A food tour of Karpathos

The best experiences on a food tour of Karpathos

Wine tasting

Karpathos may not be among the more famous islands in Greece when it comes to wine, but there are some family wineries that you can visit. Most of the vineyards are located in the mountainous part of the island (Othos, Volada, Menetes). In Volada, the Mattsson Winery offers vineyard tours where you’ll learn about the wine-making stages – from tending the vines to bottling. At the end of the tour, you’ll sample a variety of wines produced at the vineyard. Best of all for wine lovers, Karpathos holds an annual wine festival where you can sample wines from different local vineyards.

Cooking classes

Here’s your chance to pick up some culinary skills on your holidays in Karpathos. Cookery classes are mostly held in villages like Olympos (a time capsule of authenticity blessed with breathtaking views across the north of the island). They can be full-day experiences or even part of multi-day food tour of Karpathos. Either way, you’ll have the experience of being taught how to prepare traditional dishes by a local with products grown in Karpathos. Many cooking classes involve preparing bread making in a traditional wood-fired oven and cheese-tasting paired with local wine (you might even make your own cheese). Recipes include makarounes (fresh pasta with caramelised onions, sprinkled with goat’s cheese) and the best finish is always loukoumades (dough balls) drizzled with Karpathian honey.

Honey tasting

For those with a sweet tooth, a honey-tasting experience hits the spot! Karpathos is known for its thyme honey (you’ll find an abundance of wild thyme and rare local herbs in the countryside), with one of the most famous producers being the Gergatsoulis family near Menetes village. Another gem is the Kypseli store in Olympos village, which is run by a local beekeeper. But if you want to meet the people behind the honey pot, there are organised beekeeping tours in Volada or near Diafani. You'll see the beekeepers at work, learn the internal workings of a beehive (including how to spot the queen bee and what her role is) and taste honey straight from the honeycomb. And of course, you can take a jar of Karpathos’ famous thyme honey home with you.

Olive gathering and olive oil tasting

You can go olive oil tasting and visit an olive press in Karpathos throughout the summer months, but if you visit Karpathos in autumn, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in the olive harvest. There are experiences that include a tour of the olive grove followed by helping to spread special nets and participating in gathering the olives from the trees. You’ll then be shown the process of extracting the olive oil in a traditional olive press and enjoy a tasting session with fresh olive oil, sourdough bread and other local delicacies.