14-day route
Route · 14 days · one-wayYacht charter route · Sporades

Skiathos Marina via Agia Kiriaki & Alonissos.

Two weeks from Skiathos Marina through Skopelos, Alonissos, the marine park, Skyros and the Pagasetic Gulf, with anchorages and taverna moorings.

The route

Day-by-day route

Click any pin on the map or any day in the route summary below to see that day's stop, story and photos.

Day 1

Skiathos Marina → Skopelos

Slip out of Skiathos and cross to Skopelos town, where whitewashed houses climb the hillside above a busy little harbour.

Distance

11 NM

Sailing

~2.2h at 5 kn

At a glance

Route at a glance

Best season

May – early October (peak Jun – Sep)

Duration

14 days

Departure

Skiathos Marina

Sailing area

Sporades

Route summary

Click any day to jump back to the map and see its photos, narrative and mooring tip.

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The full story

Day-by-day journey

Named anchorages, mooring notes and things to do for every leg of the week — the map follows along as you scroll.

Day 1 / 14
1
Day 1

Skiathos Marina → Skopelos

Most crews collect the boat at Skiathos and want to be moving by late morning, once provisioning is done. The hop to Skopelos town runs around 15 miles, an easy first leg with the afternoon breeze usually filling in from the north. Skopelos Chora rises straight out of the water in tiers of white houses and blue shutters, the kind of skyline that has people reaching for a camera before you have even tied up. The town quay gets tight in July, and the ferries need room to swing, so we tuck into the southeast corner of the port and set the anchor there. Ashore, the lanes climb past small churches and shaded courtyards. Dinner is easy: grilled fish and a cold bottle of local white a few steps from the water.

Things to do

Climb the lanes to Panagitsa tou Pyrgou chapel

Eat grilled fish on the Chora waterfront

Browse the plane-tree platia at dusk

Watch sunset over the harbour rooftops

Mooring tip

The town quay fills by mid-afternoon in summer and ferries need swinging room, so either arrive early for a stern-to berth or anchor off in the southeast corner clear of the ferry lane.

2
Day 2

Skopelos → Alonissos

Alonissos sits a comfortable morning's sail from Skopelos, roughly ten to fourteen miles depending on where you drop the hook. Patitiri, the island's main port, has everything you need to top up: water, fuel, ice and a decent run of shops behind the front. If you would rather trade services for atmosphere, carry on to Steni Vala, a working fishing village further up the east coast facing Peristera. The taverns there put out whatever the boats brought in that morning, and the lobster is worth the detour. We often take on provisions at Patitiri in the afternoon, then move up to Steni Vala for a quieter night on the anchor. Either way you are now inside the marine park, so it pays to read up on the zones before pushing further north tomorrow.

Things to do

Provision and fuel up at Patitiri port

Eat fresh lobster at a Steni Vala taverna

Ride up to Old Alonissos hilltop Chora

Swim off Peristera's sheltered Xero Bay

Mooring tip

Patitiri is the more sheltered, better-serviced overnight; Steni Vala's small quay fills fast, so grab a taverna berth early and expect to raft in high season.

3
Day 3

Alonissos → Kyra Panagia

This is the day the trip goes properly wild. Kyra Panagia lies deep inside the National Marine Park, ten miles or so north of Alonissos, and there is nothing on it but goats, a monastery and one of the safest anchorages in the Sporades. Planitis bay almost closes over on itself, so the water stays flat even when it is blowing outside. Holding is good over sand and weed, though we usually back up with a long line ashore to sit clear of other boats and the gusts that tumble off the ridge. There are no shops and no tavernas here, so cook aboard and enjoy the silence. A rough track leads up to the whitewashed monastery of Kyra Panagia, a dependency of Mount Athos, worth the walk for the view alone.

Things to do

Anchor with a line ashore in Planitis bay

Walk up to the hilltop Kyra Panagia monastery

Snorkel the clear water near the entrance

Cook the day's catch on board at anchor

Mooring tip

Planitis is nearly enclosed and very secure; set the anchor in sand and run a long line to the rocks, ideally in daylight, since there are no facilities and no room to sort it out after dark.

4
Day 4

Kyra Panagia → Skyros

Skyros stands apart from the rest of the group, and getting there means the longest passage of the fortnight, close to thirty miles of open water. Leave early. The wind tends to build through the afternoon, so a nine o'clock start gives you a fair chance of an easy sail rather than a slog. Linaria, on the west coast, is the island's only real harbour, and it is a snug one. Anchoring inside is awkward because the bottom is laid with private moorings and the holding is patchy, so most yachts go stern-to along the west quay, rafting up when it is busy. Skyros feels different once you are ashore: a Cycladic-white hilltop town, Byzantine roots, and the small wild ponies the island is known for. Book ahead in high season if you can, as space is limited.

Things to do

Bus up to the whitewashed Skyros Chora

See the endemic Skyrian wild ponies

Visit Rupert Brooke's grave at Tris Boukes

Eat at a Linaria harbourfront taverna

Mooring tip

Linaria's seabed is cluttered with private moorings and holds poorly, so plan on going stern-to at the west quay and rafting in July; call ahead or arrive by early afternoon to be sure of a spot.

5
Day 5

Skyros → Kyra Panagia

The route retraces the long leg north today, back over the channel that separates Skyros from the marine park. It is the same water as day four but rarely the same sail, and with the wind often on a kinder angle the miles can pass quickly. Aim to be off the Skyros quay by mid-morning so you reach Kyra Panagia with the light still high. If Planitis felt too enclosed on the way down, the alternative is Agios Petros on the southeast side, a string of coves where a line ashore keeps you off your neighbours and steadies the boat against the katabatic gusts. Once the hook is set, the day belongs to swimming and doing very little. No engines, no shops, just the marine park doing what it does best after dark: complete quiet.

Things to do

Anchor in an Agios Petros cove, line ashore

Swim off the empty southeast shore

Keep watch for Mediterranean monk seals

Stargaze with no shore lights around

Mooring tip

If the wind has veered easterly, Planitis stays flat while Agios Petros gets gusty; pick the corner sheltered from the day's breeze and always run a line ashore in these narrow coves.

6
Day 6

Kyra Panagia → Tzortzi Bay (Alonissos)

Coming out of the marine park, the sensible next stop is Tzortzi Bay, back on the east coast of Alonissos and about ten miles south. It is a big, open bay with room to spread out, backed by pine and scrub, and it stays calm in almost anything short of a hard easterly. There is nothing ashore, which is rather the point after a busy week. You get green water, the smell of the pines off the hills, and not much else to bother you. We tend to arrive by early afternoon, get the anchor well dug into the sand, and let the crew swim off the back of the boat until the light goes soft. If the forecast leans east, keep a bay or two further south in mind, because Tzortzi opens straight to that quarter.

Things to do

Anchor over sand and swim all afternoon

Paddle the pine-backed shoreline by dinghy

Snorkel the rocky edges of the bay

Grill dinner aboard at anchor

Mooring tip

Tzortzi holds well in sand and shelters from north and west, but it is wide open to the east, so check the forecast before committing to the night and move on if a fresh easterly is due.

7
Day 7

Tzortzi Bay (Alonissos) → Alonissos

Today is short and mostly about resetting. Patitiri is only a handful of miles down the coast from Tzortzi, so there is no rush to leave, and the run along the cliffs of eastern Alonissos is a pretty one. Patitiri is the island's proper harbour, with water and fuel on the quay and shops close behind for the second-week provisioning. Once the boat is squared away, take the old mule path or a quick taxi up to Alonissos Chora, the original hilltop town abandoned after the 1965 earthquake and slowly brought back to life. The views over the Sporades from up there are the best on the island. Back down at sea level, the tavernas along the front are unfussy and good, and it is an easy evening before turning back west tomorrow.

Things to do

Provision and refuel on Patitiri quay

Walk the mule path up to Alonissos Chora

Sip a drink at Hayiati with the view

Browse the old town's folklore museum

Mooring tip

Patitiri is stern-to on the quay with laid lines and good shelter; the inner corners fill first in season, so if you want easy fuel and water access, aim to be alongside before the afternoon ferry rush.

8
Day 8

Alonissos → Skopelos

Heading back toward home waters, the leg to Skopelos runs a dozen miles or so across open channel, usually a fast reach when the meltemi is up. Rather than repeat the town, this is a good night to try one of the island's south-coast bays. Panormos is the pick for many: a deep, sandy inlet with room to anchor and clear water for swimming, though the evening wind funnels down off the hills, so leave a bit of scope. Agnontas, a little further east, is the fallback when it blows hard from the north, with a long breakwater you can lie stern-to. Both are quiet, both have a taverna or two at the water's edge, and neither has the ferry traffic of Chora. A calm night before the run into the Pagasetic Gulf.

Things to do

Anchor in Panormos and swim the sandy shallows

Take a taverna dinner at the Agnontas quay

Dinghy across to the islet off Panormos

Watch the katabatic evening breeze set in

Mooring tip

Panormos is anchor-only over sand with gusty evening downdrafts, so dig in well and allow extra chain; if the north wind is strong, Agnontas offers a sheltered stern-to berth along its breakwater.

9
Day 9

Skopelos → Trikeri Island

The character of the trip changes here as you leave the open Aegean and slip into the Pagasetic Gulf, the near-landlocked bay behind the Pelion peninsula. It is around twenty miles from Skopelos to Palio Trikeri, the only inhabited island in the gulf and a genuinely peaceful spot. There are no cars and barely a road, only a monastery, a couple of beaches and the little anchorage of Agios Ioannis where a handful of fish tavernas line the shore. Anchoring is straightforward over sand and weed, and several of the taverns will hand you a line off their jetty if you are eating in, which you probably should. The gulf is far better sheltered than the islands, so nights here are calm and warm. A good place to slow the pace before Volos.

Things to do

Anchor off Agios Ioannis for a taverna dinner

Walk to the monastery on Palio Trikeri

Swim off the car-free island's quiet beaches

Dinghy across to the Kottes fishing cove

Mooring tip

Anchor over sand off Agios Ioannis, or take a line from one of the fish tavernas if you are dining ashore; the gulf is well sheltered, so holding matters more than swell protection here.

10
Day 10

Trikeri Island → Agia Kiriaki

Barely an hour under sail separates Palio Trikeri from Agia Kiriaki, so this is a lazy morning with time for a last swim before moving. Agia Kiriaki sits on the very tip of the Pelion peninsula and still works for a living: caiques hauled out for repair, nets drying on the quay, a traditional wooden-boat yard that has been going for generations. For visiting yachts the drill is simple. Moor stern-to at the pier, or pick up a line from one of the two busy fish taverns on the front, on the understanding that you will eat there, and you will not regret it. Behind the village, a 300-year-old cobbled path climbs to Trikeri proper on its hill, and the view back over the gulf from up there is worth the sweat.

Things to do

Moor off the fish taverns and dine on the catch

Watch caiques being built at the boatyard

Climb the old cobbled path to Trikeri village

Swim off the pier before the afternoon breeze

Mooring tip

Space at Agia Kiriaki is tight and the free quay is tricky, so the easy option is to take a taverna's ready-laid line in front of their terrace and settle up over dinner; arrive early as the two good berths go fast.

11
Day 11

Agia Kiriaki → Volos

The gulf narrows and the mountains close in as you sail up toward Volos, roughly twenty miles at the head of the bay beneath the bulk of Mount Pelion. This is the one proper city on the route, a busy university port with a long waterfront promenade, and the marina gives you shore power, showers and a chance to deal with laundry and a big provisioning run. Volos has one great ritual worth planning your evening around: the tsipouradika. You order a small carafe of tsipouro, the local spirit, and the kitchen sends out plate after plate of meze to match it, mostly seafood, until you tell them to stop. It is cheap, sociable and very Greek. If there is time in the afternoon, the mountain villages of Makrinitsa and Portaria are a short taxi ride up into the cool of Pelion.

Things to do

Do a tsipouradiko crawl along the waterfront

Taxi up to Makrinitsa's balcony village

See the Bronze Age finds at the Volos museum

Stroll the seafront promenade at dusk

Mooring tip

Volos marina has proper pontoons with power and water, the easiest berthing of the trip, but it is popular, so radio ahead or call in the morning to reserve a stern-to spot for the night.

12
Day 12

Volos → Trikeri Island

With the city behind you, the run back down the Pagasetic is unhurried, around twenty miles with the whole gulf to yourselves. The sheltered water here makes it ideal for a long lunch stop, so pick one of the coves along the Pelion shore, drop anchor over sand in a few metres, and let the crew swim and eat before carrying on. Divari and the beaches near Milina are popular for this, calm and shallow with easy holding. By late afternoon you are back down at the Trikeri narrows, either anchoring again off Palio Trikeri or lying to a taverna line at Agios Ioannis for a second, familiar night. After the buzz of Volos it feels like coming back to somewhere you know. An early dinner ashore, then a quiet one before the crossing back to Skiathos.

Things to do

Anchor for a swim lunch off Milina

Explore the shallows near Divari beach

Return to Agios Ioannis for taverna dinner

Watch the sun drop behind Pelion's ridge

Mooring tip

The Pelion coves off Milina and Divari give easy daytime anchoring over sand, but they are open to the afternoon breeze; for the night drop back to sheltered Agios Ioannis or the Trikeri anchorage.

13
Day 13

Trikeri Island → Koukounaries (Skiathos)

Time to leave the gulf and cross back to the Sporades proper. It is a fifteen-mile hop from the Trikeri narrows over to the southwest corner of Skiathos, and if the meltemi is running you will get a lively downwind sail to finish. The target is Koukounaries, the long curve of fine golden sand backed by an umbrella-pine forest that regularly tops lists of the best beaches in Greece. Anchor off the bay in sand in four to eight metres, well out from the swimmers, and the water is warm and shallow enough for the whole crew to spend the afternoon in it. It does get busy, so the early birds get the calmer corner. For something wilder, it is a short day-sail round to Lalaria, the cliff-lined pebble beach on the north coast reachable only from the water.

Things to do

Anchor off Koukounaries' Blue Flag beach

Walk the umbrella-pine forest behind the sand

Day-sail round to Lalaria's white pebbles

Sundowner at a Koukounaries beach bar

Mooring tip

Anchor in sand off Koukounaries in four to eight metres, staying outside the swim buoys; it is exposed to the south and afternoon boat traffic, so for an overnight consider nearby Agia Eleni or a more sheltered cove.

14
Day 14

Koukounaries (Skiathos) → Skiathos Marina

The last morning is a gentle one. Skiathos town lies only four or five miles back along the south coast from Koukounaries, so there is no reason to hurry off, and most crews squeeze in a final swim at Agia Eleni or Banana beach before the engine goes on. Rounding into Skiathos harbour you pass the little wooded Bourtzi peninsula that splits the old and new ports, with the town rising behind in a jumble of red roofs. Most charter bases want the boat back alongside by evening or first thing the following morning, so aim to be berthed with time to clean up, settle the paperwork and pack. If your flight is later, the town rewards a wander: the cobbled main street, the Papadiamantis house, and a farewell dinner looking out over the boats you have spent two weeks among.

Things to do

Last swim at Agia Eleni or Banana beach

Walk out to the wooded Bourtzi peninsula

Visit the Papadiamantis house museum

Farewell dinner on the old-port waterfront

Mooring tip

Skiathos's old-port town quay is stern-to and gets chaotic with day boats and ferries; most bases berth in the new marina, so confirm your return slot with the charter company and aim to be alongside well before the evening rush.

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