6 Best Sights in Alonnisos, The Sporades

You'd have to try very hard to find a Sporades beach, or, in fact, a Greek beach with waters as crystal clear as at Agios Dimitrios, on Alonnisos. The almost spit-shape white pebble beach is long, uncrowded, and has a stupendous view of Peristera island directly opposite. The water is shallow and calm, and the beach is lined with just a handful of picturesque palm-leaf umbrellas and sun beds to rent. Behind the beach, along a tree-lined road, you'll find a couple of beach restaurants serving delicious traditional Greek dishes. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee). Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

Mercifully the church is one of the very few buildings which survived the earthquake, with just a few cracks visible on the outside. It was built in the 12th century, though the frescoes on the inside depicting the Twelve Apostles—reformed here in 1964 from a demolished nearby church—are dated to the 17th century.

The islet (also known as Pelagos) has two natural harbors, Agios Petris and Planitis, the latter of which was once regularly set upon by pirates marauding the Aegean in the medieval period. Archaeological findings on the island prove that there was once a Neolithic civilization here, who inhabited it some 8,000 years ago—though more recent traces of human habitation can be found, too. The 16th-century Byzantine monastery from which the island gets its name is the main draw. Recently restored, it's dedicated to the birth of the Virgin Mary.

The closest island to Alonnisos is also home to one of the marine park's travel highlights—the Peristera Wreck, discovered by local fisherman Dimitris Mavrikis in 1985. A cargo of some 4,000 wine amphoras can be seen half buried in the seabed, the bulk of which have been identified as having originated in Skopelos, and the ancient city of Mende, now incorporated into Central Macedonia. It's thought that the ship foundered toward the end of the Peloponnesian War, as evidence from burned remains of a wooden hull could be testament to. In 2020 the area became known as the Alonissos Underwater Museum, and it's possible to visit in the summer months only, on a currently trial basis by the Greek Department of Maritime Antiquities and tourism officials.

Though there are many intriguing caves on the island of Alonnisos, the Blue Cave, in the northern part of the island near Agios Dimitrios beach, is the most famous. Boat trips will usually make a stop here, and travelers can swim in the azure water of the cave.

Founded in the year 2000, this is the island's main museum (a little tired and neglected but informative nonetheless). Its collection is a tribute to Alonnisos's history and culture, and is privately owned by passionate archivists Kostas and Angela Mavrikis. Inside, the museum charts the island's fate at the hands of Aegean pirates through paintings and weaponry. Old mechanical equipment such as that for pressing olives and grapes offer a reminder of the island's past economies.