Greece
Flat-roofed white houses and a hilltop village on the dry coastline of Skyros in the Sporades.
islandWorth a Detour

Skyros

Photo: Greece Field Guide

The Verdict

The odd one out among the Sporades: dry, flat-roofed and unwesternised, with a carnival, a hilltop kastro and its own breed of pony.

Why go

Skyros does not look like the rest of the Sporades. It is dry and sheep-grazed, its houses are white flat-roofed cubes, and the chora climbs to a Byzantine kastro with the beaches of Magazia and Molos directly below. The island keeps its own traditions: the carnival in which a man dressed in goat skins leads the village through the streets, embroidery and carved furniture, and the small Skyrian ponies kept in the north. Rupert Brooke is buried on the south coast, above an empty bay.

Trip role
Worth a Detour
Time needed
Min 3 nights / Ideal 4 nights
Best for
Villages · History · Quiet · Repeat Visitors
Skip if
you want pine-backed beaches and a beach bar scene · you are short of time — Skyros is awkward to reach · you want resort infrastructure
Best months
June, September
Crowd reality
Quiet
Car needed
Car Helpful
Airport access
National airport (SKU), flights from Athens
Ferry relevance
Ferries from Kymi on Evia in about two hours, with seasonal services from Volos and Thessaloniki

Understand the place

The southernmost Sporades island — flat-roofed houses, a Byzantine kastro above the chora, and a dry landscape that looks more Cycladic than pine.

The old world

History & archaeology

Ruined stone walls of the Byzantine kastro on the hilltop above Skyros town, with a pine growing through them.
Recommended

Skyros Kastro

The ruined kastro on the hill above Skyros town — Byzantine walls over older foundations, reached on foot through the town.

“A Byzantine stronghold on the summit above the town, with the whole island and both coasts laid out below it.”

QuietNo Car Needed
Full history & archaeology guide

Beyond the built

Outdoors & nature

The white marble headstone of Rupert Brooke’s grave on the hillside above Tris Boukes bay on Skyros.
Optional

Rupert Brooke's Grave

The grave of the English poet Rupert Brooke, who died in 1915 on a hospital ship, above the deserted bay of Tris Boukes on the south coast of Skyros.

“A poet's grave in an olive grove above an empty bay, reached by boat or a rough track — the oddest pilgrimage in the Sporades.”

QuietCar Helpful
Full outdoors & nature guide

Towns & villages

The white cubic houses and stepped lanes of Skyros town climbing towards the ruined kastro.
Base

Skyros Chora

The capital of Skyros, white cubic houses climbing to a Byzantine kastro, with the beaches of Magazia and Molos immediately below.

“A flat-roofed town on a steep hill with the sea on both sides, and the most distinctive architecture in the Sporades.”

QuietCar Helpful

Pair it with

Editorially complementary destinations.

Easy to combine with

Logically reachable by transport. Confirm current ferry/flight schedules before booking.

Nearby

Part of

Keep reading

All Greek islands

Booking links

Commercial links: we may earn a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you.

Plan this trip

Greece Field Guide helps you decide. When you're ready to arrange it, take your saved places to an itinerary.

View saved places
Back to Greek Islands