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Astypalaia
Astypalaia in the Dodecanese islands of Greece is a largely unspoilt island with good beaches.
Shaped like a butterfly, the lovely island of Astypalaia is the most westerly of the Dodecanese and largely unspoilt. It could just as easily be one of the Cycladic islands with its tumble of white-washed houses on the slopes below its excellent Venetian castle, and a string of windmills silhouetted against the sky.
Astypalaia is a hilly island with lots of good beaches, its peculiar shape giving it much more coastline than other islands of a similar size. The main town gets busy in summer but there are still numerous quiet retreats to be found. You'll see the name spelled several different ways, when you translate the Greek letters into English, including Astipalia.
Chora and Castle
The original town of Chora built up on the top of the hill where the castle now stands on the site of what was the acropolis. The castle came in the 14th century and is remarkably well-preserved, with two 14th-century churches incorporated into the walls, houses also built into the walls for protection, an art collection and stunning views over the Aegean.
Beaches
There are the ruins of a Byzantine castle on the west coast at Agios Ioannis, where there is also an excellent beach and something of a rarity in the Greek islands: a waterfall. Also on this western ‘wing’ of the island is Astypalaia’s main resort, Livadi, but even this has far fewer visitors than comparable resorts on more popular islands. It is easily reached on foot from Chora, and if you wish to cast your clothes to the wind you can carry on a little further to Tzanaki, where there is an unofficial nudist beach.
Don't miss reading our account of when we visited Astypalaia on August 15th when they celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, with fun and games on the beach as well:
Heading east from Chora the road crosses the narrow neck that links the two halves of the island, with the sea on both sides visible at the same time. Just beyond is this region’s main resort, Analipsi, also known by its earlier name of Maltezana. It is still relatively quiet, but increasing in size and popularity. At the very northern tip of this eastern ‘wing’ are the caves of Drakospilia, only accessible by boat and not yet an ‘official’ tourist attraction, which indicates the fairly unspoilt nature still of Astypalaia.
Getting to Astypalaia
Flights to Astypalaia
Astypalaia has a small airport but with no international flights. The best way to get there is to fly to nearby Kos and take a ferry to Astypalaia, though you might have to go via Kalymnos. There are domestic flights to the island with SKY Express from Athens.
Ferries to Astypalaia
There are ferry connections to Astypalaia from Athens (Piraeus) and from islands including Kalymnos, Kos, Naxos, Paros, Rhodes and Tilos. There are four ferries a week between Athens and Astypalaia with a journey time of 9-10 hours.
Ferries in Greece
Ferries in Greece has an excellent and very thorough website where, in addition to checking ferry schedules and times, you can also book tickets and get lots of useful information about travelling by ferry in Greece.
More Information
Here's a small but useful website about the island: www.astypalaia.com
And here is the official Astypalaia island website: www.astypalaia.gr
Our Pick of Greek Islands Guides
Other Dodecanese pages
Dodecanese
Travel and vacation information about the Dodecanese islands of Rhodes, Symi, Kos, Patmos, Halki, Tilos, Karpathos, Leros, Lipsi, Astipalea.
Kos in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece
Kos in the Dodecanese islands of Greece has good beaches and night-life, and archaeological remains.
Best Time to Visit Kos
Greece Travel Secrets picks the best time to visit Kos, with a monthly summary of the weather, plus hotel prices and special events to help plan a visit.
Tilos in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece
Tilos is a small island in the Dodecanese between Rhodes and Kos with regular ferry connections, hotels, rooms to rent, beaches, tavernas and ancient remains.
Patmos in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece
Patmos in the Dodecanese islands is famous for the monasteries of St John and the Apocalypse and on this page you can also read about flights and ferries
Our Feast Day on Astipalia
Greece Travel Secrets helps celebrate a feast day on Astipalia in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece, for the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven.
Nisyros
Nisyros is a unique volcanic island in the Dodecanese and easily reached on day trips from Kos Town and Kardamena.
Lipsi
Travel information on Lipsi in the Dodecanese group of Greek islands, including flight and ferry information from Greece Travel Secrets.
Leros in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece
Leros is a sizeable island in the Dodecanese with flights from Athens, ferries from Rhodes and Piraeus, good beaches, restaurants and hotels.
Kastellorizo
Travel information on Kastellorizo in the Dodecanese group of Greek islands, including flight and ferry information from Greece Travel Secrets.
Kasos
Travel information on Kasos in the Dodecanese group of Greek islands, including flight and ferry information from Greece Travel Secrets.
Karpathos in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece
Karpathos in the Dodecanese islands of Greece is noted for its traditions, its music, and mountain villages like Olympos.
Kalymnos in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece
Kalymnos in Greece in the Dodecanese islands is most famous for its history of sponge fishing, and see here information about flights and ferries.
Halki
Travel information on Halki in the Dodecanese group of Greek islands, including flight and ferry information from Greece Travel Secrets.
Arki
Arki is a small island in the Dodecanese close to Lipsi, with beaches and tavernas with rooms to rent and ferry connections with Patmos, Samos and Marathi.
Agathonisi in the Dodecanese islands of Greece
Agathonisi is a small island in the Dodecanese with quiet beaches, a few hotels, pensions and rooms to rent.
Wild Abandon
Wild Abandon by Jennifer Barclay and published by Bradt Guides is A Journey to Deserted Places of the Dodecanese islands in Greece, including Rhodes and Kos.
Mermaid Singing: Kalymnos Travel Writing
Mermaid Singing by Charmian Clift is a fine example of 1950s travel writing about the Greek island of Kalymnos in the Dodecanese.
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