Greek Island Hopping – The Cyclades – Amorgos

Kataopola on Amorgos (source – Pulped Travel)

The island of Amorgos IS Greece.  With its azure waters, mountainous landscape and incredible food; Amorgos is the Greece you are looking for and need in your life.  With traditions and rhythms that have remained the same for centuries, Amorgos is a place that is more focused on the business of fishing the Aegean and farming this rugged and beautiful island than the arrival of tourists on the next boat.  This is not to say that the travellers to this island will be ignored as the visitor that is blessed enough to step onto this Aegean dream will see Greek island life at its purest and leave finding it difficult to forget.

Lean back and enjoy the pace of life on Amorgos (source – Pulped Travel)

Best For?
Amorgos is no party island.  Island life for visitors is focused around the beach, great food and good company.  As the island is only accessible by boat, it has largely escaped the growth of mass tourism in Greece and as such, the slow pace of life makes Amorgos the perfect destination for a truly relaxing Greek getaway.  Oh…yeah…and the sunsets from Katapola are quite simply out of this world!

Sunsets on Amorgos (source – Pulped Travel)

Sights and Activities
Amorgos has two main ports of arrival; Katapola in the south-west and Aegiali in the north-east, both of which you can get to by ferries from Athens (Piraeus and Rafina) or from other islands in the Cyclades.  Both towns are where much of the sights and attractions are located on the island.  The island is a truly four season island with opportunities all year round to enjoy the excellent hiking trails in the Spring and Autumn; the latter season affords the visitor the opportunity to swim in the summer-warmed Aegean too.  And, whilst we are talking about the sea, Amorgos is blessed with the most stunning crystal clear waters.  So much so, that this is the island where Luc Besson, the French director filmed scenes for his 1988 movie ‘The Big Blue’ and, to this day, it still proves popular with scuba divers keen to explore deep within the Aegean Sea.

Lazy days in the shade on Amorgos (source – Pulped Travel)

The island is also home to the Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa, a monastery dramatically wedged into a huge precipice 300 metres above the sea that dates back to the year 812!

The Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa (source – monastiria.gr)

The greatest strength that Amorgos offers, though, is its beautiful scenic bays, golden beaches, most of which are secluded and are easily reached from the main coastal towns.  Agia Anna Beach, on the east coast of the island, is a popular choice, particularly for snorkeling, where its rocks and pebbles are overlooked by the Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa.  If you are staying in Katapola, Maltezi Beach provides a beautifully sheltered sandy shoreline lapped by turquoise waters that is accessible by foot or a short boat ride from the harbourside.

The crystal clear waters in the bay at Maltezi Beach near Kataopola (source – Pulped Travel)

Accommodation
Places to stay on Amorgos tend to offer good value for money and are more at the rustic end of the scale.  There is luxurious accommodation to be found on the island, but this is no Mykonos or Santorini and the pensions, apartments and hotels tend to be more traditional, eschewing the high glamour found elsewhere in the Cyclades.

Food
Eating out in Amorgos will likely see you tasting recipes handed down generations from the delicious moussaka to the wonderfully moreish deep fried aubergine.  Oh…and, by the way, some of the best tiropita/τυρóπιτα (feta cheese pie) is to be found from the cafe/bakery situated on the harbourside in Katapola!

Very relaxed dining on Amorgos (source – Pulped Travel)

Check out Pulped Travel’s Beginner’s Guide to Island Hopping The Cyclades and the informative guides to help you choose the other islands of the Cyclades you will want to visit, including Mykonos, Santorini, Naxos, Paros and Koufonisia.

©Pulped Travel 2019. All rights reserved.

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