Landmark · Μπούρτζι

Bourtzi

A fortified Venetian headland turned quarantine station, turned school, turned cultural centre — and the dividing line between the old port and the new.

Getting thereWalk. It is connected to the waterfront by a…

Allow20–30 minutes

CostThe peninsula is always accessible; museum f…

The line between the two harbours

Bourtzi is a small pine-covered rocky peninsula jutting into the middle of the Skiathos Town waterfront, and it is the most useful landmark on the island because it divides the two harbours. The new port, east of it, takes the ferries and hydrofoils. The old port, west of it, holds the fishing boats and the excursion caiques that run the round-island and Mamma Mia trips — and it is the heart of the evening bar scene.

Get that orientation right and the town makes sense. Ferries east, boat trips west, Bourtzi in the middle.

It is a peninsula reached by a short causeway, not an island — several guides call it an islet, which misleads people into thinking they need a boat.

Four lives

Fortified in the 13th century by the Ghisi brothers, the Venetian rulers of the Sporades, to control the harbour. Only fragments of that fortress survive. After the Greek state was established it became the island's first quarantine station. From 1906 it housed a primary school funded by the politician Andreas Syngros — and that neoclassical school building is what stands today as the cultural centre.

Now it holds the Cultural Centre of Skiathos, a maritime museum covering the island's seafaring history, and an open-air theatre used through July and August for concerts, theatre, folk dancing and exhibitions, organised by the municipality. It is also the island's official venue for civil weddings.

Set your expectations. The "fortress" is fragmentary. People come for the setting, the walk under the pines and the sunset view back over the harbour — not for substantial ruins. The peninsula is open all the time; the cultural centre and theatre run seasonally.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Bourtzi in Skiathos?

A small pine-covered peninsula in the middle of the Skiathos Town waterfront, fortified in the 13th century by the Venetian Ghisi brothers. It divides the new port, which takes the ferries, from the old port, where the fishing boats and excursion caiques are. It now houses the island's cultural centre, a maritime museum and an open-air theatre.

Do you need a boat to get to the Bourtzi?

No. Despite being described as an islet in some guides, it is a peninsula joined to the waterfront by a short causeway. You walk there from the middle of town.

Is there anything to see at the Bourtzi?

The fortress itself is fragmentary, so go for the setting rather than the ruins: the walk under the pines, the sunset view back over the harbour, the maritime museum and the cultural centre in the old neoclassical school. In July and August the open-air theatre runs concerts, theatre and dance.