Skopelos, Greece: Island Guide, Towns, Beaches & Where to Stay

Skopelos Town

Skopelos Town is one of the nicest Greek towns, its white houses built against the mountain above an attractive harbour lined with shops and terraces. Narrow streets climb the hillside past little old churches, cosy squares and flowers, and because the town sits on a slope with narrow lanes there is hardly any traffic, so it stays peaceful despite its size. At the end of the harbour stands the prettiest church, Panagia tou Pirgou, with the smaller Aghioi Pantes in front of it, and above the town rise the remains of a 13th-century Venetian fortress with wide views over the town and the sea. On the east side several monasteries - Evangelistriou, Sotiras, Metamorphosis and others - can be visited along a partly unpaved road. The excursion boats in the harbour run tours to the Mama Mia church, around the island, and on to Alonissos and its Marine Park.

The island and its villages

Beyond the capital, the second-largest village is Glossa, an upper town with shops, supermarkets, a bakery, tavernas, a pretty square by the church and wonderful views over the island and sea. Below it lies the harbour of Loutraki, a regular ferry stop with Roman baths, restaurants, a supermarket and a beach. The island's second harbour, Agnontas in the south, takes the ferries when a strong north wind blows, with a free bus transfer to Skopelos Town; it is a small, picturesque bay with a pebble beach and fish tavernas. On the west coast lies Elios, also called Neo Klima, a village built to rehouse islanders after the 1965 earthquake. Above it stand the older hill hamlets of Klima and Palio Klima, known together as Atheato, the villages its residents left behind. From the petrol station at Glossa a road leads to the clifftop "Mama Mia" church and to secluded north-eastern beaches. Skopelos is a good island for walking, and a Jeep is best for reaching the remote monasteries and beaches over the steep, bumpy dirt tracks.

The beaches of Skopelos

Most of Skopelos's beaches lie along the south-west coast in bays fringed by pine forest, served by one good road and a good bus service. Stafilos, a sandy beach 4 kilometers from Skopelos Town, is the busiest, with the naturist beach of Velonia reached by a path just to the south. Panormos is popular with windsurfers and is one of the best places for a sunset, and nearby Milia, 21 kilometers from the town, is considered the most beautiful beach on the island, a long sweep of sand and small pebbles among the pines. Quieter coves include Limnonari, Kastani — the beach where the Mamma Mia! dancing scenes were filmed — Glisteri and, in the far north-east, Perivoli and Hondrogiorgi. For every beach see the Skopelos beaches guide.

Mamma Mia! on Skopelos

Skopelos was the main filming location for the 2008 musical film Mamma Mia!. The clifftop wedding chapel in the film is Agios Ioannis sto Kastri, which sits on a rock near Glossa and is reached by a staircase of around 200 steps cut into the cliff. Kastani, on the south-west coast, is the beach where the film's dancing and beach scenes were shot. Cape Amarantos, a headland of twin pine-topped rocks near Agnontas in the south, also appears as a backdrop in the film and makes a scenic stop to reach by boat or on foot.

Where to stay on Skopelos

Most hotels are in and around Skopelos Town, the largest village on the island. Larger hotels elsewhere on the island include Hotel Adrina Beach and, at Loutraki, Hotel Selenunda. Two lovely self-catering villas, Villa Nina near Glossa in the north and Villa Ditropo in the south, each sleep 4 and come with a private pool, so for the price of a hotel room you can have a whole house. For every hotel, apartment and studio on the island see the Skopelos hotels guide.

Getting to Skopelos

Skopelos has no airport of its own; the nearest airport is on the neighbouring island of Skiathos (JSI), from where you continue to Skopelos by bus and ferry. Ferries also sail direct to Skopelos from the mainland ports of Volos and Agios Konstantinos, with a seasonal service from Mantoudi on the island of Evia. Ferries call at Skopelos Town, and at Loutraki below Glossa in the north of the island. When a strong north wind blows they put in instead at Agnontas in the south, from where a free bus runs to Skopelos Town. From the harbour, excursion boats reach the Mama Mia church, the beaches and the neighbouring island of Alonissos and its Marine Park.

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