Thassos

Thassos old town The Emerald of the Aegean, Thassos (Thasos) is one of the hidden treasures of Greece. Well known to Greeks –and lately to the Europeans as well –this small island offers lovely beaches, as well Greek culture and tradition. The island is located close to the mainland which offers great opportunity for excursions.

In antiquity the island has been famous for the goldmines and marble quarry. Today, it’s still famous for the marble quarries but also for the honey and olive oil produced here.

How to get to Thassos

If you travel by plane you should know that Thassos doesn’t have an airport. However, it’s served by the International Airport of Kavala. There are several scheduled flights daily from Athens to Kavala. A cheaper alternative is to travel by plane to Thessaloniki, then take a bus – or rent a car –to get to Keramoti to catch the ferry. There are daily ferries connecting both Kavala and Keramoti to Thassos.

Weather

The island has a colder climate than most of the other islands because of its location: in the northern part of Greece. Spring is mild and sunny but winter is cold and humid. Summer is hot but not as hot as in the Cyclades.

What to do

Although the island is small there is a lot to do here. You can visit the archeological sites, the monasteries, the museums, enjoy the waterfalls and the lake or even go shopping.

The Archeological site of Alyki is located on the South-East coast. You can see the remains of the temple and the ancient buildings. Today Alyki is a very small village offering a nice beach and a lot of tavernas to enjoy the Greek cuisine.

The ancient Limenas is a place worth seeing. The new town has been built exactly on the location of the old town. Today you can still see the remains of the agora, the naval port, the trading port, the ancient theatre, the Acropolis, the Temple of Athena and the Cave of God Pan, the gates, the basilica, several altars and the odeum. Also, there is a museum on site.

Fancy a taste of the real Greek culture? Then, don’t miss the street market. You can buy anything here–seriously, anything from vegetables to underwear, jeans, t-shirts or shoes.

Thasos beach
Beaches

There are several lovely public beaches on Thassos:

Tripiti Beach is famous for its natural bathtub
Makriammos Beach has some really fine sand.
Metalia Beach offers really lovely scenery of the furnaces from the factory near by. You can rent sun beds and enjoy a refreshing drink at the beach bar.
Pefkari Beach is famous for the water sports which can be enjoyed here. Also, there are bars, taverns and a kiosk.
Potos beach is about 2 km long. You can rent boats and enjoy the serenity of the sea.