Lemnos

Lemnos (Greek: Λήμνος, Limnos) is an island in the Northern Aegean Islands of Greece.

With an area of ​​approximately 480 km², Lemnos is the ninth largest island in Greece. While the other two North Aegean islands of Thasos and Samothrace, are mountainous and forested, Lemnos is hilly and barren. In summer, the predominant color of the landscape is brown. Lemnos is a destination for a relaxing holiday in close contact with nature. Sheltered bays, long sandy beaches and landscapes of volcanic rocks, interspersed with small hills and plains where durum wheat is grown and there are traditional villages of stone houses. Some of the beaches are excellent and uncrowded.

Understand
From mid-August usually strong winds can affect the bathing, but are welcome by the windsurfers who come to the island because of that winds. The island does not live completely by tourism, as many of the other known Greek islands, but mostly still on agriculture. Therefore, life is still original and not focused exclusively on tourism. The best time to visit Lemnos is from May to end of July and from 15 August till end of October. In the first two weeks of August, the island is full of Greeks from the mainland who return to their villages for holidays and family meetings. From mid-August, winds get stronger which is interesting for surfers.

The myths about Lemnos are closely linked to the god Hephaestus. According to the legend, the goddess Hera was quarreling with Zeus. When her son Hephaestus, tried to protect her, Zeus became angry and threw him from Mount Olympus. Hephaestus landed on Lemnos, where henceforth he lived in his smithy on the island and taught the first inhabitants of Lemnos, the Sinties, the art of processing copper.

The island experienced a bloom in the pre-Christian time. In its eventful history Lemnos was hit by many conquerors because of its important strategic location west of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. Being conquered 512 BC by the Persians, Lemnos won its freedom back after the Persian Wars. Later the island was occupied by the Romans, the Venetians and the Turks, until the liberation in 1912 during the First Balkan War. During World War II, the strategically important island was occupied by German troops. As of 2022, there are active Greek military bases on the island.

Main town and villages



 * You should also visit the chapel of, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It lies in a cave on the Kakkavos hill, surrounded by steep rocks, 5 km from Myrina. The unique view and the tranquility of the landscape are worth the somewhat arduous marked climb from the (signposted) parking lot. The chapel was built in 1416 and also served as a refuge for monks during the frequent pirate attacks that the island was exposed to. The chapel is not visible from the sea. Photo fans should come in the late afternoon, as the sunlight shines into the opening of the cave and the chapel is well lit.
 * You should also visit the chapel of, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It lies in a cave on the Kakkavos hill, surrounded by steep rocks, 5 km from Myrina. The unique view and the tranquility of the landscape are worth the somewhat arduous marked climb from the (signposted) parking lot. The chapel was built in 1416 and also served as a refuge for monks during the frequent pirate attacks that the island was exposed to. The chapel is not visible from the sea. Photo fans should come in the late afternoon, as the sunlight shines into the opening of the cave and the chapel is well lit.


 * At Therma the ascent (1.3 km, 20 min) to the is worthwhile from which you have a wonderful view of the island. A gravel track goes off to the right in front of the thermal facility. Follow the dirt road for about 1.5 km to a junction. From here you follow the marked path. You should at least wear sports shoes because the last part of the climb goes over rocks.
 * At Therma the ascent (1.3 km, 20 min) to the is worthwhile from which you have a wonderful view of the island. A gravel track goes off to the right in front of the thermal facility. Follow the dirt road for about 1.5 km to a junction. From here you follow the marked path. You should at least wear sports shoes because the last part of the climb goes over rocks.





By boat
Ferries change their routes monthly, there are at least 4-5 ships a week, usually departing from the ports of Lavrio, Piraeus (both serving Athens), Thessaloniki and Kavala. It's important to inform yourself about the departure times at the day of travel because changes in arrival/departure times are common. Delays are frequent. Ferry routes often change within a year, reaching a peak during summer. Ferries need about 14 hours from the port of Piraeus to cover the distance and about 5 hours from Kavala.

There is limited anchorage available for private yachts, but services and supplies are very good. Arrivals should report to one of the port authority posts located at Myrina or Moudros. The port authorities are also good sources of information for weather forecasts (especially gale warnings), as well as about any military exercises in the wider region.

Get around
It's an easy 15-minute walk from the new port to the town centre.

Public transport is sparse.

Buses only run two times a day from Myrina to the villages. Usually you cannot return to your starting point on the same day as local buses run one-way routes to destinations. There are two one-way routes to the destinations, the first usually at 12:00 and the other at about 14:30, which is usually crowded by teens after school returning home at their villages. Check departures at the local bus station square in Myrina.

Taxis are also available, widely used to carry passengers between the airport and Myrina or the rest of the village. A May 2022 taxi trip from the new port to Laktara on Keros Bay cost €40.

Car rentals range from €25 to 20 per day.

Road conditions are good with sealed roads between villagers and then dirt roads to the last leg of many scenic spots. Be prepared to navigate through the tight roadways of the old villages and also on the lookout for wildlife and stock on the roads.

See


Sunsets are magnificent (especially under excellent visibility weather conditions), as those islands and Mt. Athos, are visible almost from every peak or elevated viewpoint on the island because there are no high mountains on Lemnos.

Obvious differences are observed between the style of stone cottages in the rural villages, and the style of the little mansions in the relatively urbanized Myrina. Romeikos Gialos and Androni's renovated 19th-century buildings depict the neo-classic architecture fashion of that period; while Kontias village at the southwest represents a picturesque village of the same time. However, it must be remarked that the building activity, increasing since the past decades, added a lot of modern houses expanding the areas of the villages and Myrina.

Nature




Do
Many festivals in accordance with the Greek calendar holidays take place each year. Of these following the church are the most popular, with shows of traditional dance and music, sometimes becoming folklore, such as the Dormition Feast. Check also the "sardine festival" and the Day of St. Sozon. Moreover, music events and parties are organized in the summertime. A small theatre is also available for performance art groups or feature film shows.


 * Cooking classes: Taste Lemnos advertise these, but as of May 2022, they are not running them regularly. You can call them to check availability on +30 2254071042. They don't seem to be checking their emails or responding to booking submissions made via their website.
 * Cooking classes: Taste Lemnos advertise these, but as of May 2022, they are not running them regularly. You can call them to check availability on +30 2254071042. They don't seem to be checking their emails or responding to booking submissions made via their website.
 * Cooking classes: Taste Lemnos advertise these, but as of May 2022, they are not running them regularly. You can call them to check availability on +30 2254071042. They don't seem to be checking their emails or responding to booking submissions made via their website.
 * Cooking classes: Taste Lemnos advertise these, but as of May 2022, they are not running them regularly. You can call them to check availability on +30 2254071042. They don't seem to be checking their emails or responding to booking submissions made via their website.
 * Cooking classes: Taste Lemnos advertise these, but as of May 2022, they are not running them regularly. You can call them to check availability on +30 2254071042. They don't seem to be checking their emails or responding to booking submissions made via their website.
 * Cooking classes: Taste Lemnos advertise these, but as of May 2022, they are not running them regularly. You can call them to check availability on +30 2254071042. They don't seem to be checking their emails or responding to booking submissions made via their website.
 * Cooking classes: Taste Lemnos advertise these, but as of May 2022, they are not running them regularly. You can call them to check availability on +30 2254071042. They don't seem to be checking their emails or responding to booking submissions made via their website.

Beaches
Lemnos has about a hundred beaches which are scattered all over the island.

The northern and eaastern beaches can sometimes be quite windy. This is because of the so-called Meltemi wind that blows regularly during the summer months (but also brings cooling).

The beaches on the east coast of Lemnos seem to have more rubbish wash up on them and also sometimes large amounts of seaweed. From mid-August on usually the winds pick up which make these beaches (such as Keros) popular with windsurfers.

The best beaches for swimming are on the south and west coast.

Near Mirina:

Near Moudros:

Eastside beaches:

North coast beaches:



Buy
The Market Street (Agora) of Myrina is worth walking where clothing and jewellery shops deserve some attention. Furthermore there are big supermarkets in Myrina and all kinds of specialist shops. In every bigger village are bakeries and little supermarkets to cover everyday shopping needs.

The local economy based on agriculture, and offers a variety of farming and dairy products, with a distinctively good quality of wine. Best known is the white wine made of the cultivar "Muscat of Alexandria". There is also a red wine of a local cultivar that is quite good. Another speciality are very tasty egg noodles, called "Flomaria". Also thyme honey is offered and was a speciality of Lemnos. Due to the dry character of the island the quantity produced is low but the demand is high. Therefore it's hard now to find real natural honey that is not just imported honey with some drops of essential oil of thyme.

Eat
Lemnos is a most appropriate place for a fulfilling meal. The taverns found in almost every village offer simple but plentiful seafood and meat dishes, variants with the goods from the island inspired from the overall Greek cuisine. Residents prefer a 20-minute drive to either the boat dock of Kotsinas for fish taverns by the sea, to Tsimandria for roast and wine, or ascend up to Sardes for traditional local recipes (try rooster with handmade pasta). In Myrina however, a couple of restaurants are more challenging, even specialising in Italian cuisine.

Drink
You can go for a drink in most cafés in Myrina, shifting to small bars at night, at the quay of Romeikos Gialos, at the quay facing the port, or uphill near the castle. Try also Moudros and Diapori in summer. You should not miss to drink an ouzo in one of the "Kafenios" in the villages to see real Greek village life.

Nightlife is seasonal, small beach bars and night clubs open from mid-June till early September. However restaurants, fish taverns and leisure cafés serve till late night all the year.

Sleep
Most accommodation services are provided by small apartments, pensions and traditional villas. There are high-rated (3- to 5-star) hotels at Platy, Androni and Myrina. Early booking with a fax or e-mail is suggested for late July and August. Most accommodations are listed and evaluated in the well known internet portals (Booking, Airbnb).

The west coast is by far the most popular and touristically most developed area on Lemnos. Here you can find accommodation in large numbers. Overall, the island has a variety of smaller hotels, hostels, apartments, rooms, but only a few large hotel complexes. These are:



Connect
The well-developed infrastructure provides Internet access for a visitor available in cafés, game spots and several public places in Myrina. Most tourist businesses all over the island provide a free limited wireless connection.

Cope
Limnos hosts a hospital in Myrina; apart from this, many of the villages also host drugstores, even private clinics. The airport hosts a Search-And-Rescue helicopter (which regularly does exercises near Myrina) and serves military aircraft, so it is forbidden to take pictures from the airport area.

Sailing
Lemnos, like all Aegean islands, is a popular destination for sailors. The island offers a lot of anchorages and almost always sufficient wind.

Ports




Go next

 * Agios Efstratios
 * Kavala
 * Lesbos
 * Imvros