this heading towards the heliport and keep going until the track forks, take the righthand fork and shortly afterwards right again then continue until you come to the Agnontas-Stafilos main road. Turn left and head down along the coast into Stafilos (see walk 1)

 

You may be interested in our other Skopelos Topic: Skopelos Walks  or the Neighbouring Greek Islands of Alonissos and Skiathos

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GPS fixes to calibrate a map - using wgs84
Skopelos Lighthouse - N39°12'28" E023°35'36"
Agnontas - Limnonari Beach road junction N39°05'04" E023°42'24"
Aerial Masts - Mt. Palouki N39°06'20" E023°45'34"
Glisteri Beach (road end) N39°08'35" E023°43'03"
agh Ioannis N39°10'30" E023°39'05"
Skopelos's Highest point - Firemen's Hut on Delfi N39°08'42" E023°40'12"

Other Resources
Skopelos Greece Travel Guide from Greek Island Postcards
Skopelos by Greeka

www.foxysislandwalks.com