Skopelos in Greece

The beautiful island of Skopelos belongs to the Sporades and is located in north-eastern Greece. The other islands in the Sporades are Alonissos, Skiathos and Skyros. Approximately 4,960 people lives here all year-round, the majority lives in Skopelos Town which has about 3,100 inhabitants. Other major villages are Glossa with 990 inhabitants and Elios (Neo Klima) with 460 inhabitants. Many works in tourism, agriculture and fisheries.

Skopelos town is one of the most beautiful villages in all of Greece.

Skopelos is 96 km2 in area, only Skyros is bigger in the Sporades. It's a pretty mountainous island, the two highest mountains are Delphi (681 m) and Palouki (567 m). One of the island's few flat area is a narrow land area stretching from Skopelos Town to Stafilos beach.

Stafilos beach is the closest beach to Skopelos town.

Skopelos is a fabulous island blessed with great beaches and water greener and brighter than anywhere else in Greece. Add to that one of the archipelago's prettiest and most pleasant towns (Skopelos Town), an immensely beautiful scenery, great hiking trails, cosy tavernas, a rich Greek everyday life, friendly islanders and interesting sights and you have the perfect destination. I myself rank Skopelos as one of Greece's top five islands together with Amorgos, Crete, Sifnos and Tilos.

Agnontas is a must when visiting Skopelos.

A big film crew visited Skopelos in the summer of 2007 to make a film version of the musical of Mamma Mia. Pierce Brosnan, Meryl Streep and Stellan Skarsgård starred in the film. The movie had its world premiere in August 2008 and was a huge success worldwide, not least in Sweden.

The movie has certainly put Skopelos on the map and more and more are travelling there with curious mind. It is not so noticeable on the island that the movie was produced there. There is one cafe called Mamma Mia, there are information signs at the filming locations, and there are photos from the movie outside the City Hall. More than that, there is not.

Panormos is Skopelos second largest tourist resort after Skopelos town.

Before I came to Skopelos for the first time, I did not know much about the island. I had not prepared myself so much, what I knew was that the island was beautiful and Skopelos Town was pretty. It sounded good. And it turned out to be true. We arrived at Skopelos Town early one morning in June, the ferry glided slowly into a glassy port, the sun was rising and the air was balmy. The early morning sunlight got the town to shimmer, a shimmer that was reflected in the water (see picture at the top). It was incredibly beautiful and very welcoming.

We were met by one room owners in the port that offered rooms at different places in the town, but we said no (which we should not have done) and went tired and hungry to find somewhere where we could eat breakfast. Besides one kafenion, there was only one place open at the waterfront. We ordered coffee and yogurt with fruit and honey.

While we waited for our order, I took a little stroll along the waterfront, and after a few minutes I felt that Skopelos would become a new favourite island. And it only got better the longer we stayed. Just as it should be when you are newly in love. The love was still there when we returned to Skopelos the next time, and not only that, it had also grown.

Read about the 20 best beaches on Skopelos here »

The thing I like the most about Skopelos might be the fabulous beaches, there are everything from sandy beaches to pebble beaches, and many of them are set in spectacular and beautiful surroundings. And the water! This absolutely stunning Skopelos water! As much as I have bathed at Skopelos, I have not done since I was a child. You never want to get out of the water. My favourite beaches are Limnonari and Hovolo.

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

A very short summary of the information comes here:

There are package holidays to Skopelos, check with a tour operator in your country if they arrange trips to Skopelos. If you choose to travel independently, buy a seat on a charter flight to Skiathos. The boat connections between Skiathos and Skopelos are excellent. It is also easy to go to the nice neighbouring island of Alonissos from Skopelos.

Skopelos Town and Glossa are the two nicest villages. Another interesting village is Paleo Klima that was destroyed by an earthquake in 1965, the village is partially rebuilt and well worth a visit. Other villages are Elios, Loutraki, Panormos and amazing Agnontas.

One of many stairs in the cozy village of Glossa.

The sea surrounding Skopelos is imaginary crystal clear, it shifts from green to blue and the body tickle of desire for a swim as soon as one approaches the sea. The most popular beaches are Stafilos and Velanio (those are closest to Skopelos Town), and Limnonari and Milia. Other good beaches are Kastani (where parts of Mamma Mia was shoot), Hovolo, Glisteri, Adrina and Perivolo.

Skopelos Town and the natural scenery are for me the island's main attractions. But there are other sights as well, like several interesting monasteries and ancient tombs (Sendoukia) from Roman times. The most popular sight is the church of Agios Ioannis sto Kastri on a rock in the sea 6 kilometres east of Glossa. It was here that the wedding in Mamma Mia took place. Beneath the rock is a small beach.

Milia beach is located approximately 3 kilometers north of Panormos.

Most people who travel to Skopelos choose to stay in Skopelos Town where there are most choices and it is close to all facilities. Generally room owners meet up in the port as the ferries put in. To find accommodation independently is not easy, the pensions are badly signposted and some appear to be open only during high season. It is best to book hotels in advance.

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