Skyros, the Aegean Island That Chooses You

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The score of Richard Straus’ Zarathustra grows progressively louder as if it were reverberating somewhere from the heavens when the ferryboat Achilleas turns into Skyros’ harbor Linaria. Its crescendo is so majestic that you can’t help but be intrigued by the staged welcome if it’s your first time arriving to the island. If you’re one of the many returnees, tears will probably well up in your eyes. To emphasize its musical welcome, when night falls, the bar Cavos resting on the cliff and facing the boat hands out sparklers to its customers. Boy is it impressive. Ohhh! Ahh! You hear from various onlookers from the ferry. But who knows? Maybe you’ll think it’s all a bit silly, that is, if you’re not one of the chosen ones.

Once off the chaos of the ferry boat, Skyros town (Chora) and Molos, the valley, are a few kilometers away from the lively harbor. Continuing toward your rental, you will most likely utter some exclamation when on the right cliff overlooking the sea, you notice a haphazardly placed sculpture garden spread out along a long patch of earth.

Everything begins to seem slightly random on Skyros. Even its unusual beauty.

You are likely to emit yet another exclamation after a final turn when the large, jagged hill that Chora sits on reveals itself. It is topped by a looming fortress in all its splendor; dramatically lit from below. The fortress is said to be that of mythological Mycenean king Lycomides.

Please don’t visit this wondrously rugged setting if you’re just looking for a pristine Greek island like those pictured in brochures, which are part of the tourist trajectory of the past years.

Don’t visit if you’re not up for a bit of exploration when trekking on one of the myriads of paths that lead through the hills and surrounded by colorful wildflowers while passing quaint, whitewashed churches in the wild outdoors. Ah yes, and it’s not a place for travelers by car who have issues with bumpy, pothole ridden country roads.

Don’t come if you have expectations. Any kind. From luxury suites with 180-degree views of the Aegean to exotic cocktails at the bar of your five-star hotel’s infinity pool.

Don’t even approach if you have more expectations of many traditional villages that you can visit, which embrace the landscape of so many islands. No.

Skyros has only one village, a stunning one at that. A traditional whitewashed Cycladic-looking type perched on the cliff. Atop it sits the prehistoric ruins of a fortress used and annexed by many subsequent conquerors, plus a beautiful 10th century monastery housing a church of the patron saint of the island Aghios Giorgios; precariously attached to the rock.

Chora sits proudly on the hilltop and is full of labyrinthine cobblestone roads on the inner side of the hill spilling like a watershed on the other side to meet Magazia a traditional seaside community. Whitewashed beauty in all its splendor; both Chora and Magazia sparkling when the light of the rising or setting sun strokes them at the right angle.

But that’s almost all you’ve got. Other than the picturesque port of Linaria where the ferry comes in. With only a couple of restaurants and maybe one or two bars, plus some small settlements like Aspous and Kalamitsa, much of the island is enveloped in a pine forest covering the many hills and a low mountain. There are also little settlements here and there nestled in the pine infested coast that engulfs lovely untouched beaches.

So, if you’re searching for organized beach umbrellas, sunbeds, and incredibly expensive beach bars. please don’t come to Skyros.

Yes, Skyros’ lovely main sandy beach crawling along the base of the village has a life of its own and offers some sort of beach bars, sunbeds and umbrellas for those who want this type of order. But even this is a bit arbitrary. Thankfully this beach is so long it has many free stretches that avoid the organized thing. So, you can plop your body down on the soft sand and just run into the beckoning lucid blue waters that daily change from slight waves to very large ones, or to lake like water on days when the wind isn’t blowing making  you feel like sitting in the shallows and playing in the effervescent water.

On the other hand, you might desire something between ordered and completely solo.

There is such a spot: A quirky bunch of umbrellas that look like they’ve been randomly thrown onto the beach by a gigantic hand from above; Just a few of them. And they’re not too close to be bothered by a neighbor. These belong to the most beautifully, situated bar/café on the island with the, let’s say, eccentric owner of the Korfari; what a character! The price there is so affordable I won’t even mention it. You must be brave enough to find out yourself. The orders, sandwiches, coffees, or whatever else the owner has decided to add to the menu that particular year are dangled down in a wicker basket. You either run to get it bouncing up and down because of the hot sand, or on days when he’s found a server they will bring it straight to you.

These scenes take place on the Cycladic part of this uncommon island which has two extremely distinct parts, the Cycladic and the Sporadic: It seems once again like a hand from above has attached an island of the Cyclades and one of the Sporades together. As you drive on the country road toward the North West, the scenery changes dramatically and you slowly become surrounded by the pine forest reminiscent of the Sporades with various dirt roads leading off to hidden coves.

A trip through the forest will end at the sandy beach of Pefkos engulfed in pines that reach the shore, A small port is there  along with Stamatia’s taverna serving a  large selection of tasty food: where you may even eat Skyros’  infamous lobster spaghetti.

But this island is a year-round travel destination.

During carnival you will bump into a “Yeros” dancing the traditional goat dance of Skyros, which has been around from ancient times. The “yeroi” characters cover their faces with goat skins, tie huge bells around their waists, wear a special goat-like costume, and homemade leather shoes: “trochadia”. They prance, sometimes run, around the winding paths of the village, their bells clanging. They work themselves into a passionate frenzy and just about knock you over if you’re not careful, so please don’t come if you don’t want to be privy to an original pagan ritual.

This unruly island with a wild alluring soul attracts people like itself, who are not demanding and aspiring to search for the vacation of brochures.

There is so much unconditional wisdom behind unturned rocks, wild landscape, and the people you meet, but you must be willing to immerse yourself in it. The community is tight. If it moves you, it will beckon to you, and you will certainly return the following year, pulled by that magnetic force some people say exists within the depths of the island.