More Photos

Few people have heard of the Greek island of Thassos, and even fewer have been there, but once you take the plunge it will be forever etched in your memory. It has the highest rates of return visitors of any of the Greek Islands and is commonly known as “the Green Island of Greece”.

The island is the northernmost of all the Greek Islands and is situated in the Aegean Sea to the north east of the “fingers” which make up Halkidiki. It is reached by a flight to Kavala (although occasionally Thessaloniki is used as an alternative airport) with a short transfer to the ferry port of Keramoti. Here you board a ferry for the 35 minute transfer to the main town of Thassos Town, also known as Limenas.

Because the island is so far north, it has a more temperate climate than some of the other Greek Islands and in winter often gets substantial snowfalls. When I visited at the end of May/early June, the climate was perfect. There was a little rainfall but the temperature was not too hot and very pleasant. We had gone prepared for cool evenings but never once had to don our jumpers even when eating at sea-front restaurants.

The mountain, Ipsario, dominates the island which is lush and green and provides great opportunities for exploration by 4-wheel drive. Internally there are small mountain villages, waterfalls and dramatic scenery to tempt you away from the many beautiful beaches and archaeological sites too. Thassos is also famous for its marble.

Car hire is a must to get out and about and explore the island – not least to find those small secluded beaches which remain uncrowded even in high season. Finding your way around is easy – one road circumnavigates the whole island and a round-island tour is easily accomplished in one day. The scenery on the east coast in particular is stunning and spectacular.

We stayed in the resort of Potos on the South East coast which is “lively” by comparison with some of the other resorts but not compared to other parts of Greece. The liveliest parts of the resort are alongside the beach where you will find an assortment of bars and tavernas, and around the permanently sited dodgem cars in the centre which are obviously appealing to children and adults of all ages.

Potos has a handful of supermarkets, no bank (but it does have an ATM machine), one paper shop,a pharmacy, a number of what I call tourist shops selling holiday clothes and necessities and a number of places to eat or drink, so you could hardly call it a large resort. It is within walking distance of the even smaller resort of Pefkhari and a few miles to the larger town of Limenaria where you will find more facilities.

Apart from the mainly sandy beaches in the resort, there are others close by reached by taxi or car. Psili Ammos is worth a visit and only a few kilometres from Potos and Alyki Beach has beautiful soft sand and will take around 20 minutes to drive from Potos . Both have tavernas which provide sunbeds and umbrellas for their customers and very surprisingly these are free of charge. You are expected to purchase your drinks and any meals from the taverna whose beds you are using but this is not compulsory.

This island is great for those who don’t like mass tourism. There currently is only one tour operator from the UK offering holidays to Thassos which limits the number of British people on the island, though there are plenty of other European nationalities holidaying there. There are many small resorts with very low-key nightlife so it does not attract people looking for lively holidays and because the island does not have its own airport, I believe it will not develop greatly in coming years.
Would I return? Most definitely yes!