Lesvos in Greece

Lesvos (or Lesbos) is a large island, not to say very large, there is only two islands in Greece that is bigger: Crete and Evia. In fact, Lesvos is the eighth-largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, Corsica, Crete, Evvia and Mallorca. The island belongs to - together with Chios, Fourni, Ikaria, Oinousses, Psara, Samos and Thymena - the East Aegean Islands. Lesvos is the largest island (1,636 km2, 86,500 inhabitants) of the islands in the East Aegean, and Thymena is the smallest (10 km2, 120 inhabitants). The nearest neighbouring island is Chios, south of Lesvos.

The capital Mytilini has more than 27,800 inhabitants. The islanders sometimes say Mytilini instead of Lesvos. Many airline companies and shipping companies also use Mytilini. The majority of the islanders is engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing and manufacturing. Tourism is of course also important, but not as important as for example on Samos and Rhodes.

The capital of Lesvos, Mytilini, is like Athens in miniature.

Lesvos is no ordinary island, it's really an island full of surprises. There is enormously much to see and do. The landscape is extremely varied, you can almost find everything you can imagine: flat land, pine forests, petrified forests, olive groves, wooded mountains, rugged mountain landscape, salt lakes, hot springs, volcanic terrains and a variety of nice beaches ranging from long sandy and pebbly beaches to nice little bays.

Plomari is the capital of ouzo in Greece.

The wildlife is also rich and varied, the island is not least famous for its many bird species, which makes birdwatchers from all over the world travelling to Lesvos. As cherry on the cake there are a lot of nice villages, many are completely unaffected by tourism. My favourite village is Skala Eressos. The village is characterized by the Greek poet Sappho who lived on Lesvos in the 7th century BC. Several of her love poems were addressed to women, and therefore is Sappho considered to be the mother of the lesbian literature. She is believed to have lived north of Skala Eressou, and therefore it has become something of a lesbian travel destination.

Skala Eressos is one of my favourites on Lesbos.

I can, without exaggeration, say that Lesvos meets everyone's wishes, the island is like a Kinder Surprise Egg, but unlike a Kinder Egg, Lesvos meet more wishes than three. When we had been on Lesvos for about a week the first time we came here, I wrote this in my blog: Lesvos is really the island of surprises. We thought we had prepared properly before we left, but oh so wrong we had. There seems to be a whole lot to see and do "around the corner".

All ouzo varieties in the picture are made in Lesvos.

One of the most important industries is the production of ouzo, and if there is something that is associated with Lesvos, it's ouzo. The absolutely best ouzo in Greece is produced on Lesvos, that is what the majority of the Greeks thinks, not just me. The ouzo that most tourists associate with Greece is Ouzo 12. It is not produced on Lesvos, and it is regarded as something that the cat dragged in, they say that it is no real ouzo and they turn up their noses, real ouzo should come from Lesvos. End of discussion.

Is there any difference between ouzo and ouzo? Many think that it tastes just the same. (Or equally bad.) Well, actually it is a difference, and if there is somewhere you have the possibility of noticing a difference, it's on Lesvos where you can find a wide range of different brands. In some restaurants there are more than 20 different kinds of ouzo to choose from. Order a meze (small dishes) and a small bottle of ouzo and try out, maybe you will find a favourite. I have seventeen different kinds of ouzo at home, all of them comes from Lesvos. My favourite is Pitsiladi and it is almost only available on Lesvos. Another favourite is Plomari, it is sold all over Greece. Other famous brands are Mini and Barbayianni.

Ouzo is not the only thing produced on Lesvos, the island is also famous for its sardines, cheeses, olives and for its good olive oil. There are those who think that Greece's best olive oil is the one from Lesvos. The island is almost self-sufficient and most of the ingredients comes from local production. If you do not like ouzo, you can console yourself by revel in good food, because there are few islands where the food is so good and creative. Certainly there are exceptions, but generally the tavernas on Lesvos serves first-rate Greek food.

On Lesvos you can try food you didn't think existed. Like this cheese from Agiassos.

Agios Isidoros is my favorite beach in Lesvos.

Vatera beach in Lesvos is the longest beach I have seen in Greece.

You can read more about Lesvos via the links at the end of this page.

A very short summary of the information comes here:

It is possible to go on a package holiday to Lesvos from some countries. If you travel independently, you can buy a flight-only seat directly to Lesvos, or go by air to Samos and travel on by ferry, or fly to Athens and continue from there by ferry or domestic flight to Lesvos.

There are lots of villages on Lesvos. Agiassos, Antissa, Molyvos, Mytilini, Plomari, Sigri, Skala Sikaminias and Vatousa are some of the most interesting. Then there are many nice tourist resorts as well.

The beach in the nice village of Sigri.

There are numerous of beaches, ranging from long sandy and pebbly beaches to small bays, like Ermogenis. Most popular are the beaches of Anaxos, Petra, Agios Isidoros and Skala Eressos. The beach in Sigri, the beach in Melinda and the beach in Skala Kalloni also attracts a lot of tourists. Lesvos' longest beach Vatera on the south coast is so long that if all the tourists on Lesvos would go there at the same time, there would still be plenty of room. There is also a beach in Molyvos.

The Roman aqueduct outside the village of Moria.

There are all kind of sights on Lesvos. You will find a petrified forest, several fascinating monasteries, old bridges, a large aqueduct and hot springs to swim in. Not to mention the enchanting and varied landscape and all the beautiful villages. There is so much to discover, especially if you like to hike.

There are many accommodation options in all large villages and in all tourist resorts. The hardest thing is to decide where on the island one should stay. I myself prefer Agios Isidoros, Plomari, Skala Eressou and Molyvos. As the island is so big it is best to book in advance.

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