Fancy treating your self to an excursion to other enchanting islands while on holiday in Skiathos?A trip to nearby islands can provide you with a mini-adventure that you are unlikely to forget.Visits to the islands are scheduled as one-day excursions by small boats from Skiathos harbour.
SKOPELOS
Skopelos is the largest island in the Northern Sporades,providing visitors with 42 miles of coast to explore,however Skopelos still remains a traditional island.There are about 6000 residents and 380 churches on the island,a ratio that can only be found in the less touristic and more traditional parts of Greece.Although Skopelos is not as touristic as Skiathos and lacks the latter's sandy beaches,it has a lot to offer: the atmosphere is more relaxed here and the beaches less crowded than on other islands.Most of the beaches are found on the sheltered southern side,the most popular being Stafilos.Another lovely beach, which caters also for naturists, is Velanio, north along the coast from Stafilos. Between Stafilos and the northernmost town of Glossa there are other fine beaches such as Milia,Hovolo, and Limnonari.
Skopelos town, with 4000 year round residents, is the largest town on the island and is also the main port. Next in size is the village of Glossa, with 1300 year round residents. It is a scheduled and unspoiled village perched on a hilltop at the northern end of the island and is visible from Skiathos Town on a clear day. There are two other smaller villages, Klima and Elios. Skopelos is a lush island with fertile valleys and thick pine forests, making it an excellent place for walking and hiking. Agriculture is the principal activity of the inhabitants, who produce olives, plums, pears, almonds and walnuts in abudance.
Outside the town the convents of Evangelistria and Prodromos and the monastery of Metamorphosis are certainly worth a visit. The monastery was abandoned in 1980 but is now being restored and is open to visitors.
The glistening whitewashed houses of Skopelos Town are visible from afar as one approaches the island by ferry. Directly behind the wide, horseshoeshaped harbour, the town hugs the steep hillside with its whitewashed, red roofed houses packed so tightly together tha the streets are too narrow for modern vehicles and in many cases are reduced to stepped passages. There are more than 100 churches scattered amongst the houses and these, many with grey slate roofs, provide an added attraction for those who like to explore. Some of the old houses are also slate roofed and have small balconies overlooking the harbour.
The primary paved road on the island connects Glossa in the north to Skopelos Town in the southeast. other roads run along the western and southern coasts with a frequent public bus service from morning to night linking the main centres with most of the popular beaches. Well worth a visit, it is easily reached from Skiathos with a variety of boats both large and small visiting daily.
