the Missed Island of Concealed Seashores & Myths

Positive, we’ve all heard of Santorini, Mykonos, or Crete, but Greece is household to so a lot of other stunning islands which are often missed due to the fact of their greater and a lot more famous neighbors. I didn’t know considerably about Ithaca in advance of our trip to the Ionian Islands, in Greece. The only detail that resonated with me was its name, which is so deeply intertwined with Greek mythology and the legend of Ulysses.

Fishing boat on Ithaca, Greece

Wherever is Ithaca?
Ithaca (Ithaki, Ithakis, or Ithaka, as it is also identified in Greek) is a little island located in the Ionian Sea, off the northeast coastline of Kefalonia and to the west of continental Greece. The island is part of the Ionian archipelago and is also recognised as the homeland of Ulysses (Odysseus) the famous Greek hero of Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey.
The story of Odysseus and his very long journey dwelling to Ithaca following the Trojan War designed topic to quite a few books, poems and flicks. But apart from its mythical essence, Ithaca possesses remarkable organic attractiveness, secluded beach locations with emerald waters, silent villages and lush eco-friendly vegetation.

The colorful port town of Kioni
How to Get to Ithaca Island
The only way to achieve Ithaca is by ferry or by personal boat. From the continent, ferries depart from the ports of Astakos, in western Greece, and from Killini, in Peloponnese. But Ithaca is also connected by ferry to the islands of Lefkada and Kefalonia.

Ferry to Ithaca Island
The closest airport is on Kefalonia, which has day-to-day flights from Athens and also from many European metropolitan areas.
Finest Way to Investigate Ithaca, Greece
Ithaca is typically frequented as a working day excursion from the ports of Sami or Fiscardo, on Kefalonia. To entirely delight in the beauty of Ithaca island, I strongly advise browsing it by car or truck. You can either rent a motor vehicle and take it about by ferry, or you can employ a person in Vathy. Although there is a bus provider on Ithaca, it only runs on a restricted plan. There are also taxis companies. Some supply private excursions, but they are way additional high priced than renting your own auto.
Traveling to Ithaca by Auto
If you have a car you can cross on the ferry (about 40 minutes from Kefalonia, which is the closest to Ithaca). This is a good way to check out the entire island and appreciate the superb views. Nonetheless, if you are in the driver’s seat, you will not be capable to value the view way too a great deal, as the streets are slim and twisty.

Driving on Ithaca Island in Greece
Using the ferry without the need of a car or truck is a undesirable thought as the modest port the place the ferry stops on Ithaca is just a quay with a compact business office. There is no means of transportation to the interior of the island from below.
Viewing Ithaca by Mentor
A further possibility is to take a mentor excursion. The gain of acquiring an structured excursion is that you get commentaries along the way on the geography, heritage and mythology of the island. The drawback is that your stops are predetermined.
By Boat Tour
You can also just take a boat excursion all over the island of Ithaca. The boat stops in Vathy and also normally takes a pair of swim stops along the way, but you really don’t get to pay a visit to the interior of the island. This tour also has commentaries. Under are a couple possibilities to opt for from.

Best Things to Do in Ithaca, Greece
Other than for the lively town of Vathi, Ithaca appears incredibly laid again and rather much unspoiled. There are lots of dining places which are rather low cost and offer fantastic community cuisine. On the other hand, there is incredibly small nightlife, which may possibly not be captivating to anyone. Ithaca is 1 of the most effective Greek Islands for partners on the lookout for a tranquil retreat.

A peaceful working day at the beach
There are many beautiful places to go to in Ithaca, these types of as endless trails, quiet villages, archaeological sites, museums and secluded seashores.
Vathy
The cash of Ithaca is Vathy, a beautiful city that has one of the most significant normal harbors in Greece. The harbor encloses a compact islet named Lazaretto.

Lazaretto Islet
Vathy’s architecture suffered a combination of cultural influences from the Venetians and British, who conquered the island. Most of the properties are created of wood and stone with no balconies. Some are quite shut jointly, others are farther aside and have lovely gardens. The complete town is clear and colorful, with tiny classic retailers and gorgeous eateries. 

Vathi city
Nymph’s Cave
North of Vathy is the Nymphs’ Cave. In accordance to the legend, Odysseus utilized this cave for hiding the treasures he acquired through his epic journey residence from the Trojan War. An additional fantasy claims that the Phaeacians abandoned Odysseus here though he was asleep. 
Regrettably, just the beautiful legends of the Nymphs’ Cave are remaining now. Since only the entrance to the cave is available to website visitors, not a lot of persons enterprise listed here. Even so, the conclusions of the excavations that took location some years ago are shown in the Archaeological Museum in Vathi.
Panagia Kathara Monastery
About 5 km from Anogi village, at an elevation of 566 meters, is the Panagia Kathara (Kathariotissa) Church in Ithaca, Greece. This is the only monastery on the island, though at the time when it was created it was not exactly a monastery. The correct date of the building is unknown, but the composition you see currently is from the 17th century.

Kathara Monastery (a.k.a. Kathariotissa Monastery)
The monastery bears the name of the miraculous icon that was discovered below and to her patron and protector of the Ithaca island. The locals believe that that the icon has been painted by Saint Luke and has miraculous powers.
The bell tower offers a spectacular perspective of the island. There are also a number of viewing platforms close to the tower from which you can admire the amazing magnificence of Ithaca.

Views of Ithaca from the Kathara Monastery Tower
Modest dressing is necessary when entering the monastery, which remains open to guests from dawn till the late several hours.
The Ruins of Odysseus Palace
Archaeologists feel they have observed the palace of Odysseus, the legendary Greek king of Ithaca. So is Homer’s epic poem genuine after all? It’s really hard to inform regardless of whether Odysseus actually existed, but there are some ruins on the island that look to in shape Home’s description of the mythical palace.
You can stroll to the web site and check out the archaeological digs on your individual. The ruins are roughly 3,000 a long time aged and are surrounded by beautiful sights of Afales Bay. To reach the site, you have to walk off a grime road near Exogi village, which is at the quite top of the island.
Kioni Harbor
Kioni is a settlement that dates from the 16th century. It is a attractive and friendly village with a fantastic mountainous backdrop, pretty crystal clear h2o, a handful of tavernas and a number of higher close jewellery stores. A wonderful put to relax, stroll, try to eat close to the h2o edge. You can also seek the services of a boat in this article and go all-around the island.

Kioni Harbor in Ithaca
The harbor place is surrounded by very well-managed, colorful residences that seem to be to be mounting from the sea. The bay and harbor are crammed with sailing boats of all measurements that compete for place with the modest boats of the neighborhood fisherman.
Frikes Village
Frikes is an additional gorgeous little harbor on Ithaca Island with pretty eating places and shops. Substantially scaled-down than Vathi or Kioni, but with a incredibly genuine Greek ambiance. Though it doesn’t take far more than 15 minutes to glimpse all-around, you could simply invest a working day below just chilling. This is best put to sit and look at the boats – community fishing boats or yachts coming in to have meal in the night.

Fishing boat in Frikes Harbor
They say the village will get extremely active in the summer, but we visited in this article in mid Oct to the finish of the working day. The tavernas were tranquil and just a handful of holidaymakers were being strolling together the promenade.
Exogi Village
Exogi is the northern-most village of the island, crafted at an altitude of 340 meters. To reach it you’ll have to stick to the road from Stavros to Platreithias. At its best place, the road turns remaining and proceeds uphill toward Exogi. The village was built like an amphitheater overlooking the bay of Afales and the neighboring islands. The tiny residences of Exogi are built in a row, climbing up the hillside. Because it sits up so substantial, the look at from up here is breathtaking!

View of the bay of Afales from Exogi village
Exogi is one particular of the oldest settlements on Ithaca Island, in Greece. In the Middle Ages, the village was well-known for its terraced gardens that made oil, wine and raisins. Now nonetheless, considerably less than 100 people are living here forever, so the village appears to be really tranquil and distant.

Agia Marina church in Exogi
Exogi is found just higher than the archaeological site that is thought to be Odysseus’s Palace. The primary church in the village is the church of Agia Marina, which sits ideal in the major sq.. Although compact, the church is pretty stunning.

Pyamid of Exogi, a funeral monument
At the edge of the village, in the vicinity of the cemetery, you can see the Pyramids of Exogi, a fairly weird and unanticipated sight. Whilst a funerary monument, the pyramids do not glimpse at all like the well known pyramids of Egypt, but rather as a ziggurat.
Stop by Some of the Shorelines in Ithaca, Greece
Greece is very well recognized for its countless stunning beach locations and Ithaca is property to numerous of them. Compared with the neighboring islands, Ithaca has neither massive nor sandy shorelines. Most of them are beautiful modest bays with crystal crystal clear waters, white pebbles and are surrounded by lush vegetation. Ithaca beach locations are great for individuals who like swimming in very clear, serene waters, or who like snorkeling.

One of the a lot of quiet beaches on Ithaca Island
Some of the most attractive seashores in Ithaca include things like Sarakiniko, Filiatro, Gidaki, and Agios Ioannis. All these beach locations are within a several miles of the money of Vathy.
Filiatro Beach
Filiatro beach front sits in a secluded cove at the bay with the identical title. The seaside is very well-known with the locals who normally have events in this article. There is a canteen that sells refreshments, showers, umbrellas, lounge chairs and tables. You can also obtain boats for renting at this seaside.

Filiatro seashore in Oct
We visited in autumn when the beach front was pretty much empty and all the things was shut. But we appreciated it even much more since we experienced the total seashore all to ourselves. The water was heat and great for swimming and snorkeling. I’m confident this place receives pretty crowded in summer, but do not permit that put you off. The water is warm and a person of the clearest I’ve at any time swam in. 
Sarakiniko Beach front
Sarakiniko beach is about 3 km from Vathy, the money of Ithaca. We identified it accidentally, when we were seeking for Filiatro seashore nearby. This silent seashore sits in one particular of the most outstanding natural settings I have at any time viewed. It is surrounded by cypresses and olive trees and has calm, emerald waters.

Sarakiniko Beach
The seaside has no tourist amenities, which is why it is not well-known among the tourists. It was empty when we frequented, but in the summer time it has lots of nudists and even some campers, regardless of the lack of facilities.
The bay is split into two by some rock formations, with a modest route that connects the two shorelines.

Each beach front sections are incredibly nice, but the second appears to be like anything from a movie. An unspoiled paradise that requirements to be visited to be appreciated. In my opinion Sarakiniko is a person of the most appealing beach locations in Ithaca, presented you pay a visit to it off time! You just cannot get listed here devoid of a vehicle, however.
Gidaki Seashore
Gidaki is a attractive but isolated beach, tucked absent on the east coast of Ithaca. You can accessibility it possibly by boat or by a mountaineering path from Skinos Beach front. Parking is at the conclusion of a slender street and is quite restricted. Thankfully we frequented Greece in Oct when there weren’t several tourists all-around and it was not extremely hot.

Gidaki Beach on Ithaca, Greece
I individually relished the hike that goes through pine trees and has nice sights. But if you do this hike in summer season when it’s incredibly hot, it may well not be really nice. The seaside is visually beautiful due to the fact of the turquoise waters and white pebble base and seashore as well as white cliffs.
Agios Ioannis Beach front
This is just one of the most preferred beach locations on Ithaca. It was even so not my favorite 1, due to the fact it looks extremely windy. On the other hand, it has a blend of pebbles and sand which would make it simpler on the toes.

Agios Ioannis Beach
Agios Ioannis is located in one of the most gorgeous coasts of Ithaca, about 9 km away from Vathy. And like most other beaches on this island, it has gorgeous clean up blue waters.

Ithaca is a smaller and uncomplicated to pay a visit to island. With a little arranging you’ll be ready to check out all these lovely sites in just a person day. Just make absolutely sure you hop on the very first ferry to Ithaca and choose the last one particular back again, in the night. I promise you won’t regret viewing Odysseus’s homeland.

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