Alonissos Marine Park
Photo: Greece Field Guide
The Verdict
Europe's largest marine protected area: clear water, uninhabited islands, and the last few hundred Mediterranean monk seals.
Why go
The National Marine Park of Alonissos and the Northern Sporades protects the sea and the islands around Alonissos, the largest marine protected area in Europe and the stronghold of the Mediterranean monk seal, of which only a few hundred survive. Day boats leave from Patitiri for the uninhabited islands: Peristera, with its ancient shipwreck, Kyra Panagia with its monastery, and Gioura. Swimming off the cliffs and the total absence of building is the point. Go in the morning while the sea is flat.
Understand the place
The marine park covering Alonissos and the uninhabited Sporades — the largest protected sea area in Europe, and the reason the water is so clear.
Nearby
Related
More national parks in Greece
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