Is Astypalaia Worth Visiting?

Astypalaia is shaped like a butterfly, its two wings joined at the narrow strip of land where Chora spills down from a Venetian castle, and the island looks more like the Cyclades than its own Dodecanese neighbors.

Astypalaia's architecture reflects that in-between identity: whitewashed cube houses and blue-shuttered alleys climb the hill toward Querini Castle, built in the 13th century by the noble Querini family after the fall of Constantinople and free to enter year-round. Two churches, Panagia tou Kastrou and Agios Georgios, sit inside the castle walls, and eight restored windmills line the path up, now doubling as an information center, a library, and small shops.

Astypalaia became the first green island in the Cyclades and Dodecanese, partnering with Volkswagen to run a fleet of electric cars and scooters through a ride-hailing app, a rare piece of infrastructure this far into the Aegean. Near Chora, the archaeological site of Kylintra holds what's believed to be the only known infant cemetery in the world, a discovery that draws researchers as much as travelers.

The island holds close to 365 churches and chapels scattered across its landscape, and beaches range from developed Livadi near Chora to the turquoise water at Kaminakia and the nudist beach at Tzanaki, with boat trips from Pera Gialos reaching the offshore islets of Koutsomytis and Kounoupa for some of the clearest swimming around. Food carries its own regional character, with saffron rusks, chloro cheese, and labrianos, goat slow-cooked and stuffed with spiced rice, showing up on menus across Chora.

Astypalaia has a small airport with summer flights from Athens under an hour, or a ferry from Piraeus that runs closer to nine to eleven hours. It suits travelers who want Cycladic scenery without Cycladic crowds, and five to seven days give Chora, the beaches, and the villages further out the time they need.