Karpathos, Greece: Island Guide to Beaches, Villages & Olympos

The island of Karpathos

Karpathos lies in the Dodecanese, covers 301 square kilometers and has about 5,500 residents. The island is quiet and relatively unspoiled, with high mountains and green, wooded slopes. Its rugged middle splits it in two, so ferries call at both Diafani in the north and Pigadia (Karpathos town) in the south. The capital, Pigadia, sits in the flatter, more populated south and lacks a real historic center; its best parts are the port and the beach that runs a couple of kilometers north of town. Wooden fishing boats, excursion boats and the ferries come into the port, which is lined with restaurants and shops.

Villages of Karpathos

Olympos, in the north, is the most photogenic village on Karpathos, a traditional settlement of restored stone windmills where many residents still wear the island's traditional dress. The village dates from 1420 and sits hidden on the mountain because of old pirate raids, with narrow streets, souvenir shops and a small house-museum of embroidery. A paved road now links Spoa to Olympos with only a short unpaved stretch, so you can reach it by car, and excursion boats run to the north from Pigadia and Diafani.

Aperi, above Pigadia, is the ancient capital and holds the cathedral, surrounded by grand private houses. From Aperi the road runs to Volada and Othos, the highest village at 510 metres, then to Piles and down to Lefkos on the coast. Menetes, just south-east of Pigadia, is an authentic mountain village of mansions and small white houses, and beyond it lies Arkasa with Mycenaean remains and a beach. Amopi, south of the capital, is the main tourist resort, with three bays, tavernas and hotels.

Beaches of Karpathos

Apella is the most celebrated beach on Karpathos, set in a mountain-ringed bay of azure water 15 kilometres from Pigadia and often ranked among the finest beaches in the Mediterranean. The town beach at Pigadia is the busiest, sandy in the south and pebbly in the north, backed by hotels and tavernas. Amopi, in the south, has three bays of pebble and sand and a daily bus stop. Achata, Kyra Panagia, Finiki, Lefkos, Arkasa (Agios Nikolaos) and Diakofti add more choice around the coast, several with sunbeds, umbrellas and a taverna. See the full guide to the beaches of Karpathos.

Sights of Karpathos

The village of Olympos is the main excursion on Karpathos, reached by bus from Diafani or on organized day trips from Pigadia. Saria, the small island off the north coast, holds the pirate-era ruins of Palatia, built in the 9th to 10th century; the sea between it and Karpathos is only about 1.5 metres deep. Scattered ancient ruins survive at Lefkos, Agios Nikolaos (Marathos), Arkasa and Paleokastro, where a fort from Venetian and Ottoman times stands. Churches worth seeing include Agios Mamas and the 16th-century Church of the Holy Virgin Mary in Olympos.

Where to stay on Karpathos

Most accommodation on Karpathos is in Pigadia and the resort of Amopi in the south, with rooms and hotels also at Lefkos, Finiki and Arkasa on the west coast. Renting a car is worthwhile, because the island is large and many of the best beaches and villages are hard to reach without your own transport. Browse hotels and apartments on Karpathos.

Getting to Karpathos

Karpathos has an international airport in the south, so most visitors arrive by plane, with Aegean and Olympic flights from Athens and some direct European charters. Ferries run less often, connecting Karpathos with Piraeus, Crete and other Dodecanese islands, and call at both Pigadia in the south and Diafani in the north.