September 2019 – 6 nights with the family
There are so many amazing islands to choose from when visiting Greece, and Skopelos is definitely a real find. It’s off-the-beaten-path with a quiet and artistic vibe, beautiful beaches, and mountains of green that will inspire you. All with an endless soundtrack of Mamma Mia playing in your head, since that’s where the movie was filmed.
Like the rest of our travel guides, this is not an all-encompassing account of everything we did. We do not want to make a list of ‘Best’ or ‘Must-do’ experiences since we know it depends on your personal preferences. These are only our personal favorites and they are divided into two groups: “Avventura Favves” and “Other Things We Liked”.
The Avventura’s Greek Islands Map
Overview
Skopelos is part of a trio of the Sporades islands off the eastern coast of Greece. Its neighbor to the west is Skiathos, which attracts the most visitors because it’s the closest and most accessible island to the mainland and offers over 60 beaches including Lalaria Beach. To the east is Alonnisos, a green island of 2500 permanent residents that is virtually untouched by mass tourism. Skopelos sits firmly in the middle and we appreciated that balance. While there were plenty of empty beaches for us to enjoy, there was still the hustle of a decent-sized town and many good restaurant choices.
Skopelos has been made famous by the filming of Mamma Mia, and it’s easy to understand why they chose this island. It’s a mesmerizing juxtaposition of green mountains with rocky cliffs and white sand beaches with the mesmerizing turquoise-colored water that the Greek Islands are famous for. The spots they used for filming are highlighted all over the island and you can do your own “Mamma Mia Tour.”
We stayed on the quiet western side of the island about 40 minutes from the main town of Skopelos and spent a good portion of our days doing a whole lot of nothing, relaxing at the beach or by the pool. We did manage to find some delicious food all over the island, as well as squeeze in some activities.
Skopelos was the last stop on our “Heritage Tour of Greece” trip in 2019 that also included visits to Crete, Thessaloniki (Lynn’s dad’s hometown), Halkidiki, and Meteora.
Avventura Favves – a quiet and beautiful hotel, singing ABBA, Dave almost killing us
Adrina Resort & Spa – To end our month-long trip to Greece on a high note, we decided to treat ourselves to the ultimate in relaxation and splurged on this luxury hotel. In fact, we pushed our entire trip back one week to end up in Skopelos during the first week of September in order to be outside of the high season rates and make the hotel more affordable. We loved the modern two-story rooms, the breakfast, the pool and private beach, and above all, the views from everywhere.
Skopelos Experience – This place is sort of like a bit of Portland infused into a Greek island. It’s a single food truck serving up delicious Greek street food set in the green forest with farm animals and games and activities. The kids loved all of it, especially running the many obstacles courses they set up with natural materials.
Kayaking Skopelos – We wanted to get in some exercise so we elected for a sunset tour and kayaked past the beautiful beaches near Milia to a private beach. The guides were really friendly and encouraging of the kids, and they served us a tasty snack on the beach.
Sailing with Aegeo Sailing – As usual, we loved our day of sailing on Vasilis’ boat with his dog Pirate. We made snorkeling stops to explore the crystal clear water and had lunch at a beachside taverna on the island of Alonnisos.
Exploring the narrow streets of the white town of Skopelos – After sampling one or two local craft beers at SPIRA, we set out with no map or plan and loved getting lost in the charming passageways of the town.
The stairs were crazy up to Ioannis Chapel, but the views from the top were amazing
Climbing 200 steps to the Ioannis Chapel, another Mamma Mia filming location. There are over 250 churches on Skopelos, and we didn’t have the time or desire to see them all, so we focused on the most famous and the most beautiful. Although the steepness of this path was dizzying at times, the sweeping views from above are well worth it.
Spilia Beach – After climbing up the steps of the Ioannis Church we stopped by the beautiful beach it overlooks, but it was too crowded, so we got in the car and made a short trip to Spilia Beach instead. After parking by another church, we followed a 20-minute trail down to the beach (bring good shoes). Only a couple of other people were there, so it’s exactly what we were looking for. The calm, pebble beach is in a protected alcove with caves to explore.
Captain Dave (Lewin) on a private speedboat – There are tons of small beaches along the coastline of Skopelos that are only accessible by boat. We thought it would be fun to try our hand at driving our own motorboat. Since we don’t have a license the owner required us to take a nearly hour-long tutorial, which maybe we should have realized was a bad sign. All went smoothly in the calm waters for the first half of the day and we loved anchoring the little boat and enjoying the private beaches. But then in the afternoon, the wind and waves picked up. It was really stressful for our fearless leader, so it’s not an activity we will repeat again anytime soon, but it was very memorable and we still love to talk about.
Agnanti Restaurant – We asked our hotel for the best place on the island to have dinner and watch the sunset and they recommended this place in the town of Glossa. After shopping in the small town for handmade crafts and art made by local artists, we climbed up to the roof of this restaurant for sweeping panoramic views. We were at the wrong angle for the sunset, but we did have a creative upscale meal that we really enjoyed.
Other Things We Liked
- Anatoli Restaurant – This was one of those places you land at because the kids are hungry and tired of looking for the place that Dave had researched. Luckily on a Greek island, it’s really hard to have a bad meal. The restaurant is above the town with nice views of the beautiful white town of Skopelos below. The food was classic and reasonably priced. The kids were well-fed and the parents enjoyed their ouzo.
- Peparithos Restaurant – After getting lost on the one-way streets of the town Skopelos, we eventually found this restaurant on Dave’s list inland from the coast. We sat in a tucked-away garden courtyard and enjoyed some delicious roasted meats.
- We had dinner on two different nights near our hotel on Panormos Beach. The beach itself was beautiful but was very similar to the beach at our hotel so we didn’t swim there. Instead, we had dinner with our feet in the sand at Linarakia Restaurant one night and at Taverna Vasiliki on the second night. Both served up delicious Greek taverna food at good prices.
- Madalaki – This casual spot serves craft beers, refreshing cocktails, and light food. We had a simple lunch of burgers and club sandwiches and enjoyed the views of Neo Klima Beach.
- Limnonari Beach – This large white sandy beach on the southern end of the island is worth a visit. The sand is perfect.
Logistics and Miscellaneous Notes
- As with most uncrowded gems, Skopelos is not the easiest island to get to. We took a ferry from the Volos Port (after visiting Meteroa) directly to Skopelos. On the way home, we found a direct flight from Skiathos to Milan on Blue Panorama so we took a short 15-minute ferry to Skiathos and walked from the port to the airport. It wasn’t the easiest with the kids and luggage, but there are taxis.
We loved having a car in which to explore the island. Like in Kefalonia we had another easy car rental experience with a newish car from Magic Cars. They met us at the port and it took less than 5 minutes for us to drive away. Why can’t it always be like this?
Next Time We Go
- Spend more time on the island of Alonissos to do some hiking and try to spot the dolphins of the national marine park.
- Take a ceramics class at one of the many ceramic studios on the island, like at the skopART foundation.
- Explore Skopelos by bike.
The Avventura 