Lesbo
Eleven million olive trees: that's the figure the people of Lesbos cite first when they have to explain their island to an outside...
Updated 10 July 2026
Lesbo
Explore
Towns in the province
This season · July · Summer
What to do in Lesbo now
The story
The story of Lesbo
Origins and history of a crossroads island
Inhabited since the Bronze Age and colonised by Aeolian peoples, Lesbos was in antiquity a maritime and cultural power, homeland of poets such as Sappho and Alcaeus and of the philosopher Theophrastus. It came under Roman and then Byzantine rule, before experiencing, in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the government of the Genoese Gattilusio family, who built fortifications still visible today. The Ottoman conquest of 1462 marked the beginning of almost four and a half centuries of Turkish rule, which ended only in 1912 with annexation to the Kingdom of Greece during the First Balkan War. Every era has left recognisable architectural and cultural traces in the island's historic centres.
The Castle of Mytilene
One of the most extensive fortresses in the Aegean, the Castle of Mytilene stands on a hill overlooking the harbour and encloses Byzantine, Genoese and Ottoman layers within a single perimeter of walls. The Gattilusio family enlarged it in the fourteenth century, incorporating pre-existing Byzantine structures, while the Ottomans added further bastions after the conquest of 1462. Walking through its broad courtyards, shaded by pine trees, offers a privileged view over the town and the sea, and is one of the best ways to grasp the island's historical layering in a single place.
Molyvos, the most photographed village
On the north-western side, Molyvos, also known by its Byzantine name Mithymna, is universally regarded as among the most beautiful places in the whole of the northern Aegean archipelago. Stone houses with red-tiled roofs cascade down the slope to a small fishing harbour, overlooked by a Byzantine castle later reworked by the Genoese. The cobbled lanes, carved wooden balconies and craft workshops make Molyvos an almost essential stop, especially at sunset, when the light sets the stone aglow in golden tones.
The petrified forest, a UNESCO Geopark
In the western part of the island, between Sigri and Eresos, stretches one of the most extensive petrified forests in the world: trunks of sequoias and other conifers, buried by volcanic eruptions around twenty million years ago, have survived to this day transformed into stone. The site, protected as a natural monument and recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark, includes a natural history museum in Sigri that helps visitors understand the geological processes that shaped the island over the course of geological eras.
Eresos, the birthplace of Sappho
The small town of Skala Eresou, on the south-western coast, is identified with the ancient birthplace of Sappho, the lyric poet who lived in the seventh century BC, whose compositions on love and passion have crossed the millennia. The village, with its long sandy beach and relaxed atmosphere, has become in recent decades a destination of symbolic pilgrimage, visited especially in summer by women travellers from all over the world in search of the poet's literary and cultural roots.
The Gulf of Kalloni: sardines and flamingos
A broad inland sea that penetrates into the heart of the island, the Gulf of Kalloni is famous throughout Greece for its sardines, caught using traditional methods and served marinated or grilled in the surrounding taverns. The shallow waters and salt pans at the edges of the gulf attract pink flamingos, herons and numerous species of migratory birds, making the area one of the prime destinations for birdwatching in the whole Aegean. The town of Kalloni, with its weekly market, remains a good starting point for exploring the area.
Olive groves, oil and agricultural landscape
With eleven million trees, the olive dominates the landscape of Lesbos more than any other crop, producing an extra virgin oil of recognised quality that for centuries has represented the island's main source of income. Traditional olive presses, many still active, dot the inland villages, while the terraced hills form an undulating landscape that stands out clearly from the barer vegetation of other Aegean islands.
Ouzo and thermal springs
Plomari, on the southern coast, is the unofficial capital of Greek ouzo: it is home to some of the country's most renowned historic distilleries, which still produce the anise-flavoured spirit today according to recipes handed down through generations. The island also holds several natural thermal springs, including those of Eftalou and Polichnitos, frequented since antiquity for the curative properties of their sulphurous waters, today accessible in simple facilities in direct contact with the coastal landscape.
When to go and how to experience the island
The best season runs from May to October, with June and September ideal for combining mild weather and fewer crowds. Lesbos is also enjoyable outside the peak summer months: the spring blossoming of the olive groves and the first weeks of autumn offer light and temperatures perfect for excursions. Getting around by rental car remains the best way to reach villages, thermal springs and beaches scattered across a vast island with limited public transport connections.
- Strolling at sunset among the stone houses of Molyvos
- Visiting the petrified forest and the museum in Sigri
- Tasting ouzo at the source, in the distilleries of Plomari
- Birdwatching in the Gulf of Kalloni
- Relaxing in the natural thermal springs of Eftalou
- Exploring the Genoese-Ottoman castle of Mytilene
FAQ
Come si arriva a Lesbo?
Qual è il periodo migliore per visitare Lesbo?
Serve l'auto a noleggio?
Cosa vedere in un solo giorno?
Lesbo è adatta alle famiglie?
Getting there
- Aeroporto Internazionale di Mitilini 'Odysseas Elytis' (MJT), a circa 8 km dal capoluogo, con voli diretti stagionali dall'Italia
- Traghetti regolari dal Pireo (Atene), con tempi di percorrenza tra 8 e 12 ore a seconda della compagnia e delle soste intermedie.
- Se arrivi in traghetto porta l'auto al seguito o noleggiane una in loco: l'isola è grande e i villaggi più belli sono distanti dal capoluogo.
Perfect for
L'isola di Saffo e Terpandro conserva un fascino letterario unico, tra siti archeologici e borghi storici.
Da Plomari al golfo di Kalloni, Lesbo è una meta per chi ama scoprire sapori e distillati autentici.
La foresta pietrificata e le sorgenti termali raccontano milioni di anni di storia geologica.
Dalle sabbie di Vatera alle acque calme del golfo di Kalloni, l'isola offre spiagge per ogni gusto.
To see
