Things to do in Alonissos

Alonissos is the far end of the Sporades chain and the quiet one, and its distinguishing feature is not on the island at all. The sea around it is the National Marine Park of Alonissos and the Northern Sporades, the first in Greece and one of the largest protected marine areas in Europe. Everything below sits in that context.

The marine park, and what it is for. It exists chiefly for the Mediterranean monk seal, one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world, which breeds in sea caves on the uninhabited islands north of Alonissos. Access to those islands is graded: some can be visited, some only approached, and the core zone around Piperi is closed entirely. Boat trips run into the permitted zones from Patitiri.

And the honest part, which matters more than the rest of this page. Nobody should promise you a seal. They are wild, scarce and shy, and the honest description of a park trip is that you will see extraordinary empty islands and might see a seal. Any operator or article that implies otherwise is selling you something the sea does not owe you. Go for the islands and the water, and treat a sighting as luck rather than an itinerary item.

The old village, and the story that got it back. Chora, the old capital on the hill, was badly damaged by an earthquake in the twentieth century, after which the population was moved down to the new port at Patitiri and the old village was left empty. It was then bought and restored, largely by foreign residents, and is now inhabited again: stone lanes, a long view down the island, and tavernas along the ridge. The story is unusual and the result is one of the better evenings in the Sporades. It is worth knowing before you walk up, because otherwise it reads as a pretty village rather than as a village that came back.

Patitiri, the working port. Where the boats leave and where the town does its business. It is the practical half of the island to the Chora’s evening half.

The coast and the shape of the island. Clear, quiet and mostly pebble, with Chrisi Milia, Kokkinokastro and Steni Vala the names people use. The island is long and thin with one main road along its spine, which makes getting about simple to understand even before you have a map.

How to plan it. Three nights, including a marine park boat day. Build the boat day with some flexibility rather than fixing it, because park access rules and boat trips are seasonal and the sea decides the rest. Ferries and hydrofoils run from Volos and Agios Konstantinos on the mainland via Skiathos and Skopelos; Skiathos has the nearest airport. Our Alonissos guide has the practicalities, the beaches cover the coast, and the group is the Sporades.