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GENERAL INFORMATION:
The island is located in the Aegean Sea just five
kilometers from the cost of Turkey, South of Lesvos lies the island
of Chios and north the island of Limnos, Lesvos is the third largest
of all Greek islands and with its wealth of natural beauty and
historical interest, the island has of late become an important
tourist destination and has still managed to avoid becoming to much
commercialized.
Two huge lakes (Gulfs), The Gulf of Gera and the
Gulf of Kalloni, have created the islands “leaf like” shape.
Enormous Olive groves are to be seen on major part of the island. It
is estimated that Lesvos Island has 12 million olive trees.
Lesvos is one of the few islands in Greece where most of the towns
and villages have been preserved with much of the original
architectural heritage intact.
The temperate climate , inland rivers, natural
springs and the two “lakes” contribute to maintain the lush
vegetation of the island. Sparklingly clean beaches are to be found
all over the island.
The island has been ruled successively by the
Byzantines, the Genoese and the Turks and evidence of such history
can still be discovered all over the island.
If a visitor wishes to find clean beaches, a very
changing landscape with views and unspoiled villages, hospitality,
sea food and traditional “Greek cuisine” combined with the
comfort of full hotel accommodations (self catering units to first
class hotels) then Lesvos is the right destination.
The climate of Lesvos is mild and temperate. The
winter is mild and snowfalls are a rarity. The period of warm
weather starts in April and lasts until October, whilst the colder
weather is between November and March. The average air temp. in
spring is 15,9 C., in summer it is 26,1 C., in Autumn 18,8 C., and
in Winter 10,4 C. During Summer rain is very rare. It rains most in
December and least in July. Finally there are more hours of sunshine
on Lesvos than anywhere else in Greece and the island seldom
experiences a day, even in winter, on which the sun does not shine.
MYTILENE TOWN, capital of Lesvos
An amazing little city full of life and surprises
and if you are someone with a ling history in Greece it may
actually remind you of Athens or Piraeus in the fifties. Mytilini
is built upon seven hills and is full of history. Mytilini is in
fact one of the most culturally enlightened city in Greece perhaps
due to the it's proximity to the coast of Asia Minor where the
ancient Greeks flourished until 1922 when they were forcefully
evicted by the Turks.
The museums are full of interesting remnants of
the last three thousand years of history and the town itself
contains monuments, houses, churches, schools and other buildings
from the various historical periods.
But it is the Town of today that holds the most
interest for many because it is a small and manageable city full
of great restaurants, cafes, churches, neo-classical mansions and
shops of every type.
The castle is well worth a trip and a walk around
the promontory will give you a whole new perspective of the city
due to the view from the walls and towers of the castle. If you
continue to the back side of the castle you will come to the
ancient harbor. Finally Mytilini has been a prominent intellectual
center in the Aegean from ancient times to the present. As
evidence are the nearby Theophilus and Teriade Museums (near the
airport) which contain collections that any gallery in the world
would be honored to have in their possession.
The town is located on the south of Lesvos Island
6km. from the airport. The main seaport is as well located in the
town of Mytilini,
¤ Other Towns/Villages:
MOLIVOS/MITHIMNA
Mithimna, or Molivos as it was called during the
Middle Ages, is truly an amazing town. The town is situated on a
small mountain topped by a dramatic medieval castle, built by the
Byzantines and renovated by the Gattelusis, who were from Genoa
and were ceded the island when Francesco Gattelusi married the
daughter of the Byzantine Emperor John Paliologos.
The town itself is built of stone houses and shops
which surround the castle and follow the coast to one of the most
beautiful harbours in Greece, The town offers a traditionally laid
back atmosphere with lots of taverns serving food and drink, plus
stylish boutiques and traditional resort shopping. Molivos is
surely delightfully picturesque. 90 min from the airport by car.
80 min. from the capital.
PETRA
A few kilometres from Molivos is the Village of
Petra, Stretched along a long sand beach, lined with café's and
restaurants, the interior of the town surrounds a rock mountain
topped with the church of the Panagia (Virgin Mary). You reach the
top of the rock by climbing the 114 steps carved into the stone.
From the church the view of Petra and the surrounding sea and
countryside is spectacular extending all the way to the coats of
Asia Minor.
The village itself has hotels, craft and souvenir
shops, and restaurant and bars all very close to the beach. The
small main street has a variety of traditional shops and tourist
shops mixed together.
PLOMARI
Situated on the southern coast of Lesvos, 42 km.
from Mytilini Town, Plomari, the ouzo capital of Greece, is built
ampithitheatrically near the sea. The town is the second largest
town on the island and this is where the famous Barbayiannis Ouzo
comes from. The architecture of the town is pretty amazing with
giant old mansions and decaying factories, olive presses and
tanneries amongst the houses of all different size shapes and
colours. The town itself straddles each side of a ravine, which in
the rainy season turns into a river. Some of the houses are built
right on the river and their walls form the banks. There are
number of Turkish fountains in the village as well as many houses
with Turkish-style architecture.
There are some great restaurants in town and of
course many “kafeneons”, which serve ouzo and “mezedes”.
The town has an active marketplace and on the narrow mains-street
one finds a variety of traditional shops and tourist shops mixed
together.
Just on the outskirts of Plomari the beach area of
Agios Isidoros is situated, which is one of the best areas on the
island for swimming with a mixture of sand and a stone shelf and
open sea. The snorkelling off the coast of Agios Isidoros is very
interesting.
Most of the hotels are located in Agios Isidoros
within walking distance of Plomari, as well as a numbers of
taverns, fish-taverns, restaurants and cafés/bars are located in
the area. 75 min. from the airport by car. 65 min from the capital
SIGRI
A small fishing village located on the South West
tip of the island. There are a number of beaches, and caves may be
visited. The whole area offers good fishing and Sigri lobsters are
famous throughout the island. Sigri is home to a number of natural
phenomenon and monuments. The Petrified Forest Park is located 4
km. from Sigri.
100 min. from the airport by car. 90 min. from the
capital.
SKALA ERESSOS & ERESSOS
Situated on the South-western part of the island.
The village of Eressos is 4 km. inland and is known as the
“winter village”.
Skala Eressos is the “summer village”
and the harbour and holiday area. A small pretty village with a
long sandy beach, which is one of the best beaches on the island.
Skala Eressos is renowned as the birth place of Sappho. 100 min.
from the airport by car. 90 min. from the capital.
KALONI & SKALA KALONI
Kaloni is a market town located
on the central part of Lesvos west of Mytilini Town. Kaloni is the
main intersection for buses in this part of the island. Good
selection of shops.
Skala Kaloni is a beach resort
situated 3 km. south of Kaloni. The long beach with shallow waters
makes Skala Kaloni a popular destination for families.
This is the island bird watching centre and host
to numerous species of migrant birds in the early spring. Sardines
from the bay of Skala Kaloni are said to be some of the best in
Greece.
HOW TO GET THERE:
By Plane
The airport (tel. 0030 22510 61490 or 003022510 61590) is 3km
south of Mitilini; there's no bus to the town, and a taxi will
cost about 5€. Olympic Airways tel. 0030 2801044444 has several
flights daily to Mitilini from Athens. There are connections with
Thessaloniki daily; with Limnos three times weekly; and with Hios
twice weekly. The Olympic office in Mitilini (tel. 22510/28-660)
is at Kavetsou 44,
Aegean Cronus Airlines (tel. 0030 210 9982888 in Athens ), with an
office at the Mitilini airport (tel. 0030 22510 61120), also has
three flights daily between Athens and Mitilini, and one or two
flights daily between Thessaloniki and Mitilini. Weekly flight
from Rhodes, Samos and Chios.
By Boat
The principal port of Lesvos is Mitilini, and almost all the
ferries arrive and depart from here, although there is some ferry
traffic through the west coast port of Sigri. There's one ferry
daily to Mitilini from Piraeus, stopping at Hios (10-12 hr.);
there are also several ferries weekly from Rafina to Sigri (9
hr.). There are daily boats in both directions between Mitilini
and Hios (3 hr.), and four ferries weekly from Mitilini to Limnos
(6-7 hr.); there are also two ferries weekly between Sigri and
Limnos (4 1/2 hr.). Two boats call weekly to Mitilini from Kavala
(10 hr.) and Thessaloniki (10-13 hr.), stopping at Limnos on the
way; there's also one ferry a week from Siros (9 hr.)
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Useful Telephones for Lesvos
MYTILENE TOWN
- CITY HALL: 22510-28501
- GNTO(EOT): 22510-42511
- POLICE: 22510-41911
- TOURIST POLICE: 22510-22776
- HOSPITAL: 22510-43777
- OLYMPIC AIRWAYS: 22510-28659
- OLYMPIC AIRPORT: 22510-61490
- PORT POLICE: 22510-28888
- LOCAL BUSSES (KTEL): 22510-28873
MITHIMNA/MOLIVOS
PETRA
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