The greenest island in the Aegean — pine-forested hills, 60 beaches, the Lalaria limestone arch from Mamma Mia, and a clifftop medieval village abandoned overnight in 1829
Skiathos is the smallest and most developed of the Northern Sporades — a 49km² island of pine-forested hills running down to 60 beaches, the clearest of which is Koukounaries (consistently voted one of Greece's best). The island gained international attention as a filming location for Mamma Mia (2008). Skiathos airport runway ends directly above the beach, producing aircraft-on-descent photographs as dramatic as the famous approach at Maho Beach, Sint Maarten. The medieval clifftop village of Kastro on the north coast was abandoned almost overnight in 1829 when Greek independence made the coa…
Skiathos (ancient Sciathos) was a significant Athenian ally in the Classical period — hosting Athenian ships during the Battle of Artemision in 480 BCE (the sea battle immediately before Thermopylae). The island's Byzantine heritage survives at Kastro — a fortified clifftop village on the north coast built in the 13th century as a refuge from pirate raids. The entire Skiathos population lived within Kastro until 1829, when Greek independence made the coast safe again; the town was abandoned almost overnight and modern Skiathos Town was built from scratch. The 20th century brought British trav…