Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ì
To Perivoli T'Ouranou
T
25510 98313.
“Heaven's
Orchard” aptly describes this leafy taverna on the lane to
Gría Váthra. Various dips, types of
saganáki
and spaghetti
dishes supplement the usual grills and salads. Regular live
traditional music.
June to mid-Oct daily 11am-2am.
9
THE SANCTUARY OF THE GREAT GODS
Samothraki Village
Paleópoli
T
25510 42300,
W
samothrakivillage.gr.
Smart new resort, handily placed
for the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, with manicured gro
unds
,
neatly furnished rooms, two pools and a bar-restaurant.
€60
LOUTRÁ AND THE FAR EAST
Camping Platia
T
25510 98244.
Around1.5km
east of
the village, this beachside municipal campsit
e is ve
ry basic,
with toilets only. May-Sept. Adult plus tent
€5.50
Camping Voradhes
T
25510 98258.
Some 3km east of
the village, the island's prime municipal campsite has hot-
water showers, electricity, a
min
imarket, restaurant and
bar. July & Aug. Adult plus tent
€8
O Paradhisos
T
697 57 75 997.
This place has the
advantage of the village's best location, up under the plane
trees. The traditional cuisine and barrelled wine also hit the
spot.
Mid-May to mid-Sept daily noon-1am.
To Fengari
T
25510 98321.
Small set of adequately
furnished studios, tucked in a lane east of the centre, which
maintains at least a low level of of
pera
tion all year,
including a home-style taverna on site.
€25
THE SOUTH COAST
Delfini
Pahiá Ámmos
T
25510 94235.
Classic taverna-
cum-rooms enterprise at the west end of the beach. The
rooms are fairly basic but habitable enough and the
taverna is a frien
dly h
angout with a decent range of
staples. May-Sept.
€30
Paradisos
Profítis Ilías
T
25510 95267.
Atmospheric
rustic taverna, with a lovely terrace facing sunsets over
Thássos. The house speciality is a selection of meats such as
lamb, goat and
kondosoúvli
roast on the spit, accompanied
by fiery
tsípouro
or soothing wine.
June to mid-Sept daily
10am-2am.
To Akroyiali
Lákkoma beach
T
25510 95123.
Simple
but clean rooms with seaview balconies are available above
a friendly taverna, which serves fresh fish, some meat
and
a standard menu of mezédhes
and salads. June-Sept.
€35
Thássos
Just 12km from the mainland,
Thássos
has long been a popular resort island for
northern Greeks, and since the early 1990s has also attracted a cosmopolitan mix of
tourists, particularly Germans and Scandinavians on packages, as well as an
increasing number of people from eastern Europe. They are all entertained by vast
numbers of
bouzoúkia
(music halls) and music tavernas, while nature-lovers can find
some areas of outstanding beauty, especially inland. Moreover, the island's
traditional industries have managed to survive the onslaught of modernity. The elite
of Thássos still make a substantial living from the pure-white
marble
that
constitutes two-thirds of the landmass, found only here and quarried at dozens of
sites in the hills between Liménas and Panayía. Olives, especially the oil, honey,
nuts and fruit (often sold candied) are also important products. The spirit
tsípouro
,
rather than wine, is the main local tipple; pear extract, onions or spices like
cinnamon and anise are added to home-made batches.
Brief history
Inhabited since the Stone Age, Thássos was settled by Parians in the seventh century
BC, attracted by
gold
deposits between modern Liménas and Kínyra. Buoyed by
revenues from these, and from
silver
mines under Thassian control on the mainland
opposite, the ancient city-state here became the seat of a medium-sized seafaring
empire. Commercial acumen did not spell military invincibility, however; the Persians
under Darius swept the Thassian fleets from the seas in 492 BC, and in 462 BC Athens
permanently deprived Thássos of its autonomy after a three-year siege. The main port
continued to thrive into Roman times, but lapsed into Byzantine and medieval
obscurity.
Sadly, the salient fact of more recent history has been a series of devastating,
deliberately set
ires
in the 1980s and 1990s. Only the northeastern quadrant of the
island, plus the area around Astrís and Alykí, escaped, though the surviving forest is
still home to numerous pine martens.
