Is Amorgos Worth Visiting?

Cliffside monasteries, a Venetian castle above a whitewashed hilltop town, and coastline dramatic enough to star in a feature film give Amorgos plenty to draw travelers willing to make the ferry trip out.

Amorgos sits at the eastern edge of the Cyclades, and its most recognizable landmark, the Hozoviotissa Monastery, was built directly into a cliff face in the 11th century by monks who had fled persecution elsewhere, making it the second oldest monastery in Greece. Reaching it means climbing roughly 300 steps cut into the rock, and the monks who still live inside welcome visitors with a modest offering of sweets and water. Above it all, Chora, the island's capital, sits at altitude with narrow whitewashed lanes and a 13th century Venetian castle that gives a full 360 degree view of the island, along with a small archaeological museum holding Minoan era objects, free to enter.

A network of trails known as the Blue Paths links villages and coastline across the island, ranging from easy walks connecting Aegiali to the hillside villages of Lagada and Tholaria to a demanding hike up the island's highest point at 821 meters. Near the southwest tip, the rusted hull of the Olympia shipwreck, a freighter that capsized in 1980, has become its own landmark. Amorgos also gained a wider following after director Luc Besson filmed The Big Blue here in the late 1980s, and the coastline that appears in it still draws visitors today.

The island has two ports. Katapola sits centrally and close to Chora, while Aegiali, on the northern half, has a wide sandy beach and its own cluster of villages. There's no airport, so the only way in is by ferry, running five to nine hours direct from Piraeus or as little as 70 minutes from Naxos, which has the nearest airport.

Amorgos suits travelers looking for real quiet, hiking, and a slower island pace rather than big nightlife or crowded beaches, and a stay of at least three or four days gives its spread-out villages and trails the time they deserve.