Ios (Pop 2,024) is 196km or 5.5hrs from Athens and only one hour from my last island of Folegandros. The island is 18km long by 10km wide with highest point at 713m.
Ios is famous for the 3,000BC ancient city of Skarkos and the tomb of the great Greek Poet Homer who wrote the Iliad, the story of Ulysses and the defeat of Troy. Ios is also known for its many cheeses, especially “skotiri” or sour cheese and there is even a museum dedicated to Ios cheeses (not “baby Jesus”) !!!
Ios like its neighbours is tree-less but more abundant in green shrubs and bushes and extremely rocky. Like Milos, its coastline is inaccessible by road but has myriads of little beaches and bays with absolutely crystal clear waters. Roads are reasonably wide and good but there are not many of them. They ride high above the waters but the views are terrific as you will see below.
Ios has an “ancient” feel to it. A bit like the Minoans in Crete or the Nubians of the Sudan – you feel like people have been here for thousands of years.
I swam my 1km at Magandri but Ag Theodoti was equally as good. The Tsimedia or stuffed pumpkin flowers with rice are a specialty of the island. My hotel is Ios was the best location by far – in the centre of town with balcony overlooking the harbour. I was the only guest in the 30 room, two-level building – this is the great thing about visiting in May (or September).
Ios is definitely more oriented towards the tourist and you can even see Santorini from Magandri Beach.
Enjoy ancient Ios…
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