Our adventure started in Thessaloniki, and we drove to Volos, and during the way we paid about 10eur toll fees. The boat tickets were booked ahead through a site www.petas.gr and afterwards picked up in the kiosk in the harbor. If you are fast enough you can find nice place on the boat to sleep during the trip.
After almost five hours we arrived in the port of Skopelos. The apartment was also booked ahead, so the bubbly Eva waited for us. If you chose to stay in the town, you will unfortunately not have any beach where you could enjoy. However, there is a small beach behind the walls of city marina, where you can make a quick dip, since the waves are huge, the swim is usually out of question.
You can chose for example Panormos for your stay, since it has a beach, but each night you would have to take your car to the city. So, I would recommend Skopelos as a starting point.
There are some nice cafes open until 3am where you can
enjoy, and we preferred Platanos Jazz Bar for nice relaxed atmosphere and
Paraporti -The Hidden Door for good drinks with a twist and excellent music.
For traditional pies go to Skopelitikes Tiropites Mixalis (be prepared to wait, since it is always crowded). For the best view, good smoothies during the day don’t
miss Cafe Bar Thalassa. We enjoyed good pizza in Gousto, and wonderful food in
To Rodi restaurant.
Most of the tourists visit Skiathos, far more famous island, but Skopelos is a gem that you must not miss. Many tourists are attracted by the fact movie Mamma Mia was shot here, but there is just more to it. I am always looking for diversity and I got it here. The first beach that we visited is Adrinakia. We straggled a little to find it, since it is quite hidden. So, when you pass Panormos you will soon reach Hotel Adrina. But, just before the hotel, there is a small parking. You can leave your car there or just up the road in the shadow. Follow the path towards the sea, pass by the swimming pool on your left. You will reach steps and after a minute you will be on a small hidden beach. The water is so clean and you can see a lot of sea urchin.
You can swim from there to your right until you reach the private beach of the Hotel Adrina, or to your left towards Panormos.
We saw a few yachts near, so, I am sure they know how to chose nice beaches, and this is one of those.
One of the beaches which I wanted to see is Limnonari, and to reach it, you have to go towards Agnontas, and then just follow the signs. It is organized beach with beach bar where you can enjoy next to the pool. You have to pay for the sunbeds, or you can put your own umbrella in one part of the beach.
Stafilos is the closest to Skopelos town, so you are there in a ten minutes by car. On the way, you can shop in one of the several big super markets, which is a plus. On a lazy day, you can go for a quick swim there. It is also organized beach, where you can enjoy all the day if you wish. Just a quick walk away is "so called" nudist beach Velanio. I didn`t see any nudist.Maybe they left earlier, since the beach was almost empty at about 7pm.
One of the best beaches for me is Chovolo. To reach Chovolo you would have to go to Neo Klima and walk to the beach
from there. Bring umbrella, water, snacks, since it is not organized
beach, and without shade. Why it is the best? Not only because of the crystal clear water, but because from there you can swim to three beaches Megalo Pefko, Ftelia and Neraki, reachable only by swimming or boat. It is not far to swim to the beaches, and it is a must. You can find some secluded places there, but don`t relax too much, because at some point kayak lovers from Sea Kayaking Skopelos would pass by on their sunset trip.
Everybody says that Milia is one of the best beaches, however we didn`t go there. You can see it on the picture below which I took from the rocks in Kastani beach which was more interesting for us as we are more into smaller beaches, though it is quite big.
Don`t miss strolling the streets in the town, especially during the day. Let yourself get lost, but finish your stroll in Thalassa cafe bar drinking Mama Mia smoothie.
If you have time, on your way to Agios Ioannis at Kastri beach, visit Glossa village. It is charming little village, nothing special there, but a great view, famous restaurant Agnanti (we didn't get the chance to try the food), few nice cafes for afternoon relaxation.
The road to this beach is good, and the views fantastic. If you are in a good form you can climb who knows how many stairs to visit a small church (ekklisia Agias Ioannis) on the top of the big rock, which you can find close to the beach. Don`t expect something extraordinary. You will probably be dead after climbing all these steps in the heat, and you will just search for some place to crash. Ok, the view is great, but it is more known for being used as a scene for Mamma Mia film. I like to climb, so I went there just as a challenge. I regret not visiting Spilia beach, which is reachable from the small church (Ekklisia Panagias) which you will see on the road to Agios Ioannis at Kastri beach. We saw a few parked cars but we didn't find anybody in the church, so I suppose everybody was at the beach :)
We took a day trip to Alonissos. The prices differ from 25e, 35e or even much higher if you decide to take some luxurious boat trip. We went with a glass bottom ship, and though you cannot see anything, it was affordable. It lasted from 10.30am until 18pm. You visit the old capital Chora, beach Leftos Gialos and village Steni Vala. The capital is quite charming and you shouldn't miss it. Unfortunately, you have just about an hour to take a quick stroll.
The beach Leftos Gialos is organized with nice beach bars, while beach in Steni Vala is with more clear water and less crowded.
On the way back, approaching Skopelos port, we passed Sarres beach, which you can reach only by boat. One more time I regret not having even a small fish boat. So many beaches so close, but so far away :)
The most convenient for the last day was Stafilos beach. The weather was changing a little but the sea temperature was always warm.
Again a five hours boat trip to Volos, and we finished our adventure.
