Molyvos
Stone village under a castle
Cobbled lanes of stone houses with wooden balconies, a castle on top and a fishing harbour below; stay for sunset.
North LesvosCastleVillage
Lesvos, Greece
Ideal: 4–7 daysBest: Apr–Jun, Sep–OctPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Lesvos in 60 seconds
Lesvos is Greece's third-largest island, close enough to the Turkish coast to see it, and a whole world in itself: some 11 million olive trees, hot springs, salt pans full of flamingos and, in the bare west, a petrified forest of trunks turned to stone by a volcano some 20 million years ago. It was the island of the poet Sappho. Most of Greece's ouzo is made here, around Plomari, and drunk with grilled sardines from the Gulf of Kalloni. Molyvos, a village of stone houses with tiled roofs climbing to a Genoese castle, is the most beautiful place on the island; Mytilene, the capital, is a busy port town with a huge fortress and an Ottoman old quarter. Birdwatchers come in spring for the migration. A week, or at least four days with a car.
IslandOuzoVillages
Best for
- Nature
- Hidden gems
- Food
Known for
- Molyvos
- Ouzo from Plomari
- Petrified forest
- Birdwatching
Skip if
You want a compact island to see in a weekend — Lesvos is large, and its sights are hours apart by car.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Lesvos fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Petrified Forest
InexpensiveFossil trees turned to stone
Standing and fallen trunks in the bare hills of the west, with an excellent natural history museum at Sigri.
SigriGeologyUNESCO Geopark
Plomari & its ouzo
The ouzo capital of Greece
A seaside town of distilleries; visit one to see the copper stills and taste.
South LesvosOuzoVillage
Mytilene castle
InexpensiveOne of the largest fortresses in the Aegean
Byzantine, Genoese and Ottoman walls on a pine-covered hill above the harbour.
MytileneFortressHistory
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Gulf of Kalloni
Salt pans, flamingos and sardines
In spring the wetlands fill with migrating birds; in summer the gulf's small sardines are grilled in every taverna.
KalloniBirdsFood
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Mytilene
The island's busy capital
Harbour cafés, an old market street and neoclassical mansions.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Molyvos & Petra
ModerateThe prettiest base
Village hotels near the sea in the north.
BeachVillage
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Flights from Athens and Thessaloniki; ferries from Piraeus and from Ayvalık in Turkey.
- Getting around
- A car is necessary; the island is large and buses are few.
- When to go
- April and May for birds and flowers; June and September for the sea.
- Taste locally
- Ouzo, sardines from Kalloni, ladotyri cheese, olive oil and kiskek.
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- c. 600 BC
The poet Sappho lives and writes on the island.
- 1355–1462
The Genoese Gattilusio family rule Lesvos and strengthen its castles.
- 1912
Lesvos joins Greece.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Chios
The mastic island
Chios has its own guide.
3 hrs by ferryIsland