# Skiathos, Sporades: Island Guide, Beaches & Hotels > Skiathos is a pine-covered island in the Northern Sporades with more than 50 sandy beaches. Guide to Skiathos Town, Koukounaries, the best beaches, sights, ferries and where to stay. | | | |---|---| | Sea | Aegean · Sporades | | Size | 61 km² | | Population | ~3,300 | | Beaches | 50+ | **Skiathos is a pine-covered island in the Northern Sporades of Greece, 61 square kilometres in size, with more than 50 sandy beaches, one main town and an international airport 1 kilometre from Skiathos Town.** The fine white sand and clear water turn the sea turquoise, a bus runs the length of the south and east coasts stopping at almost every beach, and July and August are the busiest months. Hire a car to reach the parts of Skiathos the buses miss, covered in our [Skiathos car hire guide](https://fly2greece.net/car-rental/skiathos.html). _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ ## The island of Skiathos Skiathos belongs to the Northern Sporades, a group in the north-west of the Aegean Sea. It covers 61 square kilometres, has about 3,300 residents and rises to 424 metres at its highest point. Dense pine forest covers the island, and of the four main Sporades it has the best beaches, most of them long, sandy and organised with sunbeds and parasols. Skiathos has a single village of importance, Skiathos Town, and is sometimes called the "Mini Corfu"; it draws many British and Italian visitors and prices run a little higher than on a typical Greek island. ## Skiathos Town Skiathos Town sits in a bay dotted with small islands, its white red-tiled houses climbing the slope around two harbours. Ferries and modern boats use the new harbour, while the quiet old harbour holds the kaiks and the excursion boats. A long boulevard of shops, tavernas and terraces runs along the water, and streets behind it are lined with leather, shoe and souvenir shops. The islet of **Bourtzi**, joined to the town by a short causeway, is car-free and named after the small Venetian fortress built there in 1207 to guard the town against pirates. When that fortress proved ineffective the islanders moved their capital in the mid-14th century to **Kastro**, a settlement on a high cliff in the north, and only returned to today's Skiathos Town after the War of Independence. ## Beaches of Skiathos Skiathos has more than 50 beaches, most of them sandy and organised, strung along the south and east coasts where the island's one road runs and the bus stops at almost every bay. **Koukounaries**, 13 kilometres west of Skiathos Town at bus stop 22, is the most visited, backed by pine forest and the Strofylia freshwater lagoon. Next to it lies the official naturist **Banana Beach** at bus stop 24. **Agia Paraskevi**, 6 kilometres from town, is a broad clear-water bay, while **Troulos**, **Vromolithos** and **Kolios** spread along the same coast. The closest beach to town is **Megali Ammos** (bus stops 5 to 8), the island's busiest. **Lalaria**, famous for its white pebbles, is reached by boat, and quieter beaches such as **Aselinos** and **Xanemos** lie on the north and east coasts. For the full list, bus stops and naturist beaches, see the [Skiathos beaches guide](https://fly2greece.net/skiathos-beaches.html). _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Beaches of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ ## Sights of Skiathos _Photo: Sights of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Sights of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Sights of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Sights of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Sights of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Sights of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Sights of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Sights of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Sights of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Sights of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Sights of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ _Photo: Sights of Skiathos, Sporades, Greece_ The main sights of Skiathos are the house of the poet Alexandros Papadiamantis in the town, the car-free islet of Bourtzi, and **Kastro**, the medieval capital on a cliff in the north reached on a two-hour walk from Skiathos Town or by boat. The monasteries of **Kounistra** and **Evangelistria**, the white-pebble beach of **Lalaria**, a blue cave on the east coast and the small beach-island of **Tsougria** are all visited on boat trips from the old harbour. Many taxi boats make a round-the-island trip taking in Kastro, the hardest-to-reach beaches and three caves, with day trips on to Skopelos and Alonissos. ## Getting to Skiathos Skiathos has an international airport 1 kilometre from Skiathos Town, with direct flights from many countries in summer and taxis to every part of the island. Regular ferries and superfast boats connect the island with Volos and Agios Konstantinos on the mainland and with the neighbouring Sporades islands of Skopelos and Alonissos. In high season it is worth booking a superfast-ferry ticket ahead. ## Where to stay on Skiathos Accommodation on Skiathos ranges from luxury hotels and villas to simple pension rooms, most of it strung along the south coast between Skiathos Town and Koukounaries. See the full choice on the [Skiathos hotels page](https://fly2greece.net/skiathos-hotels.html). ### Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ _Photo: Skiathos Gea Villas, Vasilias, Skiathos_ Skiathos Gea Villas stand on the lush Katsaros hill, 400 metres from Vasilias Beach and 3 kilometres from both Skiathos port and the airport. The three two-storey villas each have a furnished deck with a private pool and sea views, a fully equipped kitchen, a living room with fireplace and a garden with barbecue. The bedroom areas face the sea, and free Wi-Fi runs throughout the complex. [Check availability & book](#) ### Babis Studios, Skiathos Town Babis Hotel stands in the centre of Skiathos Town overlooking the old harbour, 200 metres from the port. Its rooms and studios have a fully equipped kitchen and bathroom and sea or harbour views, and a rooftop terrace looks over the boats coming in. The central location puts the town's bars and restaurants a short walk away, which suits short stays and island-hopping day trips. [Check availability & book](#) ### Stelios Studios, Megali Ammos Stelios Studios sit 350 metres from the centre of Skiathos Town and 70 metres from Megali Ammos beach. The small, family-run property offers six studios for two people and one two-bedroom apartment, and guests may use the swimming pool of the neighbouring Palmira Studios. It keeps a quiet, friendly atmosphere away from the noise of the town yet close to the sea. [Check availability & book](#) --- Source: [Skiathos, Sporades, Greece: Island Guide, Beaches & Hotels](https://fly2greece.net/skiathos.html) — fly2greece.net, an independent guide to Greece written and photographed by Hans Huisman since 2000. Reviewed July 2026.