Lemnos island, Greece

February 28, 2016 49030 59 1,000 Comments

Description

Information about Lemnos

Lemnos, the eighth biggest island in Greece with a population of 18.000, lies in the northern part of the Aegean Sea, between Agion Oros, Samothrace, Imbros and Lesvos. It is a volcanic island with a beautiful terrain, as hills and tiny mountains cross its fertile plains and surroundings. Moreover, its characteristic shape forms many beautiful beaches and coastlines. I was invited here by Pravlis travel agency and Taste Lemnos, a web agency that offers exceptional experiences on the island. Limnos was quite a pleasant surprise for me! A destination that has so much to offer. Beautiful sightseeing, flavors, experiences, but above all, the warmth and the smile of it’s inhabitants.

cities & villages

  • Mirina
    Mirina is the main town and the port of the island, and took its name after the wife of the first king of Limnos. It is located in the western part of the island and lies between two forts. It is the most populated town in Limnos and it has an authentic traditional style. It’s worth strolling through its picturesque small streets as well as in the pedestrian area where you will find a market place. Two of the most emblematic features of Mirina is the church of Saint Nikolaos in the south and the castle, which lies on the top of the mountainous area which separates the two bays of the town.
  • Kotsinas
    A sea side village with taverns where in its edge lies a little church called Zoodohos Pigi (life giving springs) in which we saw the statue of an island heroine, Maroula. Next to the church there is an underground well with 64 steps, which almost leads to sea level.
  • Kontopouli
    It is located at the eastern part of the island and here we met Konstantina, the owner of the ceramic art space “Limnia Gi”, who taught us about the art of ceramics.
  • Kaminia
    A village at the south east part of Lemnos with a beautiful square and taverns.

beaches of Lemnos

  • West Beaches
    Agios Ioannis, Avlonas, Romaikos Yalos, Richa Nera, Tourkikos Yalos, Plati
  • North beaches
    Zematas, Neftina, Mpournias, Kotsinas, Agios Ermolaos, Gomati
  • East Beaches
    Kerow, Makris Yalos
  • South Beaches
    Mikro Fanaraki, Megalo Fanaraki, Thanos, Xabouli, Evgatis, Louri

sights and attractions

  • Mirinas Castle
    The castle was built in the beginning of the 12th century but was renovated during Venetian rule to look as it appears today. It’s worth going up there to take a walk around as there’s an impressive view for taking photographs. During the period of Turkish occupation, the Turks stayed in the southern part of the castle, which is why this area is called the Turkish coast as opposed to the area in the north which is called the Roman coast.
  • Amothines
    Ammothines, or sand dunes are on the northern part of the island, only 3 km outside KatAlakos village. Ammothines is a deserted area about 70 acres wide, which you have to visit if you find yourself in Limnos. Local people told us that it is the only desert in Europe.
  • Sanctuary of Kaviron
    A space for spiritual celebrations in honor of the ancient Greek gods. It is an area of great history and has an exceptional view to the northern Aegean sea.
  • Hefestia
    Hefestia is an area in which mining brought to light very important findings from the largest and oldest town of Limnos. The most significant monument found is the theater, which was renovated and has been hosting events and concerts ever since. Hephestia was one of the two ruling towns of ancient Limnos, and it was named after Hephestos, who was its protector (wiki-information).
  • Cave of Filoktitis
    Under the celebration space of Kaviron, you’ll find the cave of Filoktitis. This is the place where the Homeric hero lived for about 10 years during the period of the Trojan war. His story is of much interest and it is worth reading about him (wiki-information).
  • Panagia Kakaviotissa
    Panagia Kakaviotissa is one of the few churches in the world that has no ceiling. It took us about 40 minutes to get there by foot, following a rather easy path. It was worth the while because apart from the nice route, you will find yourself surrounded by exceptionally impressive scenery. The church was named after the mountain it lies on, Kakavo. This small church was built around 1305 by monks that lived in caves in the surrounding area.
  • Saint Sozon
    It is the monastery of the patron Saint of Limnos lies near Fisini village, at the southeastern part of the island.
  • Ktima Olon
    It is located in Diapori which is a little further down from Kontias village. Here, on a hill with a fantastic view of the bay full of trees and greenery, we found the farm of Tasis and Rena Laskaridi. In Ktima Olon, which was the first olive grove on the island, we wandered around, tasted their virgin organic olive oil and also watched the process of cheese production called Kalathaki, which means small basket.
  • Ktima Chatzigeorgiou
    As Limnos is famous for the excellent quality of its wine, you should visit Ktima Chatzigeorgiou which is a bit outside the Karpasi village.
  • Ceramic art space “Lemnia Gi”
    It is in Konropouli village and here you’ll meet Konstantina, the owner of the ceramic art space “Limnia Gi”, who will teach you about the art of ceramics.
  • Lemnos thermal springs
    It is located outside Therma village and is ideal place to relax in the healing waters of the area. Here, in these beautiful surroundings, we were welcomed by Sophia, who guided us around the spa, giving us useful information on the history of the area which goes back to ancient years (www.thermaspa.gr).

Taverns in Lemnos

  • Glaros fish tavern
    It is located in Mirina and we visited for our first dinner. You should try local wines and tsipouro and taste fresh sea food.
  • Andreas’s tavern
    It is located in Kaminia village and you may taste traditional recipes, like the famous cheese pie of Limnos which has peppermint, and Kaspakino goat meat, which is cooked in the oven with rice and kalathaki cheese. You should definitely try it if you visit Limnos.
  • Mouragio tavern
    It is located in Kotsinas village just on the sea and here, among other things, we tasted afkos, which is the traditional fava, as well as rooster with traditional pasta, called flomaria.

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