Lesbos Villages: Molyvos, Petra, Agiasos, Plomari & Sigri
The villages of Lesbos range from the medieval hill town of Molyvos to the ouzo town of Plomari. This guide covers the towns and villages of the island: Molyvos and Petra in the north, the capital Mytilene, the craft village of Agiasos, the ouzo town of Plomari and fishing villages such as Sigri, Skala Kallonis and Skala Sikamineas.
- Capital
- Mytilene
- Hill town
- Molyvos
- Ouzo town
- Plomari
- Crafts
- Agiasos
Molyvos (Mithymna)
Molyvos, also called Mithymna, is a medieval hill town in the north of Lesbos and the first sight of it is overwhelming. About 1,500 people live in its stone houses with red-tiled roofs, which climb a steep hill to a dramatic Byzantine and Genoese castle 53 km north of Mytilene. The cobbled main street, shaded with vines, leads up past shops, museums and tavernas to the castle. The port below is one of the most beautiful in Greece, and a Blue Flag pebble beach lies at the edge of town. Molyvos draws more visitors than anywhere else on the island but stays relatively quiet.
Petra
Petra is a beach village about 60 km from Mytilene and a couple of kilometres from Molyvos. Its centre is closed to traffic, which makes it quiet and safe for children, and the back streets keep the feel of a traditional village. The name Petra means stone, after the rock at its heart: 114 carved steps climb to the 1747 church of Panagia Glykofilousa on the summit. A long sandy beach fronts the town, lined with restaurants and cafeneions, and three small islands stand offshore.
Mytilene
Mytilene is the lively capital of Lesbos, home to about 30,000 people and 3,000 students at the University of the Aegean. It is one of the oldest towns in the Aegean, built on seven hills, with neo-classical houses, churches and a large, busy harbour. A huge Byzantine castle stands above the town on the ruins of an ancient fortification, ringed by pine forest down to the public beach. The Archaeological Museum, the Byzantine Icon Museum, an ancient theatre and a large 1860 domed church make it worth a visit, though its traffic makes it a poor place to stay.
Agiasos
Agiasos is one of the best-known villages on Lesbos, set near the middle of the island with narrow cobbled streets. It has kept its old character, and its pottery and wood carving are famous well beyond Greece. The church of Panagia Vrefokratousa in the centre holds old icons, including one of the Mother and Child attributed to Saint Luke and brought from Jerusalem in the year 803; it is the religious centre of the island. Shops sell ceramics, carved wooden objects, silver-framed icons and soap, and the green surroundings are full of trees.
Plomari
Plomari is the second-largest town on Lesbos and the ouzo capital of Greece, on the south coast. Several ouzo factories and an ouzo museum line the road into town. Its architecture is striking, with big 19th-century mansions in many colours built against the hills, old factories and olive presses, and Turkish fountains and houses. The Sedountas river runs through the town, dry in summer, and the main dining area gathers around the large plane tree across the bridge. Nearby lie the beaches of Agios Isidoros.
Sigri
Sigri is a fishing village in the far west of Lesbos, once described as the end of the world. It is a cosy place with good restaurants, well-kept beaches and a fine Ottoman fortress from 1557, built on Genoese foundations and open to the public. An island lies in front of the coast, and a museum in the village explains the nearby petrified forest. Until the 1922 population exchange most of Sigri's people were Muslim.
Skala Kallonis
Skala Kallonis is an authentic fishing village in the Bay of Kalloni, in the centre of Lesbos. It has a port and a sandy beach with shallow, calm water, and it is the tourist centre of the Kalloni district. Restaurants line the shore and the square, along with supermarkets and shops, and the village is a centre for sardine fishing with a colourful fleet. Wetlands nearby make it a favourite base for birdwatchers.
Skala Sikamineas
Skala Sikamineas is a small, picturesque fishing village on the north coast of Lesbos, 31 km from Mytilene and east of Molyvos. A tiny white church stands on a rock in its harbour, which is lined with restaurants, and a beach lies just outside the village. Day boats run here from Petra and Molyvos, so it can get busy in season.
Mantamados
Mantamados is a fairly large village on the route from Mytilene to Molyvos in the north-east of Lesbos. It has old factories with chimneys, cobbled streets, renovated mansions, a post office, a school, a pharmacy, supermarkets and tavernas with terraces. It is lively in an easy way. The village is also known across the island for its monastery of the Archangel Michael.
Vassilika
Vassilika is a quiet old village a little north of Polichnitos, east of the Bay of Kalloni, that most travellers only pass through. It is worth exploring for its steep cobbled alleys and pretty old houses, and it holds five churches, one of them among the smallest anywhere. A fountain by the main road gives free drinking water, and a viewpoint deeper in the village looks out over the sea.
Agia Paraskevi
Agia Paraskevi is a large village between the Bay of Kalloni and Mantamados. It is full of grand mansions, including a yellow town hall, and its imposing 1862 church has painted ceilings, crystal lamps, marble columns and stained glass. Many private houses date from the second half of the 19th century, with cast-iron balconies and decorated roof tiles, and a good number are being restored. An old olive-processing plant stands nearby.
Polichnitos
Polichnitos is a lively, friendly market village on the east side of the Bay of Kalloni. It has a health centre, pharmacies, a school, good supermarkets, a petrol station and plenty of tavernas, with storks nesting on an old factory chimney. It is the crossroads for Mytilene, Kalloni and the nearby beaches and villages of Skala Polichnitos, Nyfida and Vatera. The green, pine-covered surroundings are good for walking, and hot springs lie just outside town.
Agra
Agra is a traditional mountain village in the south-west of Lesbos, built against the mountain and surrounded by tall pine forest. Its square has shade trees where villagers gather for coffee, including one hollow tree said to be 700 years old with a small door in its trunk. Agra has a few supermarkets and tavernas and little or no tourism, a friendly place with friendly people.
Andissa
Andissa is a very quiet village in the north-west of Lesbos, with many old houses. The main road bypasses the village, though signs invite visitors to its square. It sits near the side road to the petrified forest and Sigri, and it makes a stop rather than a destination. Beyond it lie the remote villages of Skalochori, Skoutaros and the far west.