Karpathos Sights: Olympos, Saria & Ancient Ruins

The main sight on Karpathos is Olympos, a traditional mountain village of stone windmills founded in 1420, followed by the islet of Saria, scattered ancient ruins and a string of old churches. Most of the island's history sits off the main road, so reaching the ruins and remote churches is easiest with your own transport. The beaches of Karpathos are covered separately.

Main sight

Olympos

Olympos founded

1420

Islet

Saria

Old fort

Paleokastro

The village of Olympos

Olympos is the main excursion on Karpathos, the most dramatic and photogenic village on the island and a protected settlement where time seems to have stood still. The village dates from 1420 and is famous for its old stone windmills, its narrow streets of souvenir shops, its older residents in traditional costume and a small house-museum of embroidery. It was built hidden on the mountain to escape pirate raids. You can reach it by bus from the harbour of Diafani, and organized excursions run from Pigadia to Diafani and Olympos every day.

Saria island

Saria is the small island off the north side of Karpathos, thought to have held the ancient city of Nissyros, with traces of habitation at Palatia and Argos and ancient tombs. Once a pirate stronghold, it officially has two residents, both shepherds; the strait to Karpathos is only about 100 metres wide and 1.5 metres deep, so sheep were once walked across. Visitors come to see Palatia - "palaces" - built by pirates in the 9th or 10th century AD, with strangely shaped buildings. Residents say the Chapel of Agia Sophia by the boat mooring stands where a great church of 100 doors and 100 bells once stood, stripped bit by bit by pirates.

Ancient ruins

Karpathos holds scattered remnants of ancient towns and buildings, many stripped by pirates or reused by villagers as building material, so most lie off the main road. Lefkos has the remains of an ancient city, with cave houses, an old underground temple and Roman remains, reached along the road towards the Lefkos Hotel. At Agios Nikolaos, the ruins of the old city of Marathos stand at the end of a difficult road. Ancient cities survive at Arkasa and Potideon, a fort from Venetian and Ottoman times at Paleokastro, and the remains of old Vrykous near Olympos.

Churches of Karpathos

Karpathos has several fine churches. The Church of Agios Mamas is among the best known, and on the beach at Pigadia stand the modest remains of the early Christian church of Agia Foteini from the 5th or 6th century. Olympos holds the 16th-century Church of the Holy Virgin Mary, with the church of Agios Onoufrios on the mountain above, while the most famous church on the island stands in Menetes and dates from the 19th century.