Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Free wi-fi in the restaurant next door. April-Oct.
€9.50
Karkisia
T
22850 73180,
W
karkisia-hotel.gr.
Well-
priced option that's very comfortable and easy on the eye,
near the Aigiáli beach over which all studio balconies have
views. Every double room has a sofabed that can be used to
sleep a third person at no extra cost. Breakfast buffet €5 per
person. April-Oct.
€40
Pension Christina
T
22850 73236,
W
christina
-pension.amorgos.net.
A family pension 200m from
Aigiáli beach offering bright, cheerfully painted rooms and
simple furnishings,
as w
ell as studios with fully equipped
kitchens. April-Oct.
€45
EATING AND DRINKING
6
Barba Yánnis
Áyios Pávlos
T
22850 73011.
Fish taverna
on the beach offering generous portions of salads and
seafood spaghetti as well as at least one meat or vegetable
casserole as a dish of the day. The owner bakes his own
bread in a traditional wood-fired oven.
June-Sept daily
noon-9pm.
Íos
Though not terribly different - geographically or architecturally - from its immediate
neighbours, no other Greek island attracts the same vast crowds of young people as
Íos
.
Although it has worked hard to shake off its late-twentieth-century reputation for
alcohol excesses and to move the island's tourism one class up with some success, Íos is
still extremely popular with the young backpacker set who take over the island in July
and August.
The only real villages -
Yialós
(for families),
Hóra
and
Mylopótas
(for the 18-25s)
- are clustered in a western corner of the island, and development elsewhere is
restricted by poor roads. As a result there are still some very quiet beaches with just
a few rooms to rent. Most visitors stay along the arc delineated by the port - at
Yialós, where you'll arrive, in Hóra above it, or by the beach at Mylopótas. Despite
its past popularity, sleeping on the beach on Íos is strictly banned these days and so
is nudism.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
ÍOS
By ferry
Ferries dock in Yialós, an easy 20min trek from the
capital, Hóra.
Destinations
Amorgós (1 weekly; 3hr); Anáfi (1-2 weekly;
4hr); Folégandhros (4-6 weekly; 1hr); Kéa/Lávrio
(1 weekly; 11-12hr); Kímolos (3-4 weekly; 3hr); Kýthnos
(1-2 weekly; 8hr 30min); Mílos (3 weekly; 4hr); Mýkonos
(1-2 daily; 1hr 40min); Náxos (4-5 weekly; 45min-3hr);
Páros (2-4 weekly; 5hr); Pireás (1-2 daily; 3hr 20min);
Rafína (1 weekly; 4hr); Santoríni (2-3 daily; 1hr 30min);
Sérifos (1 weekly; 6hr 30min); Sífnos (3 weekly; 3hr
30min-5hr 30min); Síkinos (1-2 daily; 20min); Sýros (3-5
weekly; 5hr 30min); Tínos (5 weekly; 2hr).
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist o
ce
The unofficial tourist information office is
Aktaion right in the middle of the port (daily 9am-2pm &
5-9pm), which also has a branch in Hóra.
Services
An ATM is near the quay. The post office is in the
new town of Hóra, a block behind the town hall.
Travel agents
Aktaion Travel (
T
22860 91343) has a
branch (closed 2-5pm) in the main church square in Yialós.
Tours
For a quick escape from the packed beaches at the
height of the season, try one of the daily excursions around
quieter nearby beaches on the wooden Leigh Browne
sailing vessel moored in the harbour (€25), available on
demand.
GETTING AROUND
By bus
Buses constantly shuttle between Yialós, Hóra and
Mylopótas (every 20-30min 8am-midnight). There are
occasional public and private buses running to the beaches
at Manganári and Ayía Theodhóti; they sell return tickets
only and are quite pricey (€6).
By boat
From Yialós, daily boats depart at around 10am
(returning in the late afternoon; €12 return) to the
beaches
on the south coast
By car and motorcycle
Hiring cars is not as necessary as
on other islands; the main strip, Yialós to Mylopótas, is
walkable and a very nice stroll.
To rent your own transport
in Hóra try Vangelis Bike Rental (
T
22860 91919) or Jacob's
Car & Bike Rental (
T
22860 91700,
W
jacobs-Ios.gr) in
Yialós.
