Chapter 15: Kastellorizo: A Look Around Greece’s Easternmost Island

For the full Kastellorizo trip report 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).

The outer fringes of Greece

The island of Kastellorizo (sometimes called Megisti or Meyisti) is the easternmost island not only of the Dodecanese archipelago but of entire of Greece.Reaching Kastellorizo is not exactly straightforward as the nearest (inhabited) island is Rhodes, some four hours away by ferry or 40 minutes by small propeller plane.



Kastellorizo Town

Having checked into my beautiful little apartment for my three night stay on Kastellorizo, it was time to explore the island.

Measuring only 12 square kilometres, you really do not need a car to explore Kastellorizo. In fact, there is only one road which links Kastellorizo Town to the small local airport at the other side of the mountain.

Kastellorizo is not only small in size but also in population, as there are only around 500 permanent residents on the island. Visiting the island thus really is all about slowing down and taking it easy.

That is certainly not something which is hard to do when you admire the beauty of Kastellorizo’s waterfront. The town might not only be one of the prettiest in Greece, but also one of the most beautifully located ones.













Lunch

As it was lunchtime when I arrived in Kastellorizo, the first order of business was finding a place to eat. There are many cafés and restaurants on Kastellorizo’s waterfront and you cannot really go wrong choosing any of them.

Although I first planned to explore a couple of options, I was persuaded to sit down at one of the first taverns I encountered when the welcoming owner promised me free wine on the house.

Athina Restaurant as it is called turned out to be a good choice. I had a simple but excellent quality lunch of freshly caught fish and some chips.

Due to the friendly service, great views and good food that is excellent value for money I ended up returning quite a few times to Athina during my stay on Kastellorizo.











Turtles

One great surprise during my lunch was the arrival of a turtle in the waters right beneath the quay. According to the owner of the restaurant, the turtle always arrives around lunchtime, knowing that sometimes they can snack from seafood leftovers thrown into the water.

The sight of the majestic beast in the clear blue waters of the harbour certainly made for a memorable sight. I was even more delighted when I found out that a second turtle had arrived as well!








After a while the turtle was joined by one of his friends!





A walk around town

There aren’t many sights of particular interest in Kastellorizo Town, but that doesn’t matter much at all. The town is so delightfully calm and beautiful that it is all about absorbing the special vibe.

Life on Kastellorizo mostly evolves around the waterfront and this is the place where you keep on returning to.

The town runs two or three streets land inward from the waterfront. When you walk these streets you will soon enough reach a dead end or find yourself at the foot of the huge cliff which forms the backdrop of the island.