Skopelos
In Skopelos churches are counted the way streets are counted elsewhere: the Chora alone holds more than a hundred and twenty, many...
Updated 10 July 2026
Skopelos
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This season · July · Summer
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The story
The story of Skopelos
From mythical origins to foreign rule
Tradition attributes the founding of Skopelos, then called Peparethos, to Staphylos, son of Dionysus and Ariadne according to Greek mythology: an origin that explains the island's ancient bond with vine cultivation. Archaeological excavations have confirmed Bronze Age settlements and a prosperity in classical and Hellenistic times tied to the wine trade. Like the rest of the Sporades, the island later came under Byzantium, then in the thirteenth century under the Venetian Ghisi family and finally, in the sixteenth century, under Ottoman control, while still keeping a stable population thanks to a position more sheltered from pirate routes.
The Kastro and the amphitheatre-shaped Chora
The town of Skopelos, the Chora, climbs from the harbour toward the hill in an amphitheatre of white houses with grey slate roofs, an architectural style distinctive within the rest of the Sporades. At the top stand the remains of the Venetian Kastro, built by the Ghisi on ancient foundations, of which stretches of wall and a tower survive. Around and inside the castle stand dozens of the island's more than one hundred and twenty churches, many private, built by local families as a religious vow: a custom that has made Skopelos one of the Chorai richest in sacred buildings in all of Greece.
Agios Ioannis sto Kastri
On an isolated rocky pinnacle off the south-western coast, reachable only by a stairway of more than a hundred steps cut into the stone, stands the small church of Agios Ioannis sto Kastri, probably built in the eighteenth century. For centuries it was the destination of a local pilgrimage on 29 August, the feast of the Beheading of Saint John; since 2008, after being chosen as the wedding location for the film "Mamma Mia!", it has become one of the most photographed places in Greece, but the steep climb under the sun still discourages the more superficial crowds, leaving the suspended atmosphere of the place intact.
Glossa and Loutraki
On the north side of the island, remote and less touristic than the Chora, Glossa is a hillside village of stone houses and narrow lanes that has kept a more authentic atmosphere, still largely inhabited today by local families devoted to farming. Its port, Loutraki, is a small ferry stop with connections to Skiathos and the mainland, with a few seaside taverns frequented more by residents than by tourists. It is the ideal starting point for anyone who wants to see a Skopelos different from the postcard image of the Chora.
Panormos and the bays of the west coast
Panormos, on the south-western coast, is one of the island's most sheltered and popular bays, with calm, shallow water suitable even for children, surrounded by pine woods that offer natural shade right down to the water's edge. A little further north, Milia beach is considered by many to be the most beautiful on Skopelos, with pale sand and a lone pine tree that has become the island's symbolic image on social media. Both remain relatively quiet even in high season thanks to a more limited accommodation capacity compared with Skiathos.
The pine woods and the greenest landscape of the Sporades
Skopelos is considered the most wooded island of the whole archipelago: Aleppo pines cover more than half of its surface, alternating with orchards of plum, almond and olive trees in the inland valleys. The coastline alternates cliffs plunging into the sea with small coves reachable only on foot or by boat, while the hilly interior, almost never higher than six hundred metres, is crossed by a network of paths and old mule tracks that once linked the monasteries scattered across the island.
Plums, cheeses and local flavours
The dried plum of Skopelos, the "damaschines", sun-dried according to a recipe handed down through generations, is the island's most distinctive product and is also used in savoury dishes, such as pork stew with plums. Equally renowned is the local cheese, the basis of Skopelos's tyropita, a savoury pie baked in a wood-fired oven with hand-made dough, different from the bakery version common in the rest of Greece. Pine honey, almonds and a light local wine complete a table that reflects the island's agricultural soul.
Everyday life and religious festivals
With more than a hundred and twenty churches and several monasteries, Skopelos lives by a packed calendar of patronal feasts, the panegyria, in which the whole community gathers for the liturgy and for a shared open-air banquet, often accompanied by traditional music played on violin and lute. The feast of Agios Riginos, patron saint of the island, at the end of February, and that of Agios Ioannis sto Kastri at the end of August, remain among the most heartfelt, moments in which the island returns, even if only for one evening, to the farming community it was before tourism.
When to go
The season runs from May to October, with July and August hotter, more crowded and with higher prices, helped along by the pulling effect of the film that made the little church of Agios Ioannis famous. June and September remain the recommended months for those seeking warm sea and a more relaxed pace, while spring, with the orchards in bloom, is the best season for those who prefer hiking inland to simple beach life.
- Climb the steps to the little church of Agios Ioannis sto Kastri at sunset
- Get lost among the more than one hundred and twenty churches of the Chora
- Take a swim at Milia bay beneath the lone pine tree
- Visit Glossa and the port of Loutraki away from the crowds
- Taste the local tyropita and dried plums at the harbour market
- Walk the paths through the pine woods toward the inland monasteries
FAQ
Skopelos è davvero l'isola di Mamma Mia!?
Come si arriva a Skopelos?
Quanto tempo serve per visitarla bene?
La chiesetta di Agios Ioannis è visitabile da tutti?
Ci sono spiagge adatte ai bambini?
Getting there
- Aeroporto di Skiathos (JSI), il più vicino, seguito da un collegamento in traghetto o aliscafo di circa 45-90 minuti
- Skopelos non è collegata da ponti al continente; si raggiunge solo via mare, da Volos e Agios Konstantinos, oppure via Skiathos.
- I traghetti attraccano sia alla Chora sia al porto di Glossa-Loutraki: verificare sempre lo scalo corretto per la propria destinazione prima di prenotare.
Perfect for
Il set di Mamma Mia! resta un richiamo forte, ma l'isola offre molto di più fuori dai luoghi del film.
Pinete estese e sentieri collegano villaggi e monasteri lontano dalle spiagge affollate.
Susine secche, formaggi locali e la tyropita tradizionale sono da provare assolutamente.
Baie riparate come Panormos e Milia offrono acqua calma adatta anche alle famiglie.
To see
What to see in Skopelos
Routes · Trovido Route
