Nature and Sights of Agistri
Agistri's sights are its nature rather than its monuments: a green, pine-covered island barely 12 square kilometres across that you can walk from one side to the other in about two hours. The pleasure here is the forest paths and coves, the traditional village of Megalochori with its Culture Centre of archaeological finds, the islet off Dragonera, the little lake behind Aponissos and the naturist cove of Chalikiada. There are no big ancient sites — the island is for walking, swimming and quiet.
- Whole island
- ~12 km² of pine
- Cross on foot
- about 2 hours
- Traditional village
- Megalochori
- Naturist cove
- Chalikiada
The pine island and its walks
The main sight of Agistri is the island itself. It is barely 12 square kilometres and covered in pine, so much of the pleasure is walking the forest paths that link the coves and the three villages; you can cross from one side to the other in about two hours. Tracks lead from Skala and Megalochori up into the trees and down to quiet beaches, from Limenaria to the west-coast cove of Aponissos, and along the dramatic Skliri coast towards Chalikiada. There is little traffic away from the two ports, one bus, one taxi and a minitrain from Skala to Myloi, so the interior stays green and quiet and is best seen on foot or by bike.
Megalochori and the villages
Agistri keeps its life in three settlements, and the most traditional to visit is Megalochori, also called Myloi, the island's second port 2.5 kilometres from Skala. It is a quiet settlement of white-painted stone houses, with a few bars and tavernas and a Culture Centre that displays archaeological finds from the island. Skala, the main port, gathers the beaches, tavernas and the open-air cinema that runs in high season, while Limenaria, the last stop on the island bus, stays an untouristed inland village from which paths drop to the west coast. Between them the bus and the minitrain make it easy to see all three in a day.
Dragonera, Aponissos and Chalikiada
The coves are sights in themselves. Dragonera, the pine-backed pebble beach between Myloi and Limenaria, looks out on a small uninhabited islet and is one of the loveliest spots to sit; Aponissos, the sandy cove in the south-west, has a small lake just behind the beach and is a favourite anchorage for yachts; and Chalikiada, the naturist beach, fills a dramatic rocky cove in the south-east below the Skliri cliffs. None has much building around it, which is the point — the island's nature is its monument. Where these coves are and how to swim at them is set out in the Agistri beaches guide.
