Tourism in Greece is booming in all the usual places, but I TRAVEL FOREVER discovered this untouched romantic travel spot.
A spontaneous journey to the cheapest possible travel destination during the summer from Germany led my girlfriend and me to Greece. Being outgoing, we opted for for hitchhiking to find out about Alonissos, which turned out to be the most beautiful, quiet and romantic place for two.
Everyone knows Santorini from beautiful postcard photos, Crete, Cos or Mykonos are the other great tourist magnet top tourist destinations. What traveler doesn’t crave the quiet and peace found in nature, bonding with the locals, and not being surrounded by tourists on every corner? I’m very glad that I found this untouched island. You can read how to get there and where to go.
The benefits of being a spontaneous traveler
It was three days until our planned departure day, but we still hadn‘t booked anything nor did we know where we would want to go. We thought, let’s have a spontaneous adventure. It was already early evening and I was checking for flights through skyscanner.com, which is, in my opinion, a great tool to see prices for destinations from a specific airport. After a couple of clicks, I found a flight from Frankfurt to Skiathos for 60€. As we didn’t want to miss out on this “error” fare before it was fully booked, we didn’t see the importance of checking the location and just booking it. What we didn’t know at the time was that this spontaneous random booked flight to Skiathos would lead us to what turned out to be the most beautiful, quiet, romantic hideaway.
The benefits of connecting with the locals
After arriving in Skiathos, we realised very quickly that it was so crowded with tourists making it less appealing. One night, one moment, and one action totally changed the game.
It was our first night on the island and we went to watch the sunset on the other side of the island; the bus stop was pretty far from the beach. We arrived to watch the last amazing sunrays; because it was just my girlfriend and me, it was very romantic. We were about to head back to the bus station, but I didn’t feeling like walking up the hill. Suddenly, I stopped the next car and asked for a lift. The local was very nice, luckily spoke English, and gave us a lift to the bus stop. He would have taken us to Skiathos port but his destination was elsewhere. For the little time being with him, we had an amazing conversation. He told us that he used to work on an island called Alonissos. I had never heard of it and his answer to my questions (where was it and why did he preferred it) was “because it was quiet.” It didn’t take a second before I made a note to find out about the place. The next morning we got up early, went to the port, and booked the ferry ($20) to Alonissos.
Arriving on Alonissos Island / Where to stay ?
Arriving at the port of Patitiri in Alonissos after about two hours, including a stopover in Skopelos (we almost decided to get off to see the famous Abba Mamma Mia Island, but it was good we didn’t), we had no idea what it would be like on this island and my girlfriend was already stressed out for the fact that we hadn’t booked any accommodations beforehand. Compared to Skiathos, where had we booked two days before, there was only limited a choice for 100€ / night. However, when we got off the ferry, we spotted a little Alonissos rental rooms and apartments Association stand, and we went to see what she could offer. Luckily she spoke good English so we could ask about the island, the top places to see, and more importantly where we could stay on a budget of 30-40€ / night. She had a sheet of paper with a lot of private accommodations (tell her the accommodation next to Cafe Bistro Helios) and she called to ask about availability. And so we headed there and were welcomed by a very nice elderly women walking towards us. We had an amazing balcony with a fabulous view. After the visit, I would recommend staying in Patitiri, as it is very central and gives nice views overlooking the beach and port.
Best places to visit / best things to do in Alonissos
Upon arrival at the port in Alonissos, I asked the lady at the information stand about the top three places to visit on the island; and, of course, we went to them all. She also gave us a map, which you can find here: Alonissos MAP
The beautiful Alonissos old town
The first stop that night was the old town district. It was a beautiful, stunning and the perfect place to watch the sunset and have dinner with your love. Wandering around the old town is very scenic and relaxing. It was very peaceful in a way with few tourists. My tip for dinner: get there at least two hours before sunset and secure a table overlooking the sunset or even reserve a table beforehand. My recommendation: Restaurant Kastro Grill House. They have very good food and good seats with a very nice sunset view. It’s definitely Germany prices.
Milia Beach
Riding around on a quad we rented for the day was so amazing and made us very flexible and independent, able to go to different places on the island, including one of the first beaches outside of Patitiri. At around 10:00am there was no one there. We couldn’t believe it and jumped into the refreshing crystal clear turquoise water – wow- no one apart from us. What couple doesn’t love a beach or a bay all to themselves ?
Agios Dimitrios Beach
For a busier kind of beach along the coast, we stopped at Agios Dimitrios Beach where from the top of the mountain coming down, we spotted an aqua park that we had to see. Aqua Sports cost 5€ for one hour. My aqua shoes really came in handy here.
Rent a quad
We realised very quickly that the infrastructure wasn’t very good. To get around the island, so we rented a quad. This is something I highly recommend because it provides you flexibility and avoids the hustle of buses that go once per hour. Rental agencies can be found by the port. We were lucky because for this quad, a normal driver’s license was enough. The majority of motorbikes or quads require a driving license. The cost for one day was 30€; but since it was less than 24 hours, we got it for 20€. The rental agency people were nice: Alonissos Moto Motorbike Rental on Epar. Od. Patitiriou-Gerakas.
I TRAVEL FOREVER’s VIEW & RECOMMENDATION
Alonissos is a very unique place because it’s untouched by tourists and simply beautiful and peaceful. Our days there together were very special and romantic. The best part was not being harassed by locals trying to sell something. We recommend this place to everyone who asks about our trip through Europe; it is one of my favorite places to visit. My biggest recommendation is to stay longer than two nights, probably at least five days, and enjoy relaxing time on this gorgeous island. To tease you even more, I recommend that you watch the film Mamma Mia ! I hope this will inspire you to visit one of the islands. To be honest with you, since being back in Germany, I keep listening to the movie songs almost every day because it makes me remember our time in Alonissos.
In the three days there, we counted the number of tourists on two hands. I couldn’t wait to share it with my readers because this is what I love doing– showing the best undiscovered places this beautiful world has to offer. If you decide to go, surprise your girlfriend with a trip or take a girl you like and she will fall in love with you. Maybe not with you, but at least with the place. Go before it gets crowded with tourists.
Alonissos, thanks and until next time.
#TW
Recommended accommodation / restaurants
