The Skiathos Guide

Heritage · Monasteries · Boat trips

Things to do in Skiathos

Skiathos is known for its beaches, and rightly — but the half of the island with no road on it holds a medieval capital, three sea caves and the monastery where the Greek flag was first raised. Here is what is actually worth your day.

14Sights covered
27Beaches
~200 kmWaymarked trails
2Film locations

The sights

Kastro

Heritage site

The abandoned medieval capital on a clifftop at the island's northern tip

Evangelistria Monastery

Monastery

Where the Greek flag is traditionally held to have first been raised, in 1807

Panagia Kounistra Monastery

Monastery

The island's holiest site, and the icon that isn't there

Bourtzi

Landmark

The pine-covered peninsula that splits the harbour in two

The Papadiamantis House Museum

Museum

The home of the writer they call the saint of Greek letters

Lalaria

Beach, boat access only

White stones, a pierced rock and no road in

The sea caves

Natural feature, boat access only

Skotini, Galazia and Halkini — dark, blue and copper

Skiathos nightlife

Nightlife

Bar Street, the Old Port cushions, and an honest word about scale

Walking and the Skiathos Trails

Walking

A real waymarked network, and the one route that matters most

Diving and water sports

Activity

Where the reef dives and the wakeboard boats actually are

Skiathos with children

Family

What works, and the two things the island simply does not have

The Attikon open-air cinema

Cinema

Films under the sky on Papadiamantis Street, since 1962

Agios Charalambos Monastery

Monastery

Abandoned, high on the north side, and on the best walk on the island

Panagia Kechria Monastery

Monastery

Frescoes at the end of a hard walk, and a Papadiamantis poem about it

Two things Skiathos is uniquely good at

Plane spotting at the runway

Famous

Europe's answer to Maho Beach: a 1,628m runway with water at both ends and aircraft crossing the road low enough to make people duck. Read the safety warning first.

Mamma Mia filming locations

Film

What was actually filmed here — two scenes — and what was filmed on Skopelos and the mainland instead.

Beaches and food

All 27 beaches

Every beach on the island with its access, facilities and which bus stop serves it.

All 130 places to eat

Every taverna, restaurant and beach bar we could find, independently scored on five categories.

What to eat

Every dish on a Skiathos menu with the Greek name, how to say it, and which venues are actually known for it.

Themed guides

Best seafood, cheap eats, best in town, and more.

Frequently asked questions

What is Skiathos best known for?

Its beaches — more than 60 of them on an island 12km long, including Koukounaries and the boat-access-only Lalaria — plus its nightlife, the dramatic short-runway airport approach, and its role in Mamma Mia, though most of that film was shot on neighbouring Skopelos.

What is the most historically important site on Skiathos?

Kastro, the abandoned medieval capital on a clifftop at the northern tip, where islanders lived for roughly five centuries behind a drawbridge to escape pirate raids. Evangelistria Monastery runs it close: tradition holds that the first Greek flag was woven and raised there in 1807, and the loom is on display.

What can you do in Skiathos when it rains?

The Papadiamantis House Museum and the maritime museum at the Bourtzi are the two indoor options in town, and Evangelistria Monastery has a museum and a shop. Realistically, rain is rare in season — July and August average three to four rainy days a month between them.