If you set out for Karpathos it means you have already made up your mind. You don’t accidentally hop on a boat and get off when you reach Pigadia, neither do you get on a plane and fool around until you land on the Afiartis runway. You have made your decision from the start and the island approves. So, if you start learning the ways of the island and following its rythms, it won’t be long before you discover a lost paradise that is yours and no one else’s. Such landscapes and natural beauty are hard to come by on other islands of the Aegean. You will find the relaxed summer you have been looking for to the south and you will discover yourself and the island’s psyche that is not easy to conquer to the north. There is something for everyone in the island’s microcosm. Surely, there is room for you too.
Welcome to
Karpathos
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Pserimos
Visitors of Kalymnos and Kos can easily reach a hidden paradise every summer. Arriving at Pserimos you will find Avlakia, the only village on the island, which is supposed to be built on the site of an ancient settlement. Even today, remnants of ancient dwellings can be seen, and parts of pottery dating back to…
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Folegandros
Until the mid 1980s Folegandros belonged to the so-called barren line. Then it was included in the regular itineraries of Piraeus and started being discovered by West Europeans and Greek holidaymakers. The island is the ideal destination for mild/ alternative forms of tourism, a fact that is closely associated with its long tradition in self-sufficiency.…
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Tinos
Tinos is known all over Greece, as well as abroad, thanks to the rich pilgrimage of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. However, this island, with its extensive and rich history in the art of marble sculpture, possesses many unique features: its villages, real masterpieces of architecture, the …otherworldly landscape of Volax with the round…
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Syros
Glamorous, crowded, beautiful, is very impressive from the first moment with its two states, Ermoupoli and Ano Syros, built amphitheatrically on their hills. Vaporia with the imposing mansions which gaze at the sea, Agios Nikolaos, the renonwed Apollon theatre and the Town Hall with its square, San Tzortzis of Ano Syros, Fragosyriani of Markos Vamvakaris,…
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Sikinos
Authentically Aegean, exceptionally quiet, without fanfare and away from dazzling lights, Sikinos is anti-conformist and carefree. It is addressed to people who want to experience the holidays as an actual break from the workload and the hectic pace of the city. Chora, on the edge of the winds and under the roof of Pantanassa, Alopronia…
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Schinoussa
This island is just a stride, where you can reach each accessible place after a few hours walk. Schinoussa addresses those who dream of peaceful vacations far away from the noise of the major tourist destinations of the Cyclades. Taste fava beans, local goat, string beans and fresh fish. Swim in Psili Ammos, Tsigouri and…
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Sifnos
First and last image: Ochre and white. Kamares rest on the foot of Agios Symeon and it is reflected on the waters of Agia Marina. The next image will be given by the route towards Apollonia and the villages around it that are tied with dozens of stone walls, which are called “louria” (straps) by…
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Serifos
The first view offered to the visitor of Serifos is the infertile slopes with the “petrified figures” which bring to mind the myth of Perseus. Then, the ship turns to the port and the visitor views Livadi and Chora dominating with its cube-shaped, white-washed houses hooked on the conical rock, looking just like frozen white…
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Santorini
Santorini is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Greece that has gained international recognition while being the most beautiful and romantic place to visit. What Santorini brings to every visitor’s mind is the myth of the lost city of Atlantis, the Volcanoes [Palea (“Old”) and Nea (“New”) Kammeni], the famous Caldera and the…
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Rinia
Rineia seems to be connected to Mykonos and Delos with invisible chains for centuries. Besides, according to Thucydides, when Polycrates –the tyrant of Samos– was dominating with his fleet in the Aegean, he occupied Rineia and he dedicated it to Apollo of Delos chaining it to Delos… Those who own a private yacht will find…
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Polyaigos
Polyaigos (Polivos) is an exotic paradise. The colours, the feeling it offers and the images that will stay in your memory forever cannot be easily described in words! One dip in the turquoise waters with the seabed of the bright white sand and you will feel as if you were reborn. This wondrous microcosm waits…
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Paros
Call it cosmopolitan and you will be right. Call it famous in the Aegean, “birthplace” of water sports, gathering place for the young, favourite place of poet Seferis, and you will be right once again. Paros ignites people’s imagination since the pre-Historic times. Due to its abundant marble of high quality, it inspires artists. Due…
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Naxos
Naxos: a small, independent world, right in the middle of Cyclades, at the heart of historical development, fertile, rich in history, abundant in ancient, Byzantine and Venetian monuments, full of customs, music and festivals organized all year long. A hospitable place welcomes you with plenty of frangrances and flavors of cheece, wine and vegetable varieties…
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Milos
A woman of dazzling beauty, like the statue of Aphrodite which made the island famous all over the world: this is how Milos looks like if you circumnavigate it. White, green, pink, red, yellow colours inedibly paint the slopes and the volcanic rocks with the amazing forms and shapes. Turquoise and green-azure waters, caves, rocky…
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Mykonos
Since the ‘60s Mykonos has been a symbol of cosmopolitan and luxurious vacations and it is one of the most world-renowned Greek travel destinations. It is also famous for being a gay friendly destination. Hundreds of celebrities, members of the international jet set, artists, intellectuals, tycoons, ship owners and politicians have all strolled through the…
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Makronisos
The dark historic memories cast their shadow on that almost uninhabited islet, only 2.5nm away from Lavrio. The memories are even harder for the thousands of Greeks, who had a relative that survived or died in the “disciplinary” hellholes. From 1912 to 1952, Makronisos operated first as a concentration camp, then as a quarantine for…
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Kea-Tzia
There are destinations which attract your whole attention you right from the beginning, like a strong cocktail that burns the throat while there are those that capture you little by little, with a kind and calm manner that sooths the soul. Kea belongs to the second category. It gently calls the visitor to share its…
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Koufonisia
Since the 1990s, Koufonissia have been the ultimate alternative holiday destination of Cyclades. Before that no tourists used to visit these islands, which is the main reason why their natural beauty is unaltered, with their beaches remaining unchanged, their caves unearthed and their mainland remaining virgin. Keros – the bulwark of protocycladic art – as…
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Kythnos
Despite the fact that Kythnos is very close to Attica, it has managed to maintain the traits of an Aegean island. First of all, there are two small towns on the island, Chora and Dryopida, that look completely different from one another, yet both of them have simple and good-hearted people. Secondly, the island’s coastline…
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Kimolos
Venetians and Francs called it ‘Arzantiera’, meaning Silvery, for the gray-white rocks that welcome you emerging from a shiny and crystal clear sea, as you reach the port of Psathi. Some wanderers believed that the name was given after the ancient silver quarries, which have not been found up to the present day. The inhabitants…
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Keros
Keros is a semi-mountainous, steep island extending over a surface of 15km2 only 1,5NM northeast of Pano Koufonisi. Its highest peak is Mount Papa (at 432m). The coastline of Keros is 27km long and it is not very fragmented. Hence, there are only a few natural harbors and coves on the southern and northeastern side…
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Ios
Ios is a beautiful multifold island. An island well-known in places such as Australia, Italia, Austria, America, England, France, Sweden, Germany for the nightlife which the visitors enjoy but it is also filled with traces of its long history. With golden sandy beaches and crowded or more deserted and peaceful beaches. With its Cycladic and…
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Thirasia
Thirasia belongs to Santorini volcanic complex, along with Thira, Aspronisi, Nea Kameni (volcano). Your first view over the island is on the small boats that organize trips ending at Korfo, the small port of Thirasia with the excellent fish taverns. It is only a few kilometers away from the busy villages of Kaldera, Thira, though…
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Iraklia
The pristine natural landscapes, the very few cars, the idyllic beaches where you can spend hours swimming and the peaceful and hospitable people are only some of Irakleia’s qualities. Take a walk through the alleys of Panagia, swim under the imposing rocks of Merihas, gaze upon the landscape from the top of Mountain Papas, explore…
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Donousa
Windswept Donoussa stands in the northeastern extremity of the Cyclades. It is a majestic place for those who seek alternative, or just tranquil holidays away from the urban/consumer morals. Go up the alleys of Stavros. Quench your thirst with the unforgettable water in Mersini. Discover the shipwreck of World War II in Kedros. See the…
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Dilos
Delos is known worldwide as one of the most important and impressive archaeological sites of Greece. The entire island is an archaeological site and has been included on the World Heritage Sites list of UNESCO since 1990. Moreover, it has been an important natural botanical museum with a wide variety of plants for thousands of…
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Gyaros
Ferries traveling to Cycladic tourist destinations usually pass by Gyaros. However, this arid and treeless islet east of Kea and north of Syros is of great historical significance. It was once a place of exile, imprisonment and torture for thousands of Greek communists. Over 22,000 political prisoners were sent to this islet in the second…
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Antiparos
Antiparos is an island waiting to be discovered outside the usual routes of those who enjoy the island hopping in the Aegean. Over the last years many Greeks and foreigners have explored it and some of them have even built their villas here. Others hang around in their yachts and sailboats along its magical coasts…
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Andros
Seafaring lifestyle, natural and material wealth, abundant water resources, Andros Chora with unique architecture and history, museums that attract summer visitors, exquisite sandy beaches, magnificent villages hidden amid the lush vegetation, monasteries with long history, castles, dovecotes, windmills and watermills. The second biggest Cycladic island after Naxos extends over a surface of 374km2 and it…
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Anafi
Anafi is a well hidden secret in the southernmost edges of the Cyclades, 12 n.m. from renowned Santorini. Its geographical position and its difficult, up to now, coastal access, did not allow the island to develop touristically as other islands of the Aegean did. Thus, from the moment the legendary Argonauts discovered it up until…
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Amorgos
One of the most beautiful destinations in the Cyclades. In many areas it seems still untouched by the tourist development. The special energy that Amorgos gives out, its unique nature, the contemplation from high above, the old paths which bring out the pleasant herb odour, the lovely deep blue color of its waters, make visitors…
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Halki
Imagine an island, very close to cosmopolitan Rhodes, but completely different. Imagine that you can walk the entire island in 4 hours! With castles, ancient ruins, country churches and windmills. With beaches without water sports, and roads without cars. With a Chora of incomparable aesthetics. Imagine an island destined for other biorhythms, for the coolest…
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Tilos
Several castles, a ghost-village, a late-Byzantine monastery, a capital city built below the ancient acropolis, paved paths surrounded by aromatic shrubs and beaches with colors of all hues between blue and green; these are definitely but few advantages for such a small island. Tilos inspired M. Karagatsis, it was the country of the ancient poet…
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Telendos
A sea channel like this is the best inspiration for fables through the centuries. The legend speaks about the beautiful “Potha”, daughter of the king of “Telendos”, who fell in love with the prince of Kasteli right accross. Kalymnian divers talk about an entire sunken city that remains undiscovered. Telendos resembles a rock in the…
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Symi
The atmosphere of this special island state charms from the very first moment: a historical preservable settlement unique in size and elegance that reminds us of the bloom it experienced in the 19th century when it had 25.000 residents. The “humanlike” mansions with their doors-mouths and windows-eyes are all located overlooking the sea, with daring…
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Saria
The small island of Saria offers unparallel pictures and landscapes that spark the imagination. Would you like to visit the Doric Nisyros (one of the four cities in Karpathos) or see how Saracen pirates turned the ancient palaces into small arched houses? Would you pull down the church of Agia Sofia to discover new parts…
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Rhodes
Rhodes, the Island of the Knights, as it is called, has much to offer to its visitors and it is hardly surprising that its economy relies to a great extent on tourism, since it is a timeless destination. The Rodini park, the ancient Kamiros and the ancient Ialyssos, the Valley of the Butterflies and the…
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Patmos
The sacred island of Patmos is also known as the island of the Apocalypse and Jerusalem of the Aegean. A powerful, formidable energy runs through the alleys and gets mixed up with the fragrance of the pine trees and the warm and cold currents that caress you during your tour around the island. A tour…
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Nisyros
Provided with full information about the volcano of Nisyros, the youngest of the volcanic centers of Greece, you wander dazzled by the special aura of this small island. Panagia Spiliani and the Venetian walls, Mandraki, Emporios and Nikia, the thermal springs and the impressive buildings of the baths, the black chochlaki and the «vastadia» become…
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Leipsoi
On the one hand, the nature, the deep blue sea, the indented coastlines, the low altitudes – on the other hand, the humble human presence, the terraces, the olive groves, the chapels, the vineyards well-known for their wine and a whole settlement above the harbor. This is Leipsoi, a dot in the vast Southeastern Aegean,…
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Leros
In the ancient Greek language, “Leros” means mild, gentle. In fact, it seems that this description about this island is still true, as it has a gentle development of tourism, smooth rocks, fertile valleys and enclosed coves. The shape of the island reminds us of an ideogram. Moreover, on this island you can find a…
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Kos
The fact that Kos is among the first ranks of the most popular Greek vacation destinations is not a matter of chance. Its antiquities, its monuments from the early Christian times and its medieval castles alone are enough to place the island among the top spots of that list. But the Asclepeion, the Nerantzia Castle…
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Kastellorizo
The island of only 9 sq. km is a sea junction between Europe and Asia, on the edge of the Aegean. One and only, wonderful settlement, which impresses with its colorful houses of excellent architecture and its churches, is built upon the arid rock. Similar admiration is caused by the Blue Cave, one of the…
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Astypalea
What is a …Cyclades island doing in the Dodecanese? Or, better yet, what is a …Dodecanese island doing in the Cyclades? Well, one way or another, this is the physiognomy of Astypalaia. An island on the “borderline”. A cultural bridge between the two large island groups. An island located between Amorgos and Kos that never…
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Agathonisi
This island is a little hidden paradise. Traditional way of life and authentic island hospitality in a landscape with minimal human intervention – that is what is offered for carefree and completely anti-conformist holidays.
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More Info
Avlona’s miniature world
Avlona looks like the centre of a world that is fading away, a world that every visitor would want to be privy to in order to experience astounding Karpathos to the fullest. The detour leading to Avlona still takes you on a journey through time. You can see the plateau from up high fragmented into square shapes and clear circles. Stables (buildings for people, goods and animals), fields and threshing floors are separated by dry-stone walls.
The residents of Olympos own fields and gardens in Avlona. The residents of ancient Vroukounta also did the exact same thing. The traditional work outfits are not a folklore element and a treat, even if it is only a tomato, is regarded as a divine present. Avlona is no ordinary place. It is the place where probably the most beautiful and important hiking trails of the Dodecanese start. One trail leads to Vroukounta and the other to Tristomo and the Saria canal.
The Tristomo den
If you have grown tired of trendy locations, if you are not interested in common tourist destinations, if you can live without electricity, then welcome to Tristomo. This place has no permanent residents but those who do have assets here usually come to Tristomo from Diafani by boat. Tristomo’s name (which means three mouths) comes from the two rocky islets located at the entry point of the cove forming three passageways. You will approach the settlement with your boat from the third passage, the one with the lantern, which is the deepest of the three.
After entering the cove you will pay your respects to the Ai-Nikolas church that seems to be floating in the sea. Then, you will tie your boat right in front of the Panormitis church (the feast day of which is celebrated on November 8). The ancient marble capital lying in its courtyard indicates that this place used to be the natural harbor of ancient Vroukounta. There are many who believe that there used to be shrines in the area dedicated to Apollo and Poseidon (another possible location for them is Agia Katerina at Steno).
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Geological monuments of Karpathos
According to the Aegean geological monuments atlas, petrified bones of the deer species Megaceros pegadiensis dating back to the Pleistocene Epoch have been found on Karpathos. Large numbers of bivalves, gastropods, scaphopods and corals of the Miocene and Pliocene Epochs have also been discovered on Karpathos. One of the most known depositions in Greece dating back to the Tyrrhenian Stage has been discovered here too.
Makarounes are the local pasta. The soft dough needs to be shaped, cut and put in a baking pan. The next step is cooking and then serving them along with mizithra cheese and sautéed onions. The makarounes are made in almost every house of the island. However, machines have recently replaced human labor.
There is a plane connection between Karpathos and Athens 4 times a week. The island is also connected to the airports of Rhodes, Kasos and Sitia 6 times a week.
The distance from the southern part of the island that is favored more by tourists to the northern part is quite big. So you will need to have your own vehicle or use the local means of transport in order to explore the island.
Airport (Afiartis)
+30 22450 91030, 22450 23101
Town Hall (Pigadia)
+30 22453 60100, & 22450 2213, 22450 22688
Municipal Tourist Organization
+30 22450 23926, 23835
Port Authority (Pigadia)
+30 22450 22227
Customs (Pigadia)
+30 22450 22225
Hospital (Pigadia)
+30 22450 22228
Health Centre
Olympos
+30 22450 51201
Mesohori
+30 22450 71209
Police station (Pigadia)
+30 22450 22222
Taxi station (Pigadia)
+30 22450 22705
Hotels Association (Pigadia)
+30 22450 22483
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