The island of Skiathos in the Sporades in Greece - the island of pine tree forests and sandy beaches

Skiathos is one of the Sporadic islands in the north of Greece. None of these islands is really big, and Skiathos is no exception. From the four main islands this one has the best beaches, most of them very sandy and very large, but also almost all of them organized with facilities / sunbeds / parasols etc. There's a bus going from the main town, which makes a stop at practically every beach on the east and the south of the island and then goes back again. There are beds and parasols almost everywhere you go and there are plenty of accommodations and restaurants to choose from. There are bars and clubs where you can have a good time in the evening and the night and terraces where you can have a cocktail while you stare at the sea or at the people that pass by. Skiathos is a stylish island with a touch of class that seems to be attracting people that have a bit of money to spend.

This may be nice for some people, but personally I prefer the more unspoiled kind of beaches, which are more difficult to reach and where you just throw your towel in the sand. We found one beach like that in the north. I think it was called Asselinos, but I'm not 100% sure. The bus doesn't stop there and you have to walk a bit before you reach it. It's a nice walk though through the forest over a sandy path. This is one of the few beaches where you can swim in the nude (like on one of the 'Banana-beaches') if you like. A couple of beaches like Lalaria are not serviced by the bus, and you can reach by kaik from Skiathos town. The beach in Skiathos town itself is situated close to the main road. Better beaches are for instance Agia Paraskevi (big), Koukounaries (also big) and Troulos (smaller, but overlooking a very pretty small island), but there are lots of others.

The main town of Skiathos is rather big and busy, with a lot of white houses with red tiles, and typical church-towers. It has a nice long boulevard with shops, restaurants and terraces where you can sit down. Some of the streets are souvenir-heaven with lots of leather-shops, shoe-shops, shops that sell souvenirs of glass and ceramic, and supermarkets. There's also plenty of restaurants to choose from. The town has a new harbour and a more quiet old harbour with a lot of kaiks (traditional Greek wooden boats) and small boats.

The ferries to and from Skiathos arrive in the new harbour and here you also find the modern boats of the tourists that visit the island in a more stylish way. The boats for the daytrips to the islands like Alonissos, Skopelos, Kyra Panagia, Tsougria (a small beach island) and other islands you find in the old harbour. They all leave early in the morning around 9 or 10 o'clock. It's best to check the price of the tickets before you jump on, because we found there was a big difference depending on which boat you took.

Although Skiathos town has some charm of its own, some parts of it are quite busy, too busy in my point of view, especially around dinner time. You can find some peace and quiet on the islet of Bourtzi, which is connected to Skiathos town by a small road. Here you find no cars and the view is beautiful. I really enjoyed drinking a cocktail or an ouzo there in the evenings.