Ikaria
What makes Ikaria Island unique and everything you need to know before visiting it!
Ikaria Island on Google Maps
Where is Ikaria and how to get to the land of Icarus
Ikaria or Icaria is an island located in the north-east Aegean and it belongs to the complex of north Aegean islands. There are frequent ferry routes to Ikaria and it takes around six and a half hours to get there from the port of Piraeus. It’s not a destination for a long weekend but it’s not that far away either comparing to other islands. How close or far away an island is, can sometimes be relative as it depends on whether there’s a more modern ferry or a high speed ferry going there or an old one that might need twice the time.
It’s believed that Ikaria takes its name from Icarus who according to the Greek mythology, fell from the sky and died in the sea surrounding Ikaria. His father Daedalus, a renowned craftsman, made some wings with feathers and wax as a way to escape Crete where King Minos had imprisoned them. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly very high as the wax would be melted by the sun but Icarus didn’t listen to his father and eventually his wings became dismantled and he died. Interestingly Henry A. Murray introduced the term Icarus Complex, a term in psychoanalysis used to describe someone who is over ambitious, an overachiever and eventually cannot handle his or her very own success leading this person to self-destructive behavior which could even result to his/her own death. A phenomenon we often see with movie stars and other famous artists.
I was very excited when we decided with my friends to visit Ikaria island, as it’s been something I wanted to do for a long time. We were a group of four and we arrived on the island a few days before the 15th of August, which is a huge public holiday dedicated to the Virgin Mary’s Assumption. This day is the most important and most celebrated public holiday in Greece and the peak of the holiday high season. Since Ikaria is also a rather popular destination, the island was really crowded.
Why should someone visit Ikaria
The first reason I wanted to visit Ikaria so much is its people and their unique culture. There are very interesting stories about the Ikarian way of life and several urban legends I’d heard about Ikariotes (Icarians) that I was so curious to discover whether they were true. Another reason I wanted to visit Ikaria was to experience its famous Panigiria. Panigiria are local feasts/festivals celebrating the patron saint of a village. Going to Panigiria is the main way of partying in Ikaria and if for any reason you aren’t fascinated by the idea, it’s best to choose a different island to go to. The majority of people visiting the island love going to Panigiria.
On Ikaria, unlike most Greek islands, you can also surf. Ikaria attracts some surf fanatics, as not only is the wind suitable, but also Greek surfers believe that Messakti beach is one of the two best beaches in the country to surf and, particularly, to learn how to surf (the other is Lagouvardos beach in the Peloponnese). To keep your expectations realistic, however, don’t expect Hawaiian waves. On the positive side, if you’re a beginner at surfing, smaller waves can also mean drinking less water.
Other things you’ll enjoy while in Ikaria are the nice food made with high quality local ingredients and the organic Ikarian wine. Going to the beach is also a part of the daily holiday routine of the island but it will not be a decisive factor in going to Ikaria. You can find some nice beaches on the island but as most things in life are relative, you will not find the extraordinary beautiful turquoise waters you’ll encounter in Donousa island for example. Also, if you like hiking and strolling in nature there are some beautiful trails that go through green landscapes, rivers and springs.
Laidback, slow-paced Ikarians: urban legends & reality
Why is the Ikarian culture so intriguing and which are the urban legends about the Ikarians? Before going to Ikaria, my friends and I heard so many stories about the locals and their peculiar/unique relationship with time. Ikarians are famous for having a laid back, relaxed and easy going attitude. At the same time they’re also famous for being quite festive, enjoying the simple and nice things in life and living in the moment, something that is also manifested through their strong Panigiria – feasts tradition.
The most famous urban legend about Ikarians describes them to sleep during the day and being awake during the night. It talks about a whole community that starts being active only after the late afternoon hours, accompanied by quite unusual opening hours for shops. This has been particularly mentioned in regards to a specific village called Raches. I’ve heard plenty of times the story about the bakery in the village of Raches, whose owner would leave the bakery unattended in the morning but stocked with freshly made bread. Then the customers would pick-up the bread they wanted and leave the money on the counter. The story ends with the bakery owner having to stop this habit after some young tourists started taking bread without leaving money.
When I asked about this urban legend around, I was told that the real reason the Ikarians are more active during the evening hours is not due to laid-back habits or that they don’t want to wake up in the morning. On the contrary, they work in the fields or do other activities during the morning hours and as they get very tired they have a siesta at noon. The result of this daily schedule is that they only have free time in the evening to do their shopping.
Other stories about the Ikarians are related to their slow pace of life and how this influences their time perception. We were told, before visiting the island, that it’s possible when visiting a café, for example, that you might wait for an hour for a waiter to take your order and then he might need another hour or more to prepare it and bring it to the table. We had been advised that if we get the feeling that this is happening, we should propose to the owner of the café to go and make the coffee ourselves instead of waiting for two long hours. I have to admit that we never experienced something like that but we were also told that things have gotten much better with regards to the speed and quality of the service during the last years.
During our whole stay in Ikaria we only encountered a severe delay with service once, and I’m not sure whether we were lucky or if it was due to our own efforts. As we were terrified from all the stories we’d heard about the Ikarians being so slow paced, my lovely group of friends and I were doing a significant effort to accelerate things. We were deciding our order upon the waiter’s arrival to our table and when we wanted to add something to our order, as for example another bottle of wine, until we were noticed by the waiter we would maintain eye contact with him. All of us. Simultaneously. I admit we exaggerated due to these horror stories we’d heard. My opinion when I left the island was that the locals were trying their best to be service oriented and most of the times they managed very well.
Longevity and the Ikarians
It is believed that the relaxed attitude of Ikarians plays a significant role in their longevity. The Ikarians are famous for having forgotten to die: you encounter many of them living up to, or even more than, 100 years old. Ikaria is one out of the five Blue Zones in the world – Blue Zones are called the areas where the longest-living people reside on earth. Personally I’m not sure how statistically significant this is but there have been some studies made upon it and there is a number of articles written about it. Besides their laid-back culture, other factors mentioned by researchers include their very healthy diet, containing greens, beans, lentils, a daily siesta and having sex until the age of 80. A very nice article where you could read more about it, is written by Andrew Anthony for The Guardian.
One first-hand experience with this laid-back attitude of Ikarians was our interaction with the car rental owner. He was a very polite and friendly guy in his 50s. Before our arrival he described to us on the phone where exactly our car was parked at the port and what it looked like. The car was unlocked and the keys were inside, in a hidden location but neither that well-hidden. Of course, it’s not that easy to steal a car while on an island – as you can only leave the island with a car on a boat – but still it felt a bit weird arrangement. As per his instructions, we later drove to his office to meet him and to arrange the paperwork. Over there another surprising thing followed: he invited all of us to some raki (Greek traditional liqueur) shots! With one shot you don’t get drunk and you don’t exceed the alcohol limit for driving but still you don’t expect the car rental owner to invite you to shots and then see you drive away in his car!
When it was time for us to leave the island, we settled the account and left the car at the port with the keys inside for the next person to find them. Often in Ikaria, you might feel there’s a “floating anarchy” that in some magical way it works and it even creates a sort of order. Another thing I’ve only seen in Ikaria, was that while we were driving, a car in front of us had a passenger being seated in an open port baggage! He seemed to be enjoying his seat as he waved at us, laughing, as we passed!
Why is Ikaria known as Red Rock?
Ikaria is also kind of famous for having a communist political tradition. Some argue that this could be related to the fact that it’s been used as an exile destination during the civil war that followed the end of Second World War II in 1947-1949, where many thousands of political prisoners supporting communism were sent here. In the national elections of 2015 someone can notice that the Greek Communist Party (KKE) has been the most popular in Ikaria with a 33.20% of the voters supporting it, as compared to the 5,55% of support that the same party received on the same year on a national level. Thus, some people refer to it as the Red rock.
Ikaria’s Famous Panigiria – Feasts
The main reason people visit Ikaria is to go to the Panigiria. Ikaria has a very strong tradition and is really famous for its Panigiria. Panigiria are feasts/festivals that take place in a village on the nameday of its patron Saint or the day before it. There’s always a mass in the church dedicated to the Saint and when it’s finished people gather to celebrate with a lot of eating, drinking and dancing. There’s live traditional music played by local musicians accompanied by an image you are probably familiar with: people holding hands and dancing together in open cycles. The traditional music, that’s played in a panigiri, differs from region to region in Greece and the Ikarian one, is one of the most beautiful and popular in Greece. I love the Ikarian tune and I’ve tried to learn how to dance to it several times. Even if you don’t know the exact steps of the dance, everybody is welcome to join the dancing cycle. In case you’re planning to visit the island, it’s a good idea to start getting in the Ikarian mood ahead of your visit and practice the dance a little bit before getting there. You can find some videos on YouTube that can help you do that.
During summertime, usually there’s a Panigiri happening every second or third day in random villages around the island. Some Panigiria, though, are more famous and popular than others. One of those is Proespera and the most famous and popular is the one of Lagkada, that takes place on 15th of August. Thousands of people, literally, go to Lagkada and the Panigiri resembles more a large scale festival than a Panigiri. The celebrations start from noon and everybody is drinking and dancing until the evening. As the day evolves, people get quite drank and often they enter an ecstatic state while dancing. Usually a Panigiri in Ikaria makes you think of the Dionysian Mysteries, where everybody was drinking wine and while dancing to drums they were escaping from their socialised personality and ego, going into a sort of trance: liberated from social constraints and inhibitions, abandoning themselves while dancing wildly and shouting. Something you can feel while you are in a Panigiri is that all the people are equal and there’s a unity created between them while they dance together, following the same steps while holding hands.
If you go to the Panigiri in Lagkada, you’d better be prepared as it gets very crowded. There are long queues formed for buying food and drinks so it’s a good idea to bring some snacks with you until it gets less busy in the counters. Some people also bring some sleeping bags in order to have a nap before driving back. It does sound a bit hippie for my taste but in case you have a couple of glasses of wine, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea to try and get some rest before you get back on the wheels. Ideally, of course, you should have a driver who is willing to stay away from any kind of alcohol and drive you back safe.
Another tip that also applies to smaller scale Panigiria, is if you don’t want to drink wine or beer and you prefer to have a regular drink, like vodka or a gin & tonic, you should bring some with you. Going to a Panigiri in Ikaria is not like going to a taverna or a bar, meaning that you’re not obliged to order something. Instead it’s self-service and it’s up to you if you want to buy something or not. Of course, it’s always nice to support the local economy so they’ll be able to have the resources and continue the tradition of Panigiria.
Ikarians are truly friendly people and they are really welcoming everyone to their Panigiria. They are proud of their culture and traditions and happy to share them with the rest of the world. Said this, my impression has been that they also organize smaller scale Panigiria which they don’t heavily advertise in order to be able to enjoy dancing Ikariotiko (the Ikarian dance) in a more relaxed atmosphere, with fewer people. We accidentally run into one of those, a Wine Feast. Though the majority of people were locals and you could see that they knew each other, we still felt welcome. If you’re lucky enough to find a Panigiri of this kind, I totally recommend it as the atmosphere is much more relaxed and you’re able to observe Ikarians at their best.
Events and Nightlife
Except the Panigiria which is the main way of partying in Ikaria there’re also other events happening, like for example various types of concerts and gigs. The majority of the bars in the island are more suitable for having a relaxed drink. Ikaria is a destination that doesn’t have a night out routine. Instead it’s more “event based”. Each day can be different if you are in the mood for attending different events, happening in various locations.
People in 20s and who are Grouvaloi
The relaxed atmosphere, the friendliness of Ikarians, their inclination to Left-wing politics and the sort of anarchy culture on the island, makes Ikaria a very popular destination among Greek young people. Though there are plenty of tourists in their late twenties and mid thirties, they are outnumbered by people in their early 20s. There’s also a free campsite on Nas beach which makes it more affordable for young people to visit Ikaria.
Free camping in Greece is something that very often depends on the locals and whether they will permit it or not. In Ikaria, I’ve heard that it depends on the locals’ mood; sometimes they may allow it, other times not. From my experience, many people were camping on Nas beach and some few other people on Messakti beach. I met a Greek couple in their early 20s, who were so cute together, and were free camping on Nas beach. We met them while they were hitchhiking and gave them a lift.
While driving in Ikaria, it is very common to invite people you don’t know in your car because hitchhiking is very popular. There’s this solidarity culture and so many people hitchhike, you start feeling kind of guilty driving in an empty car. I ran into this couple again a couple of days later in the Panigiri of Gialiskari. At Gialiskari they told me that they had left Nas beach and that they were on their way to the port of Evdilos. This was really funny because what they were actually doing was hitchhiking with their bags and free camping every day at a different location, slowly moving closer to the port.
Often the decision of the locals whether they’ll allow people to free camp or not, depends on their relationship with some groups of people that usually free camp, who they call “Grouvaloi” pronounced Groov-a-li. This word is used to describe young groups of people who take advantage of the friendliness of the locals and behave in inconsiderate ways. When Grouvaloi go to Panigiria they might be stealing bottles of wine from the tables while people are away dancing, they leave garbage where they free camp and so on. When Grouvaloi do something nasty, the locals get angry and they call the police to go after the free campers. I couldn’t blame the locals. I think Grouvaloi are taking advantage of their peaceful culture. Of course, not everybody who free camps in Ikaria belongs to this group of people.
The surfers
Another group that you’ll find in Ikaria are the surfers. Messakti beach is considered to be one of the best beaches to surf and probably the best one to learn how to surf. There’s a surf club where you can take lessons. I tried it and I found the teachers being very good at it and the school rather professional. With their assistance, I managed to jump on the board and stand on it for more than a couple of seconds! The reason why Messakti beach is so appropriate for learning how to surf, is that as the waters get deeper all of the sudden there’s a reef. So on one hand there are suitable waves as you are quite away from the seashore and on the other hand there’s a reef on which the instructor is able to step and assist you better. The surf club also rents surfboards, in case you already know how to surf. In this group you’ll find more people being in their 30s and 40s. They also have a completely different lifestyle from the rest of the people visiting the island. Surfing is a rather expensive sport, so I reckon the majority of surfers you’ll be seeing there would come from a rather privileged background.
Practical Info
There are two ports in Ikaria: Evdilos and Agios Kirikos. The later is also the capital of the island. I recommend you to go to Evdilos port and stay at a place towards this side of the island as this is where most things are happening. If you want to wake up and be able to walk to the sea, you should choose Armenistis or Gialiskari village. We’ve stayed in Gialiskari because compared to Armenistis it’s more quiet but still close to everything. Another option would be to stay in the village called Raches or Christos, where most bars are located and which is near Messakti beach, just a 15-minute drive away. Last but not least, you need a car while in Ikaria in order to move around, unless you want to try your luck with hitchhiking. There are some bus routes but you won’t be able to visit the Panigiria on a bus.
Visit Armenistis Village – One of the most popular settlements in Ikaria island!
Armenistis is about a 25-minute drive from the port of Evdilos. Armenistis village and Messakti beach are two of the most touristic and popular destinations in Ikaria. During the summer both are usually full of people. There are some hotels and many rooms to let in Armenistis as well as cafés, bars and restaurants.
Armenistis on Google Maps
Eat in Armenistis
Mia Zoi Pita
Mia Zoi Pita (which translates to “a life full of pie”) is located on the outskirts of Armenistis. It has big variety of pies and all of them are really tasty. Though it’s a place where you go to eat a pie and have a coffee, they also organise some small scale events with live music in the evenings. On the back of each chair is a name written and the story behind it is that when they needed to paint the chairs, the owners invited their friends and acquaintances and each chair was named after the person who painted it!
Drink in Armenistis
Cafe Bar Mythos
Mythos is a café bar in Armenistis with a wonderful view of the seacoast. They serve coffee during the day and drinks in the evenings. It’s a rather calm and romantic place, playing some tunes towards the rock and jazz end of spectrum.
Be Merry in Armenistis
Learn How to Surf on Mesakti Beach
Mesakti Beach on Google Maps
Messakti beach is a very long sandy beach that attracts many people. It’s very popular among surfers and there you can also find the Ikaria Surf School. The school is open from May till September and offers surf and other water sport lessons. The instructors are quite experienced and offer classes for all ages and levels. Messakti is an ideal beach for surfing beginners since the water gets deeper as you walk in but at some point there’s a reef, so it gets shallow again making it easier for the instructors to help you. I took a few beginner classes and surprisingly I managed to get on the board and stay there for some seconds! The school also collaborates with other professionals and offers a wide range of activities such as yoga on the beach, hiking, horseback riding and cycling.
Hang out and swim on Mesakti Beach
Mesakti Beach on Google Maps
Not everyone on Messakti goes there to surf or to learn how to surf. Messakti is a really long, beautiful sandy beach and many people go there to just relax, sunbathe and have a swim. It’s organised so it has some sunbeds and beach umbrellas. There’s also a beach bar and a beach volley court. During high season in the summer it gets quite crowded.
Visit Gialiskari – The more quiet settlement next to Armenisti
Gialiskari is a charming little fishing village located around 20 minutes drive from the port of Evdilos. It’s really close to Messakti beach and Armenistis village, both about a 10-minute walk away. Compared to Armenistis, it’s much more quiet. It has a little fishing port with a small chapel, of Analipsis, next to it. Gialiskari is where we stayed. It has a few rooms to let as well as a couple of taverns and cafés.
Gialiskari on Google Maps
Eat in Gialiskari
Karnagio
Karnagio on Google Maps
Karnagio is a café in Gialiskari, specializing in breakfasts. It has a beautiful view of the little fishing port of the village and it’s a rather calm and relaxing place.
Kialaris
Kialaris on Google Maps
Kialaris is a traditional fish tavern/restaurant with great fresh fish and seafood. Fish and seafood is always more expensive compared to meat dishes but I found this place to be value for money. I reckon there were more people having the same opinion as the place was packed every day. Kialaris was also the place where I celebrated my birthday!
Go to the Beach in Gialiskari
Gialiskari Beach
Gialiskari Beach on Google Maps
Gialiskari is a tiny little pebbly beach located next to the port of Gialiskari village. The main reason for going to this beach is that it’s much more quiet and secluded compared to Messakti beach.
Best Places to Eat in Ikaria
Eating out in Ikaria
Overall I can say that the food in Ikaria was very good and inexpensive. At least this was my experience from the taverns and the restaurants we visited. Many of the taverns offer meat that is locally produced and fresh fish. With regards to the fresh fish, you need to be careful what to order and how much because prices per kilo range and can get up to 70 euros per kilo or more. Our choice of places was based on tips and recommendations from friends originating from the island or others who visit Ikaria regularly. For the majority of the places mentioned below you would need a car to visit them.
A general and important advice is, do not go anywhere to eat when you are already starving. Go before you reach that critical level. Visit a restaurant or a tavern when you start feeling a bit hungry. We were happily surprised by the service, as we were expecting it to be much more slower in accordance to the famous slow Ikarian pace. Still, you shouldn’t expect to place an order and have everything delivered to you right away.
Anna’s Restaurant in Nas
Anna’s Restaurant on Google Maps
Anna’s restaurant is one of the most famous places to eat in the western part of the island, and for a good reason. Conveniently located above Nas beach, it’s no more than a 10-minute drive by car from Armenistis and Gialiskari. It has some simple dishes made with high quality ingredients. You can find several dishes of traditional Greek cuisine as well as dishes grilled on the spot. If you go before the sun sets, you can also enjoy the beautiful sea view. It’s a family-run tavern and you can feel the Ikarian hospitality. Though you can also visit the place for lunch, I’d recommend it for a dinner because when compared to other places on the island, it has the atmosphere of a restaurant rather than a tavern.
Karnagio in Gialiskari
Karnagio on Google Maps
Karnagio is a café in Gialiskari specialising in breakfast with a rather relaxed atmosphere and a nice view of the port of Gialiskari.
Kialaris in Gialiskari
Kialaris on Google Maps
Kialaris is a traditional fish tavern/restaurant where you can eat some fresh fish and seafood dishes, like octopus and mussels. If you want to eat fish you can ask them what is the catch of the day and how much is the price per kilo. Often, you’re invited to the kitchen to choose the fish you want to eat. A small fish could weigh something like 100-200 gr. so don’t get terrified when you listen how much the price per kilo is. Said this, fish is always more expensive compared to meat but I think what they offer is value for money and restaurants elsewhere could charge three times more for serving this kind of fresh fish.
Mia Zoi Pita in Armenistis
Mia Zoi Pita on Google Maps
Mia Zoi Pita (which translates to “a life full of pie”) is located in the outskirts of Armenistis. It has a big variety of pies and all of them are really tasty. It’s a place you can visit to have a snack during the day – taking some pies for the beach and eating them after having a swim – in order to not starve until dinner time.
Miliontas
Miliontas on Google Maps
This place has been recommended by some local friends. The food was very rewarding and value for money. They had many traditional Ikarian and Greek dishes. When we got there we were lucky to enjoy an amazing sunset and an extraordinary view of the sea. We were able to locate the tavern after receiving directions on the phone from our friends while we were on our way from Agios Georgios to Gialiskari. It was located on the north coast of the island, on the east side of Evdilos port but unfortunately I cannot provide you with an exact address. If you’d like to visit the place, you can ask a local on your way for the exact location.
Popis Restaurant in Fitema
Popis Restaurant on Google Maps
Popi’s restaurant in Fitema village is located at a 10 minute drive from Armenistis-Gialiskari and you can see it on your right hand side as you’re driving on the main road from Armenistis heading towards Evdilos. Popi’s taverna is one of the places you shouldn’t miss if you are in Ikaria. We’ve been to this place many times and it’s one of my favourite eateries in Ikaria. It is “Magirio”, which means they prepare different dishes every day. They thus give you a handwritten menu/catalogue and every time a dish runs out they cross it off the list. You can find some really tasty traditional Greek and Ikarian dishes with locally grown and produced ingredients. We never paid more than 15 euros per person, which I find really value for money for the quality and the amount of food we ordered each time. I also found the atmosphere of the place really cute and authentic, they have a beautiful pergola with grape vines and some small wooden tables and chairs.
Sto Gialo Kanei Fourtouna in Magganitis
Sto Gialo Kanei Fourtouna on Google Maps
Magganitis Port
Visit some of the Gorgeous Beaches of Ikaria Island
Nas Beach – Kato Raches
Nas Beach on Google Maps
Nas is a beautiful beach located only at a 10 minute drive from Armenistis village. It’s a beach where many people free camp. The water has a very beautiful and unique deep-blue colour and it’s partly sandy, partly pebbly. On Nas beach ends a river and if you follow it going uphill there’s a very beautiful and green landscape where you’ll also find some river springs. On the way to the beach, you can see the ancient temple of Goddess Artemis. Artemis is famous for being the goddess of hunting, ruler of forests and mountains and a protector of small children and animals. In addition to the temple of Artemis, an ancient port was also located on Nas beach.
SeyChelles Beach – Magganitis
SeyChelles Beach on Google Maps
Seychelles is a very famous beach in Ikaria, which is located on the south part of the island at about an hour drive from Armenistis. The beach has some amazing light-blue and turquoise waters, very exotic for Greek standards, and a mix of sand and fine pebbles. It was created by a landslide that happened during the construction of Magganitis tunnel and there’s a large cove under which you can find some shade.
The beach is majestic but the truth is that if you visit it during high season you’ll find it extremely crowded. Under the cove mentioned earlier, you’ll be forced to make new friends. You can either reach it on foot, via going down a relatively easy hiking trail, or by a boat that you can take from the port of Magganitis. There are no facilities on the beach – so you should carry with you at least a bottle of water. The boat transferring people to and from Magganitis port, was selling water and beers but due to how crowded it was, I wouldn’t risk going there without any supplies. If you can, it’s best to visit it as early as possible to avoid rush hour.
Sto Gialo Kanei Fourtouna in Magganitis
Sto Gialo Kanei Fourtouna (which translates to “It is stormy on the seashore”) is a tavern with the feeling of a beach bar located next to the port of Magganitis. The food is delicious and value for money and the atmosphere really summery and chilled out. The owners are very friendly and even though they are doing their best to serve the customers, the slow Ikarian pace was noticeable. Said this, I would happily visit this place again!
Magganitis Port
As you may also see in the pictures, Magganitis is a small picturesque fishing port located a bit further away from Seychelles beach. From here, you can also take a boat to get you to Seychelles beach, if you want to skip going down and up the hiking trail.
Koskina Castle
On our way back from Magganitis port and Seychelles beach, we stopped to see the Koskina castle. The scenery reminded me of The Lord of the Rings and actually I’ve been told that Ikaria island was one of the places that the producers of the famous trilogy had considered before finally deciding to film it entirely in New Zealand. I’m not sure if this is true but for sure the wild nature in Ikaria and its rocky mountains seem to be a good fit for shooting this type of movie. The road to the castle is very narrow, so you are kind of obliged to leave the car and walk the rest of the distance. Unfortunately we didn’t get to the top as we were running late and we were afraid it would get dark before we had the time to go back. The Koskina castle is a 10th century AD Byzantine fortress and inside its ruins there’s a small stone-built chapel dedicated to Saint George Dorganas.
Agios Georgios beach – Ag. Kirikos
Agios Georgios Beach on Google Maps
Agios Georgios (or Ai-Giorgis) is a small sandy beach located in Agios Kirikos, which is on the south eastern side of the island at about an hour and 20 minutes drive from Armenistis. Before going there we’d heard that it was one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. It was nice but I think the distance we drove to get there made us expect something more. You need to follow an easy hiking path after you park your car in order to get to the beach. In the beginning of the trail you can also see the tower of Drakanos.
Drakanos Tower
There’s a very interesting story about Drakanos tower and the other six towers in Ikaria. It’s estimated that they were built around the 4th century BC, in order to observe and protect the island from hostile ship attacks. It’s argued by some, that these towers were constructed by the Athenian Empire that was heavily investing at this time in its maritime self-defence league. Experts believe that the towers’ construction wouldn’t have been easy for the Ikarians to do on their own. Additionally, you can find similar towers constructed by the Athenian Empire on other Greek islands.
The interesting thing about these towers, constructed and used thousands of years ago, is that they had developed a communication system between them. They used beacon fires (fryktories in Greek) when they would spot a ship approaching to the shore. If a tower would light up a fire (or show thick smoke if the ship appeared during the day) all the rest of the towers would see it. We haven’t reached the interesting part yet! The fascinating thing though, is that when a tower would light up a fire, all the people located in each of the different towers would run simultaneously to a tank and open a wooden water tap that would fill the tank with water. The moment the fire became extinguished, the people controlling the towers would run back and close the tap so that the water would stop filling the tank. They would then observe the water level in the tank in order to understand how severe the situation was. There were lines drawn in each of the tanks and each line conveyed a different message. For example, the lower line would mean “unknown ship approaching” while a higher line would mean “we are under attack”. In this way all towers would be informed almost instantly whether the island was in danger or not.
Gialiskari Beach
Gialiskari Beach on Google Maps
A small beach in Gialiskari village. You can read more about it in the tab Gialiskari.
Mesakti Beach
Mesakti Beach on Google Maps
Messakti is a beautiful and quite popular sandy beach on Armenistis. Go to Armenistis tab in order to read more about it.
Visit Raches — the slow-paced, afterhours village
Raches or Christos Village
Raches or Christos is a village located at about 15 minute drive away from Armenistis village going towards inland, up to a hill. It’s probably the most famous village in Ikaria. It’s famous for being a place that functions in a different time-schedule than the rest of the world: a place where not only will you find a grocery store open after midnight, but it will be crowded as well.
It is a very picturesque village with cobblestone pathways, cute stone houses and trees that provide shade and coolness. It has many taverns and it’s also the place where the majority of bars are located. Generally, during the high season it gets busy and you’ll see people around at all times. There are some rooms to let and many people choose to stay in Raches when visiting Ikaria. If you happen to be in Ikaria on the 6th of August, there’s a big Panigiri organized in Raches that you shouldn’t miss!
Raches on Google Maps
Drink in Raches
Dendrospito Cocktail Bar
Dentrospito (which means “treehouse” in Greek) is a café-lounge bar in Raches with a big garden. It looks like a scene from a fairytale and the atmosphere is so summery and romantic. It was always full of people every time we visited it but it’s worth waiting a little until you find a place to sit.
Patirnti Cafe-Bar
Patirnti is a another charming café-bar in Raches. It’s stone-built with flower vines and it’s located on a busy street of the village, making it possible to feel the vibe of the crowds and watch the bypassers.
Go to a Panigiri and experience the Ikarian way of having fun!
Panigiria – Feasts
Panigiria are traditional feasts or festivals that are held to honour and celebrate the day of the patron Saint of a village. In Ikaria during summertime there’s a panigiri happening every second or third day and it’s the most popular way of having fun on the island. Panigiria can differ from one another but most charge for food and drinks. I’ve been to few panigiria on other islands (for example, the feast of saint Paraskevi on Amorgos island) where the food is free, donated by local farmers and shepherds.
The menu at Ikarian panigiria usually consists of some delicious local meat, salad, cheese and, of course, the locally-produced Ikarian wine and beers. There’re long tables and benches on which you’re free to sit, wherever there’s some free space. Also it’s totally normal to sit next to people you don’t know. In most of the panigiria we went to, they weren’t selling any type of strong alcohol but you can bring your own alcohol if you want. There’s always a live band playing the traditional Ikarian tune and everybody is dancing in cycles!
Gialiskari Feast
On the 15th of August, on the day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, there’s a big panigiri happening in Gialiskari village. All the locals from Gialiskari, as well as many tourists, visit it. A big advantage for going to Gialiskari, if you’re staying in Armenistis or Gialiskari, is that you don’t need to drive and you can walk home. Comparing to other Panigiria, the one in Gialiskari could be described as a small-scale panigiri.
Proespera Feast
In Proespera is one of the biggest, most lively Ikarian feasts. Proespera panigiri is held during the month of August but every year the date differs because it’s what we call a “moveable” holiday. A very famous traditional Ikarian song that is played in every panigiri actually talks about this particular feast. The food is also amazing! We arrived really early, actually we were the first to arrive, even earlier than the band, so the pictures were taken while the place was still empty. We went early because we’d heard that this panigiri was very popular, and we wanted to make sure we’d find a nice place to sit. A couple of hours later the place was totally packed and it made no difference as we were unable to hold on to our first row seats!
Wine Feast
We run into this wine panigiri by chance. It was really small scale and it almost felt like a private party in someone’s garden. There were very few tourists and outsiders and you could feel the warmth and closeness between people, as most of them knew one another. It was held close to Evdilos village and I reckon that the locals probably organise more of this kind of small scale panigiria. They don’t heavily advertise them and thus they’re a lot less crowded.
There was a bench with some local producers selling their wine but besides that, nothing else was related to the theme of the feast: wine. Since you can also buy the locally produced Ikarian wine in all the other panigiria, it felt like the name was a bit misleading. It sort of felt like a random feast that was organised by the locals for fun. Instead of calling it “Our Little Feast,” they named it “Wine Feast.” Regardless of the name, we had a blast!
