Alonnisos
3.8/5The wildest Sporade — a marine park, monk seals and deserted beaches
The old village, the marine park boat trip, and the deserted beaches of the north coast.
Why 3.8: outstanding beaches and serious walking country — but it is light on things to visit.
Alonnisos sits inside Greece's biggest marine park, the last monk seal habitat in Europe. It is the least-developed of the major Aegean islands — dense maquis, a handful of coves, and about 40 monk seals in the surrounding waters, the highest concentration anywhere. A 1965 earthquake emptied the old hilltop Chora; most of the population moved down to Patitiri, and the abandoned village was slowly restored from the 1970s by artists and incomers who stayed. The full-day boat trip out to Peristera, Kyra Panagia and Gioura — whose cave is claimed as the Cyclops' — is the thing people come for, and the maquis path from the Old Chora down to Megalos Mourtias is the island's real ground. Agios Dimitrios is white sand and almost always empty, because the road to it is rough. Skip it if you want sights and museums, or an easy journey: there is no airport, and you arrive via Skopelos from Volos or Agios Konstantinos. June is the realistic best month — low-season seal-spotting, walkable hills.
Good for
- Snorkellers and boat-trip people — Alonnisos sits inside Greece's biggest marine park, the last monk seal habitat in Europe
- Walkers — the maquis paths from the abandoned Old Chora down to Megalos Mourtias are the island's real ground
- Anyone who wants an empty white-sand cove — the rough road access keeps Agios Dimitrios almost always quiet
Maybe skip if
- If you want sights and museums — Alonnisos is light on things to visit
- If you want an easy journey — there is no airport, and you arrive via Skopelos from Volos or Agios Konstantinos
Getting there
No airport. The most remote Sporades island — reach from Volos/Agios Konstantinos via Skopelos. Marine park around the island protects monk seals.
Tip: Combine with Skopelos for a quieter Sporades trip — Skiathos can be skipped.
Best time to visit Alonnisos
Alonnisos sits inside Greece's biggest marine park (Mediterranean monk seal habitat) — boat trips to the protected islands of Kyra Panagia and Peristera are the main attraction. Quieter than Skiathos and Skopelos. Best May-October. June and September. This is a hiking and snorkelling island.
Top beaches of Alonnisos
Agios Dimitrios Beach
The finest beach on Alonnisos — white sand, turquoise water, almost always empty. The rough road access keeps the crowds away. This is what Greek beaches looked like before tourism.
- Type
- White sand
- Length
- 400 m
- Depth
- Shallow to medium — crystal clear water
- Wind
- Avoid visiting when the wind blows from the northwest to northeast at over 4 Bft. North-facing — fully exposed to the meltemi (the dominant summer N/NE wind); often choppy June–September
- Facilities
- None — rough road access or boat only.
Leftos Gialos Beach
The most accessible good beach on Alonnisos — a sandy cove on the east coast with a small taverna and calm, clear water. A relaxed spot that captures the island's peaceful character.
- Type
- Sand and fine pebble
- Length
- 300 m
- Depth
- Shallow — calm, clear
- Wind
- Avoid visiting when the wind blows from the southwest to northwest at over 5 Bft. West-facing — sheltered from the meltemi (the summer N/NE wind); calm most summer days, sometimes choppy on rare westerly winds
- Facilities
- Basic: small taverna, accessible by road.
Chrisi Milia Beach
A beautiful sandy beach in a sheltered bay south of Patitiri — the best organised beach on the island. Clear water and a good taverna make it ideal for a full day.
- Type
- Fine sand
- Length
- 250 m
- Depth
- Shallow — calm, warm
- Wind
- Avoid visiting when the wind blows from the northeast to southeast at over 5 Bft. East-facing — mostly sheltered from the meltemi (the summer N/NE wind); can be choppy on the strongest NE days
- Facilities
- Good: small hotel and taverna behind the beach.
3-day itinerary for Alonnisos
Read the day-by-day plan on its own page →
Day 1: Patitiri & the Old Village
- 09:00 · Patitiri
The main port — a small, relaxed harbour town with good tavernas and a helpful boat-trip booking office. Pick up a rental scooter or car here.
- 10:00 · Chora (Old Village)
The abandoned hilltop village slowly being restored by hippies and artists who moved here in the 1970s. Extraordinary views, medieval lanes, and a completely different atmosphere to the port.
- 12:00 · History & Folklore Museum
Small museum in Patitiri covering the island's fishing and seafaring heritage. The exhibits on the monk seal and marine park are worth seeing before the boat trip.
- 15:00 · Roussoum Beach
Pebble beach just south of Patitiri — calm, clear water, easy access. Good for a first-day swim while you find your feet.
- 🍴 Stop for dinner · Patitiri — see Eat & Drink below
Day 2: Marine Park Boat Trip
- 09:30 · Patitiri — Boat Departure
Full-day boat trip into the National Marine Park — the largest protected marine area in Europe and home to the Mediterranean monk seal. Book from the harbour the day before.
- 11:00 · Gioura Island
Wild uninhabited island in the marine park. The cave here is claimed to be the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus from the Odyssey. Extraordinary wildlife — wild goats, rare birds.
- 14:00 · Peristera Island
Uninhabited island opposite Alonnisos with sandy coves and clear water — most boat tours stop here to swim. Just off its shore, at about 20 m, lies the Peristera shipwreck: a merchant ship that sank in the late 5th century BC carrying some 3,000–4,000 wine amphorae, mostly from Mende and ancient Skopelos. A local fisherman found it in 1982, and in 2020 it opened as Greece's first underwater museum. Certified divers can visit it with a licensed dive centre; non-divers can take the virtual-reality dive at the museum's information centre on Alonnisos.
- 16:00 · Monk Seal Spotting
The waters around Alonnisos have the highest concentration of Mediterranean monk seals in the world — about 40 individuals. Patient boat skippers often spot them in the late afternoon.
- 17:30 · Dinner in Patitiri
Boat returns to Patitiri Port in late afternoon (about 90 min from the marine park area). The harbour fills up at dinner time — Patitiri's fish tavernas are some of the best in the Sporades.
Day 3: North Beaches & Departure
- 10:00 · Agios Dimitrios Beach
Remote sandy beach on the north coast — accessible by a rough road or by boat. White sand, crystal water, almost always empty. One of the finest beaches in the Sporades.
- 12:30 · Leftos Gialos Beach
Sandy beach midway up the east coast — calmer than the north coast beaches and slightly easier to reach. Good swimming and a small taverna.
- 16:30 · Patitiri — Departure
Ferry to Skopelos, Skiathos, Volos or Thessaloniki. Alonnisos is the end of the Sporades line — ferries are less frequent than on the other islands, check timetables.
How does Alonnisos compare?
Alonnisos vs Skiathos · Alonnisos vs Skopelos · Alonnisos vs Skyros