Skiathos holidays

Things to do

Explore your destination

Here's a little taste of what's on offer: for more excursion ideas, speak to your Holiday Advisor.

Kastro
With its exciting history filled with tales of swashbuckling pirates, the ruined medieval town of Kastro is a fantastic place to visit. Fortified to keep buccaneers at bay, you'll explore the ruins and taste the past on this trip to the north of Skiathos.

Highlights

• Exploring Skiathos Town’s quaint harbour and cobbled streets, stopping off in the little gift shops, bars and restaurants
• Seeing a show in the open-air summer theatre on Bourtzi, the peninsula which divides Skiathos Town’s port in two and gives amazing views of the sea and tiered houses
• Treading in the footsteps of Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, who filmed scenes from the recent ABBA-themed movie, Mamma Mia!, on Skiathos’s harbour
• Taking a boat trip to the beach below Kastro, from where it’s a short climb to this ruined medieval town, once fortified to keep pirates away
• Visiting the monastery of Evangelistria, in beautiful scenery just north of Skiathos Town, where fighters of the revolution against the Turks once hid and made the first independent Greek flag
• Sailing to Skiathos’s neighbouring island, Skopelos and to nearby Alonissos for a further taste of Greek island life
• Lounging on the gorgeous golden sands of Koukounaries, which is backed by a forest of fragrant pine trees and a protected lagoon

Food and drink

You'll find the biggest choice of international restaurants in Skiathos Town, with some of the best seats in the house overlooking the harbour. Whether it's fresh fish or local dishes you're after, the town caters for everyone. There are also some excellent tavernas scattered throughout the main resorts.

Try tasty Greek dishes like snapper baked with garlic and tomatoes; cheese pie from Skiathos’s neighbouring island, Skopelos, and sweet pastries like baklava, made with nuts and honey.

In many restaurants, you’ll even be given a complimentary liqueur with your bill: it’s a lucky dip but you might get pungent Ouzo or, for the more discerning drinker, a 7-star Metaxa brandy.

Evening Flavour

Wherever you stay, make sure you head to Skiathos Town for a night out: large cobbled steps stretch up from the old harbour, lined with chill-out bars, where you can lounge on beanbags around candlelit tables.

If you prefer something more lively, along Papadiamantis and Polytechniou streets, there's a fabulous choice of bars for every taste. For a really relaxed experience, watch the beautiful sunsets from the hammocks and beanbags of the bar on Banana Beach or from Agia Eleni in Koukounaries.

For a really relaxed experience, watch beautiful sunsets from the hammocks and beanbags of trendy bars along Banana Beach, near Koukounaries.

Shopping

For those who like their shops to sell more than just sunglasses and suncream, head to Skiathos Town, where there’s a choice of craft and gift shops, boutiques and galleries. Take home ceramics and glassware, beautiful pieces of jewellery and designer leather bags, shoes and belts.

With olive oil, local wines and the Greek brandy, Metaxa, on the shelves, you can find something for everyone, whatever their taste.

Dates for the Diary

Late June-early October: Through much of the summer, the Aegean Festival hits Skiathos Town, with the alfresco theatre hosting cultural events like famous Greek comedies and tragedies.

For the Family

• Bourtzi’s summer theatre has special puppet shows during high season; check locally for details
• Skiathos’s beaches are very family-friendly and you can all enjoy snorkelling as there’s plenty of sea life
• If you’re missing your pooch back home, you’re invited to walk the dogs for a small donation at Troulos’s dog sanctuary

Local weather

Information

Language: Greek. Currency: Euro. Greek Tourist Office: 4 Conuit Street, London W1S 2DJ. Tel: 020 7734 5997. Fax: 020 7287 1369. www.gnto.co.uk

Travel money

Euro

You can get foreign exchange on currency notes and travellers cheques at most First Choice Travel Shops and Holiday Hypermarkets.