Chapter 12: Exploring the island of Astypalea, continued
For the full Astypalea island guide and a few more pictures thrown in, you can read the entire article on my website (Disclaimer: This link is to a website to which I contribute/have a financial interest).
Mountain road
If you venture east of Analipsi you will notice that the lands almost instantly get more wild and mountainous. Compared to the western half of the island, the main road here is of good quality as it’s basically a sealed road almost all the way to Vathi.There are some great views over the coastline from this mountainous road, making it a fun drive.
Agrilidi
There aren’t many points of interest east of Analipsi – and even fewer which can be easily reached by road without requiring a hike or risking the state of your car on one of the rough side roads.
Most rental car companies will not even allow you to use the side roads on this part of the island in the first place – something which also counts for the very rough stretch of road beyond Vathi.
One of the points which I do think is worthwhile to stop is Agrilidi. You are best off parking your car along the main road and walk the short distance (approximately 10 to 15 minutes on a gravel path) to Agrilidi.
Agrilidi basically is a beautiful sheltered bay from where you have some scenic views over the blue-and-green coloured waters. It’s worth it to hike all the way to the small Agios Nikolaos Church, from where the vistas are the best.
Although the sea did look appealing here, I could not find a good spot for a swim as the coastline is very rocky and the few beaches I encountered were not the most appealing.
At Agrilidi, you can also see an abandoned factory and some submerged docks. Seemingly, this was once an important local mining or manufacturing point which has since been left to the elements.
Agrilidi Bay as seen from the main road.
Vathi
As you follow the mountainous road on the eastern half of Astypalea, you will eventually reach the small village of Vathi. Right at the entrance gate to this village the tarmac ends, giving way to a very rough stretch of gravel road.
Most rental car companies won’t allow you to drive past Vathi, so if you want to reach the settlement of Exo Vathi a bit further down the road along the bay, you will most likely have to walk.
Vathi has a real Wild West (or Wild East, in this case!) feel to it. Many of the stone houses in the village are abandoned or crumbling, and the few houses which seemed to be inhabited seemed to belong to local fishermen or shepherds, making Vathi about as far away from any tourist infrastructure as you can possible get on the island of Astypalea.
Although there is nothing to see here as such, I liked driving out here just to absorb the views.
Looking out over Vathi from the main road.
The sea at Vathi was certainly not the most appealing. The beach is rocky and the waters even seemed to be muddy and dirty
Lunch
As it was getting already a bit late in the afternoon and I hadn’t eaten yet, I decided to drive back to Analipsi for lunch.
I returned again to Almyra where I had stopped earlier in the morning for a coffee. This time around, the restaurant was full with locals and tourists alike for lunch.
Almyra is a bit more than your traditional Greek tavern as besides some traditional classics it also features some inventive dishes on the menu such as a “mojito pork belly”.
The restaurant also has fish freshly caught the same morning from the sea. You can just walk inside the kitchen with the waiter to see what kind of fish they have on offer that day.
I went for a massive, ugly looking fish from the grill (no idea how it’s called – I’m quite bad when it comes to recognising fish species!) – which was absolutely delicious. It was served with some kind of orange sauce, which indeed paired excellent with the fish.
Driving back
Having done enough exploring on Astypalea, it was now time to relax a bit more. After the great lunch in Analipsi, I therefore decided to drive back to the western half of the island to Al Mare Beach Bar on Agios Konstantinos Beach, which kind of became my favourite spot on the island.
There really was no better way to while away the late afternoon hours than by drinking a caipirinha or two in the shade while reading a book – and with a lovely backdrop of the Aegean Sea and Astypalea Town that is!
Conclusion
I absolutely loved my stay on Astypalea island. The highlight is arguably Astypalea Town itself, as there aren’t many towns in Greece with such an awe-inspiring, unique location. It’s an absolute delight to explore the winding lanes of the town, stopping regularly to admire the views or to eat and drink at one of the town’s fine taverns.
However, also on the rest of the island there is a lot to see, and you are well advised to get a rental car for at least a day or two. The western part of the island has the best beaches, with Vatses and Kaminakia both being worthwhile destinations with clear blue waters.
The small town of Livadia is also a delight to stop as it has a nice beach and plenty of taverns with great views over the sea and Astypalea Town. A bit further away, Agios Konstantinos Beach might not be the best place for a swim, but with Al Mare Beach Bar it has one of the best places on the island for a drink or two.
Schoinontas and Steno are two of the best beaches on the eastern half of the island, although personally I’d prefer Vatses and Kaminakia. The town of Analipsi is however a low-key, worthwhile place to linger around for a while and you can find some great restaurants here such as Almyra.
Both in the west and in the east you will likely be awed by the beauty of the wild, barren interior of the island. Perhaps that is where the real charms of the island lies. Astypalea feels like such an unexplored, unknown gem.
Even for many Greeks Astypalea is quite off the beaten path, and most foreign tourists will likely have never heard of the place before. Around 90 percent of all tourists arriving on the island are Greek – which means that Astypalea has still retained its traditional charms unlike some other Greek islands overrun by tourists in summer.
Astypalea is a great destination and I really cannot recommend it enough!
Next up: Taking the night boat to Kastellorizo!
(the night ferry chapter is already online on my website for those who are interested. Disclaimer: This link is to a website to which I contribute/have a financial interest. Will post it here to FlyerTalk in full ASAP).