Ios

Ios is a small island of the Cyclades group. It is a part of the Cyclades Islands in the south of Greece. Ios is a short ferry ride from Santorini, making an extended holiday or even a day trip a viable option.



Understand
Over the last few years, Ios has developed into an island that has something for all ages to enjoy. For many years Ios was known as a party island; however, there is so much more that Ios has to offer.

Ios has regularly been voted in various polls as having one of the "Top 10 beaches in Europe" and it in fact boasts 75 km of beautiful, white sandy beaches and turquoise coastlines.

The architecture of Ios is typically Cycladic and features whitewashed buildings perched beautifully on hill tops and dotted around valleys.

Ios still maintains a lively nightlife, the likes of which you will not see in the other islands. Unlike the "package resorts", the nightlife of Ios is concentrated in one place, Chora. The nightlife is very cosmopolitan yet still quite traditional. The main meeting point is in the main square. By day, Chora reverts to a beautiful, tranquil traditional Greek village where you can see the locals chatting in cafes and playing backgammon.

For those not wishing to experience the nightlife, Chora is wonderfully peaceful in the early evening and is awash with clothing and jewelry stores, souvlaki shops and excellent restaurants. Yialos (or the "Port"), is an excellent place to escape the crowds in the evening as is the beautiful Mylopotas beach.

Regular buses or boats are available to take you on various excursions to the other beaches on Ios, where you can find peaceful areas and avoid the crowds.

All in all, Ios has lots to offer for all age groups. It is a stunningly beautiful island and will be an unforgettable experience.

By boat
Ios can be reached best from Santorini, Naxos, Heraklion (on Crete island) or directly from Piraeus.

Ferry boats and high speed catamaran services run daily from Piraeus.

All domestic ferry schedules are here

If you plan on travelling to several different islands, it is wise to book all your ferries at once for a possible discount. However, keep in mind that pickup and arrival times are subject to change at anytime.

Get around
The island has three major villages.


 * Ormos or Yialos, location of the ferry port of Ios. The direct way from the port up to Chora is a long stair. The bus and car traffic take a much longer and winding road uphill.
 * Chora, the main city. Tourist information of the municipality of Ios can also be found at a kiosk at the central bus station at Chora.
 * Milopotas, one of the most beautiful beaches on Ios, close to Chora.

By bus
In summer, buses operate between these three villages (KTEL IOS local bus route and timetable).

By taxi
Taxi stations are in Chora at the central bus station and in Yialos right infront of the ferry boat pier.

By car
Additionally you can rent cars and motorcycles in Chora.

By moped and ATV
This is the generally the best way to get around. ATV's will cost you between €15-40 for 24 hours and a moped should cost between €10-30, depending on the season. By far this is the best way to explore the different parts of the island.

Ios is known for its popular beaches. Although they are extremely beautiful, they can also be extremely crowded during the peak travelling times.

With an ATV you are able to explore, go up a mountain and find a secluded beach. There are many parts of the island that go untouched and are truly a miraculous sight.

By boat
Boats run between major coastal towns on the island.

See



 * Chora or Hora - The main village of Ios is very scenic with its small alleys and white-washed houses. During day Chora is a peaceful, quiet place while during night it is the main party zone on Ios.
 * Homer's tomb
 * The open air theater
 * Archaeological museum
 * The Old castle, Paleocastro
 * Marina, in the port
 * The beach of Maganari, on the most southern part of the island, Maganari beach provides seclusion, but not isolation. Since this beach is far from the rest of the main attractions on the island not many people go or even hear about it. The beach provides many athletic activities as well as beautiful and delicious lunch spots on the beach.

Do

 * Party - If you have decided to go for Ios, simply party. Chora has plenty of bars and clubs to have fun all night long.
 * Watersports - In Milopotas, Yialos and Maganari Beach you can go diving, do wind-surfing, water-skiing or on blow up "donuts" behind speed boats.
 * Hiking, Start from Chora or Mylopotas (See OSM hiking routes or SKAI terrainmap Ios). Hike the beautiful mountainous landscape of Ios for one day excursions to the mountain peaks of Profiti Ilias or Pyrgos. Or do a 4-day circuit around the Pyrgos Mountain passing the beaches of Klima, Manganari, Kalamos, Psathi, Ag. Theodoti as well as Kalamos Monastery and the ruins of Paleocastro - Always take plenty of water, hat, sun protection, good boots and during the season of Meltemi end July and August also wind protection. - No shops, but nice restaurants and accommodation are available in Manganari, Psathi, Ag. Theodoti. Check in advance for availability. Be aware that a large area of the island of Ios is protected as a nature reserve.
 * Hiking, Start from Chora or Mylopotas (See OSM hiking routes or SKAI terrainmap Ios). Hike the beautiful mountainous landscape of Ios for one day excursions to the mountain peaks of Profiti Ilias or Pyrgos. Or do a 4-day circuit around the Pyrgos Mountain passing the beaches of Klima, Manganari, Kalamos, Psathi, Ag. Theodoti as well as Kalamos Monastery and the ruins of Paleocastro - Always take plenty of water, hat, sun protection, good boots and during the season of Meltemi end July and August also wind protection. - No shops, but nice restaurants and accommodation are available in Manganari, Psathi, Ag. Theodoti. Check in advance for availability. Be aware that a large area of the island of Ios is protected as a nature reserve.

Eat
In Ios there are a number of good to very good restaurants. Here are the restaurants that you must visit...

Drink
Ios has everything to offer whether you're young or old. Fantastic nightlife with sounds from every corner of the planet; since the 70s hippies flocked to Ios for their summer solstice.

People from all over the globe converge on Ios during the summer months. Ios' bars and clubs offer a huge variety of entertainment 7 nights a week 24 hr a day. Drinking in Ios is very reasonably priced compared to Santorini and Mykonos.

In the main village there are bars such as Red Bull, Flames, Slammers, Disco 69, Circus Bar, Bulldog, Shooters, Pegasus, Orange bar, Coo, Ammos, Satisfaction, Click, Astra bar, Stellas champagne bar, Barmacy Bar, Shamrock, No name, Jonnys electric, Louies, Blue note, Ios blue, Balsamu, La cuva, Lotus, Agelos, Frankies, Fun Pub, Voodo, Liquid and Dolca Vita.

Night clubs in the village include Rehab, Sweet Irish Dream, and Scorpion.

Sleep

 * Yialos Sandy Beach (near the port and not far from the town) is the alternative way for quiet holidays.
 * Glaros Hotel on the beach.
 * George and Irene's Hotel, centre of village up hill from supermarket
 * Sunrise
 * Yialos Sandy Beach (near the port and not far from the town) is the alternative way for quiet holidays.
 * Glaros Hotel on the beach.
 * George and Irene's Hotel, centre of village up hill from supermarket
 * Sunrise
 * George and Irene's Hotel, centre of village up hill from supermarket
 * Sunrise

Camping

 * The Purple Pig, in Mylopotas. Cheaper than Far Out; the owners come from Holland.
 * The Purple Pig, in Mylopotas. Cheaper than Far Out; the owners come from Holland.

Go next
Visit the other islands of the Cyclades and the rest of the Aegean Sea. The archipelago contains some 2,200 islands, islets and rocks and only 33 islands are inhabited.


 * Santorini, a main island in the Cyclades group
 * Mykonos, a main island in the Cyclades group
 * Athens, largest city in Greece
 * Crete