Astypalea travel guide

Astypalea is a special island of rare beauty. Its peculiar exquisiteness is found in its rather strange form which is shaped like a butterfly where a narrow strip of land called the “steno” (meaning narrow strip), literally separates Astypalea in the middle. The southwestern end is called Exo nisi (Outer Island) and the north eastern is predictably called Mesa nisi (Inner Island).

The landscape is rocky with steep cliffs, a rather large lagoon and graphic coves all around it. The total square kilometres within the 110km coastline of the island is barely 97km.

According to historical records the island was first inhabited by the Phoenicians and the Dorians and testament to its age old history are evident in several places where they are ingrained deeply in the landscape.

Astypalea wins you over with its own peculiar architectural style. It is the westernmost island of the Dodecanese (which is why the locals refer to it as Dodecanesos - a play on words in Greek which means Twelfth Island) and it is also the closest to the Cyclades. Thus it has been influenced by both local architectural attitudes in addition to the architecture of the Venetians that conquered Astypalea in 1207. In reality the island strongly reminds one of the Cyclades with its small pure white houses, countless churches strewn across the landscape and lack of flora, so it is not by chance that the locals presume to refer to it as a Cycladic island.

This tiny island of Astypalea is mainly a destination for Greeks who know where to go to find good quality. Only a few foreign tourists visit the island so it might be a good idea to get to see it before it too gets to be inundated by the pleasure seeking hordes. For the moment however, in general, tourism is very limited and the number of habitats one encounters is decidedly lower than that of most other islands in the Aegean, which is why Astropalia (another name for the island) is ideal for people that do not wish to have the crowds and the hustle and bustle associated with them. Despite the limited number of party hearty spots, whoever wishes to enjoy nightlife and fun readily finds these in certain spots on the island, so it is by no means “dead” for the occasional party goer.

Goats, both wild and tame are everywhere to be found on this small hospitable island since herding and fishing are its main sources of income for a populace that in the winter off season numbers about 1200 permanent residents.

Most beaches are pebble beaches with a small variety of pebble which means no sand sticking to tanning lotions and the sound made by the waters lapping on pebble are exquisite to say the least. The waters are crystal clear and clean as in all the Aegean islands.

If you fear snakes and other creepy crawlies you are safe, for you will not find a single snake on the island due to the very high content of pyrite in the subsoil, it tends to irritate this variety of animal so they prefer to abscond allowing the rest of us to enjoy it.