ASTYPALAIA GREECE

TRULY A HIDDEN GEM

Chora on Astypalaia

Like a modern-day Odyssey, the captain of the Panorama veered off the scheduled itinerary as we flitted through the many islands of the Aegean, but rather than being tossed about by Poseidon’s ire, the captain chose to steer clear of the capricious god. The itinerary originally had us calling on three islands, Amorgos, Koufonisia and Iraklia, but calmer weather had us sailing to Astypalaia, Milos and then Serifos.

SERENDIPITY SIMPLICITY

Astypalaia (we were calling it Asti Spumante) proved to be a wonderful stop. The butterfly-shaped island with white-washed houses looking like stacked sugar cubes trimmed in blue is not a prime tourist destination. In fact, later in the day when we took an electric bus to tour Chora and her windmills, and climbed to the Querini Castle, we learned many of the owners of the little shops and restaurants there were excited their island was being visited by a tour ship! With just 38 passengers the Panorama isn’t a big tour ship, but our visit elated the population. It was interesting to learn that even some of the crew of the Panorama had never been to Astypalia as well.

Astypalaia is quiet and maybe that was the allure. The island did not have the throbbing crowds of other islands like Santorini or Crete, but its relative isolation had every passenger on the Panorama saying Variety Cruises should make the island a scheduled stop.

As we were in the shoulder season, July and August are the busiest time, the island seemed empty.

BEACHES, TAVERNAS AND SUSTAINABLE SERVICE

We had some idle time to walk around town and found a small family run taverna to have ouzo. We were entertained by their precocious young daughter who kept sneaking looks at us from the interior of the taverna while we sat in the shade of their patio.

It’s very hilly away from the port so we limited our stroll to just one set of stairs where we were greeted by an inquisitive clowder of cats looking for a handout.

There is a lone beach near the port, but my understanding there are several beautiful beaches around the island. All are accessible by car, motorcycle, ATV, taxi or limited bus service by the electric Astybus. We had a swim stop before we made port and the beach was sandy and the water clear and refreshing. It was the nicest beach so far on the trip, though amenities like a beach-side bar were not yet open.

By the way, Astypalaia is the first European place that is seriously trying to become completely eco-friendly and completely decarbonized with a partnership between Volkswagen and the Greek government. Currently the fleet of rental cars offered by many of the rental companies are a mix of ICE and EV vehicles.  

VERGOULIS CAR RENTAL ASTYPALAIA

VENETIAN CASTLE, WINDMILLS…and CRAFT BEER

After dinner onboard the Panorama we went on a tour of Chora, the main town of the island and on a hill overlooking all of Astypalaia. There are several beautiful red-capped windmills called xetrochari there, used by the people for centuries to mill their crops grown on the island. The roofs rotate to catch the wind. Some are still used today, although one serves as a tourist center for the island.

Astypalaia "map"

The eight windmills stand along the edge of a plaza with shops and confectioners tavernas and restaurants. Presiding over all of this is the remnants of Querini Castle erected as a defense against pirates when the island was under Venetian control. Citizens lived within the walls for protection, but ultimately built homes outside the walls. The castle itself is derelict and there are no tours, but we did trudge up the steep path and meandered through alleyways to get near the summit affording us a spectacular view of the Aegean.

With a Greek naval vessel anchored far enough off shore we had ouzo and meze at an outdoor hilltop taverna with views of the entire island and the Panorama far below.  

As we made our way back to the square and the windmills our cruise director, Kristina called out to us from a taverna where she was having dinner. She knew I was always looking for craft beers and introduced me to 8 Mills, a session IPA brewed on Astypalaia. The three of us lingered over the beers and yet another ouzo before the trip on the bus back down to the port, the castle illuminated in the gathering night sky.

It was especially sad to leave this beautiful quiet hidden gem.

Janet and I would revisit Astypalaia.

Thanks for reading.

Love, always.

© 2026 Gregory Dunaj