How Many Days Should I Spend on Alonissos?

Alonissos covers well over three days for the marine park and the closest beaches, and five to seven let the island's hiking trails, quiet villages, and diving spots come together at a proper pace.

Alonissos fills a first day easily in Patitiri, the modern port town, with a stop at the folklore museum for a look at the island's pirate history before an afternoon spent walking the harbor. Chora, the abandoned hilltop capital left in ruins after a 1965 earthquake, sits within a short walk and has since drawn a wave of mostly foreign residents who restored its stone houses.

A second day belongs to the National Marine Park, established in 1992 as Greece's first, where a boat trip with swimming stops gives a real chance to spot dolphins or the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal along the way.

A third day suits diving, since the marine park's waters hold a gorgonian garden roughly 40 meters deep and the well known Blue Cave, both drawing certified divers from across the Sporades.

A fourth day works well for hiking one of the island's marked trails, including the route from Chora to Megalos Mourtias beach, and Leftos Gialos, a bay lined with tavernas and a slower pace, gives the day a proper place to end.

A fifth day or more suits Steni Vala, a fishing village on the north coast reachable by trail through the island's almond and olive orchards, or Agios Dimitrios, considered the island's most photographed beach. Alonissos connects by ferry to Skiathos and Skopelos for anyone extending the trip.

Three days cover Patitiri, Chora, and a first marine park excursion comfortably, five brings diving and a proper hiking day into the trip, and seven lets Steni Vala and the quieter northern coast round things out fully. Even a short three-day visit gives a real sense of the island's marine park, but Alonissos's trails and villages give clear reason to plan for the better part of a week.