Greece - Korina Miller [476]
Northeastern Aegean Islands Τα Νησι του Βορειοαατολικο Αιγαου
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IKARIA & THE FOURNI ISLANDS ΙΚΑΡΙΑ & ΟΙ ΦΟΥΡΝΟΙ
AGIOS KIRYKOS ΑΓΙΟΣ ΚΗΡΥΚΟΣ
AROUND AGIOS KIRYKOS
EVDILOS ΕΥΔΗΛΟΣ
WEST OF EVDILOS
THE FOURNI ISLANDS ΟΙ ΦΟΥΡΝΟΙ
SAMOS ΣΑΜΟΣ
VATHY (SAMOS) ΒΑΘΥ (ΣΑΜΟΣ)
AROUND VATHY (SAMOS)
PYTHAGORIO ΠΥΘΑΓΟΡΕΙΟ
AROUND PYTHAGORIO
SOUTHWESTERN SAMOS
NORTHERN SAMOS
CHIOS ΧΙΟΣ
CHIOS TOWN
CENTRAL CHIOS
NORTHERN CHIOS
SOUTHERN CHIOS
INOUSSES ΟΙΝΟΥΣΣΕΣ
PSARA ΨΑΡΑ
LESVOS (MYTILINI) ΛΕΣΒΟΣ (ΜΥΤΙΛΗΝΗ)
MYTILINI TOWN ΜΥΤΙΛΗΝΗ
SOUTH OF MYTILINI
NORTHERN LESVOS
WESTERN LESVOS
SOUTHERN LESVOS
LIMNOS ΛΗΜΝΟΣ
MYRINA ΜΥΡΙΝΑ
WESTERN LIMNOS
CENTRAL LIMNOS
EASTERN LIMNOS
AGIOS EFSTRATIOS ΑΓΙΟΣ ΕΥΣΤΡΑΤΙΟΣ
SAMOTHRAKI ΣΑΜΟΘΡΑΚΗ
KAMARIOTISSA ΚΑΜΑΡΙΩΤΙΣΣΑ
HORA ΧΩΡΑ
SANCTUARY OF THE GREAT GODS ΤΟ ΙΕΡΟ ΤΩΝ ΜΕΓΑΛΩΝ ΘΕΩΝ
AROUND SAMOTHRAKI
THASOS ΘΑΣΟΣ
THASOS (LIMENAS) ΘΑΣΟΣ (ΛΙΜΕΝΑΣ)
WEST COAST
EAST COAST
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These richly varied islands offer some of Greece’s most unique and intriguing sights. Less visited than other island groups, their singular identities cultivate a strong and memorable sense of place. And, since they’re somewhat off the beaten track, intrepid travellers can escape the crowds here, while experiencing old-fashioned island cuisine, culture and celebrations.
Eccentric Ikaria, marked by dramatic and diverse landscapes, pristine beaches and a laid-back, leftist population, is one of Greece’s most remarkable islands, as is Chios, an ecotourism paradise full of flowers and fruit trees and the only place on the planet where gum is produced from mastic trees. The islands range from sprawling Lesvos, Greece’s third-largest island and producer of half the world’s ouzo, to midsize islands like sultry Samos and breezy Limnos, to specks in the sea like Inousses and Psara – islands which, however tiny, loom large in the illustrious histories of Greek maritime commerce and naval greatness. Other small islands stand out too, like Samothraki, with its ancient Thracian Sanctuary of the Great Gods and lush mountain waterfalls, and the serene archipelago of Fourni, renowned for its fresh seafood.
This group is less compact than other Greek island chains. Thasos and Samothraki are only accessible from Northern Greece ports, while Ikaria is just a skip across the water from Mykonos. The southernmost islands also neighbour on the Dodecanese, while Lesvos, Chios and Samos offer easy connections to Turkey’s coastal resorts and historical sites.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Dive In Swimming in the clear waters of Ikaria’s remote, white-pebble Seychelles Beach
Get Spiritual Gazing out over Lesvos from the elevated Byzantine monastery of Moni Ypsilou, home of priceless medieval manuscripts and ecclesiastical treasures
Lose Yourself Wandering the winding stone alleyways of Mesta in southern Chios
Total Immersion Wading through the river to wooded waterfalls in northwest Samos, followed by swimming and a drink on chilled-out Potami Beach
Sunset Solitude Watching from high above as the gentle folds of the Fourni archipelago fade into dusk Click here
Hot Pursuit Careening through old-growth forests in lush Thasos’ annual international mountain bike race Click here
Seafood Symphony Watching the fishermen untangle their colourful nets, and then dining on the day’s catch in the seafood tavernas of Myrina in Limnos
POPULATION: 204,160
AREA: 3842 SQ KM
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IKARIA & THE FOURNI ISLANDS ΙΚΑΡΙΑ & ΟΙ ΦΟΥΡΝΟΙ
area 255 sq km
Ikaria and the Fourni archipelago are arguably the most magical of the northeastern Aegean Islands. Ikaria’s dramatic and varied terrain comprises deep, forested gorges, rocky moonscapes and hidden beaches where aquamarine waters gently lap, while the bare, sloping hills of Fourni’s little islets overlap across the horizon, running elliptically into a lobster-rich sea.
These islands have eclectic, even mythical histories. As a former hideout for nefarious pirates and other scallywags, Fourni proved a constant vexation