10 best things to do in Skyros

Next on your list of things to do in Skyros is to dig deeper into the island’s traditional crafts. You’ll have spotted them walking around Hora, not just in souvenir shops (like Skyrian Ceramics) but as intricately designed furniture and display ornaments through the windows of people’s houses. The diminutive wood-carved chairs and tables seem like they are made for oversized dollhouses, until you see the locals’ tiny living rooms and they make perfect sense. Meanwhile, hand-painted pottery (plates, jugs etc) take pride of place on walls above fireplaces.

The best experience, of course, is to learn from the craftspeople themselves. There’s a woodcarving workshop at the foot of town and Thesis Wood (a few minutes’ drive from Hora) gives you a hands-on appreciation of the carving and chiselling techniques that shape the island’s abundant Apello pine. Meanwhile, Stamatis Ftoulis’ Skyrian Ceramics workshop in Magazia gives you a full appreciation for the intricacy of the decoration techniques used on plates, jugs and other Skyrian ceramics.

You won’t need to be told where to find the main beach. You can see it from the monastery and the Venetian fortress … more than a kilometre of sand stretching out within the main bay below town. Magazia (as it’s known) can be whatever you want it to be: a sunbed & umbrella and beach bar scene or a nothing but towel-on-the-sand kind of beach. It’s that big. And for whenever you get hungry, there are tavernas at various points overlooking the sea.

More scenic (but needing a car to get to) are beaches like Pefkos and the picturesque little bay of Agios Fokas on the eastern side of the island, as well as Atsitsa. The closest beach to the port is Acherounes and the coolest beach is Kyra Panagia (sunbeds, music etc and shallow water that’s perfect for small kids). Meanwhile, Kalamitsa is a long expanse of sand and pebbles that is popular with windsurfers and kitesurfers. All have tavernas either on or near the beach.

And for total seclusion (you have to walk around 1km but, boy, is it worth it), is gorgeous little Agalipa beach by the airport. There are no signs, so ask for directions before setting out.

Time for some culture on your holidays in Skyros. While you’re walking around Hora, ask for directions to Brooke Square, where you’ll find a statue dedicated to Rupert Brooke, the British First World War poet, and a wonderful view of Magazia beach. Brooke died on Skyros in 1915 and was buried in a remote area in the southern part of the island (you can visit his grave, which includes a marble plaque engraved with the words of his most famous poem, The Soldier).

Just below Brooke Square are two museums, the Faltaits Folklore Museum, housed in the 19^th-century residence of painter Manolis Faltaits and featuring memorabilia such as traditional costumes, maps, manuscripts and sepia photographs and the Archaeological Museum of Skyros, with artefacts including ancient pottery, jewellery and sculptures from the Mycenaean, Geometric and Classical periods up to Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine times. Also on display are artefacts from the prehistoric settlement of Palamari in northern Skyros, which you can also visit. It is an archaeological site dating from the Bronze Age (Middle and Late Bronze Age, 2^nd-1^st millennium BC). Excavations have revealed a large fortified settlement, with houses, public buildings and a complex system of fortifications.

There’s plenty of traditional food to get stuck into during your holidays in Skyros. You’ll find all the Greek classics (meat, seafood and vegetarian) but top of the list of local dishes are the goat and lamb recipes. Traditionally, they are made with a red (tomato) or lemon sauce and slow-cooked until fall-off-the-bone tender. The fava of Mouries Farm (ask at the riding club) makes excellent split pea puree and local cheeses include mizithra (a soft white cheese), xynotiri (sour cheese) and graviera (a kind of gruyere).

Possibly the most decadent thing you’ll eat in Skyros is tiganopsomo (fried bread) served with xynotiri cheese or loukoumades, fried dough balls drizzled with local honey (the local thyme honey is the best) and chopped walnuts. But the biggest treat by far is another Skyros speciality, Lobster Spaghetti (astakomakaronada). The spaghetti is tossed in a tomato, garlic and onion sauce and served with chunks of lobster still in its shell. Go easy on the starters. You’ll need the space.

There’s a choice of providers offering boat tours from Linaria (the port), allowing you to spend a day at sea, exploring the rugged coastline. They all take you to remote swimming spots, such as Glyfada beach on nearby Sarakiniko island and Agalipa (the beach gem that can only otherwise be reached on foot). Another favourite boat trip is to the Diatripti Sea Caves below the southeastern cliffs, where you can swim in the mesmerising blue water within the cave. Some boat trips offer lobster or prawn spaghetti on the return journey.

The best way to not have to repeat yourself when you tell friends you visited Skyros is to spread some Instagram envy before turning home. A few spots will do it. Yes, the view of Magazia beach from Kastro (the castle) or Brooke Square is pretty special and your stroll around Hora will give you plenty of authentic details (doorways, ceramics, wood carvings, churches, bougainvillea etc). But it’s worth making the effort to visit a few standout Insta-stars.

Agios Nikolaos Church in Pouria is an amazing little whitewashed church literally carved into a rock at the end of Molos Bay. It has only a handful of icons inside and fits just a few people. And for perhaps the best sunset on the island (and a one-of-a-kind view at any time of day), head to Agios Panteleimonas church. It’s at the highest point on the drive from Pefkos to Agios Fokas beach, with great views of the pine forest and Valaxa, an islet opposite.

And finally, a nugget that was totally off grid until recently. On the walk through the pine tree forest to Agalipa beach, the footpath veers off to the left and descends to another bay with a shipwreck marooned on the beach. Before you go down, there’s a natural viewpoint that lets you capture the most amazing green-blue water and the shipwreck on the beach. Your work is done! Definitely a must on any best things to do in Skyros list.

One of the most striking aspects of Skyros is how the rocky, arid south (dominated by the island’s highest peak, Mt Kochylas) is so different from the rich greenery of the pine forest-covered northwest. Both offer scenery worthy of a day’s walking. There are five trails around Mt Kochylas (among the most challenging), setting out from locations like Achili, Kalamitsa and Agios Modestos.

A much more accessible and beautiful hike is from Hora to the Church of Panagia Limpiani or the trail around Palamari. Likewise, the walk from Hora to Magazia beach (down the stairs from Brooke Square and along Molos Bay to the lighthouse just beyond Agios Nikolaos Church) is one of the most enjoyable on the island.

And for diving enthusiasts, Skyros Diving Centre in Acherounes and Linaria (the port) is a must. Run by the super-professional Vassilis Trakos, the centre’s fully certified instructors offer diving experiences for all levels, from beginner dives to excursions to shipwrecks and into sea caves.