# North Aegean Islands Lesbos, Chios, Samos and Lemnos — big, quiet islands off the Anatolian coast. The North Aegean Islands scatter across the sea between Greece and the Anatolian coast. Most visitors arrive by ferry from Piraeus or the mainland port of Kavala, though Lesvos and Chios have airports serving Athens and occasional European connections. The islands share a particular quality of light — low and horizontal in the mornings, turning the water a deep, almost slate blue by afternoon. ## Landscape and daily rhythm The islands are greener than many in the southern Aegean. Lesvos and Samos have mountain ranges thick with pine and chestnut. Ikaria, named for its legendary remoteness, rises in forested ridges above small coves. Chios's south coast is more arid, dotted with wild thyme and rockrose, while Patmos, smallest of the group, is dry and scrub-covered, its whitewashed houses clustered around a single hilltop monastery. In every port — Mytilene, Chios town, Pythagorio on Samos — the morning fish market draws locals before the day heats up. Small boats tie up alongside the ferries. Fishermen gut and clean their catch on the quay, watched by cats. Behind the waterfront, narrow streets climb steeply, shaded by plane trees and strung with washing. ## Layers of history Each island carries its own palimpsest of occupation. Chios preserves the ruins of a Byzantine city at Nea Moni, a monastery founded in the 11th century, its interior lined with 11th-century mosaics. Samos holds the ruins of the Heraion, an ancient sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Hera, along with a 6th-century BCE tunnel that once supplied water to the city of Pythagoreion. Patmos is identified in Christian tradition as the place where the Book of Revelation was written; the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian dominates the hill above the village of Hora. Lesvos has a more layered history: Ottoman-era mosques and fountains stand near Byzantine churches, and the 19th-century neoclassical buildings of Mytilene's harbour front reflect a period of Aegean prosperity. The island was a major centre of olive cultivation, and its oil presses, some dating to the medieval period, remain embedded in the landscape. ## Food and wine The North Aegean kitchen is anchored by the sea and the olive. Grilled octopus hangs drying on racks near harbours. Sardines and small fried fish are common. Chios produces mastic — the resin of the lentisk bush — used in sweets, spirits, and baked goods. Lesvos is known for its sardines and for ouzo produced in distilleries around Plomari. Samos grows wine grapes in terraced vineyards that cascade down hillsides to the coast. On Ikaria, wild herbs — sage, oregano, dictamo — grow freely, and tea made from them is offered in village kafeneia. Cheeses are usually soft and salted: myzithra, galomyzithra, and local variations made from goat or sheep milk. Meals tend to be unhurried, eaten late, often outdoors. ## Tours that visit North Aegean Islands No tours visit this place just yet. ## Before you book you should know ### Is this trip right for you? Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that. Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in. Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month. How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above. ### Rooms, and travelling on your own Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three: - **Twin share** — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender. - **Travelling as a couple** — one double room. - **Individual room** — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard. ### Accommodation The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip. Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking. ### Passports, visas and insurance Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight. Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport. We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well. ### Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around. What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions. --- Full page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/destination/aegean-islands/