Skiathos travel guide

I’d really recommend Skiathos for anyone wanting an authentic Greek island experience full of charm. Think cobbled, winding streets, whitewashed buildings, and stunning blue sandy beaches. It’s not the island to visit if you’re looking for big nightclub energy or partying until sunrise, but it’s perfect for chilled cocktails, sunset views, and relaxed people watching. The atmosphere feels social but calm, which makes it especially great for solo travellers or a girls’ trip.

We visited in June 2023 and again in June 2024, and the vibe was lively without ever feeling overwhelming. My dad and stepmum have been visiting Skiathos every single year, even long before Mamma Mia was released. Skiathos, along with nearby Skopelos, was a filming location for Mamma Mia, and boat tours to the filming spots are very popular if you want that full Mamma Mia experience. If you love beautiful beaches, relaxed evenings, and a classic Greek feel, Skiathos makes a brilliant first Greek island and leaves a great first impression. For something a bit different, head to the north of the island for history, nature, and scenic hikes.

How long to stay

If you want a mix of relaxing by the pool and exploring nearby islands like Skopelos and Alonissos, I’d recommend around 10 days. I first visited Skiathos for 7 days, then returned the following year and stayed for another 7. The island itself is fairly small, so you can see a lot of it in a shorter time, especially if you rent a car. I feel like I’ve covered most of the island over the 14 days I’ve spent there, but I’d still happily return because it’s just so beautiful.

Getting to Skiathos

We flew direct to Skiathos from Newcastle international airport, which was perfect. The flight is notiriously tricky for pilots, as the runway is fairly short, and the plane flies low over the sea which is visable from the old town. Some people love to sit on a patch of land right under the flights plane path, next to the runway (google for videos) but personally you wouldnt catch me doing that! I’ll be watching the plans land from a rooftop bar with a cocktail in hand, thanks.

By plane

Skiathos airport is pretty well connected with other airports in Europe, the UK (Gatwick, Standstead, Luton, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Leeds Bradford) as well as Italy, Austria, Greece (Athens) and Germany. 

If you can’t find a direct flight, you can fly into Athens and then take a short domestic flight to Skiathos, which takes around 40 minutes. The airport is very close to Skiathos Town, so transfers are quick and simple.

By ferry

Skiathos has a ferry port in the new harbour, it is very close to Skiathos old town, you can hop off the ferry and head into accommodation in the old town, which would be pretty perfect. Ferries run regularly from Volos on the mainland, with journey times of around 2 to 3 hours depending on the ferry. Lots of people also get the ferry to Skopelos and Alonissos, making Skiathos a great base for island hopping. 

Getting around

Getting around Skiathos without hiring a car is pretty easy. The public buses can easily take you through the southern parts of the island and into Skiathos town in basically a straight line from Skiathos town, all the way down to Kanapitsa beach. The northern parts of the island arent as well connected with public transport.

Public Bus

Here you can see the bus map / routes along the southern parts of the island, it is likely that your hotel will be along this route. People speak in bus stop numbers- for example you would say to your bus driver the bus stop number rather than the area you are going, so we were stayed in Kanapitsa so would say bus stop 12.

During peak hours at evenings eg. 8pm the buses heading into Skiathos town get extremely busy. Our hotel was halfway down the route, and by the time it has picked people up at previous stops, it was already full and would drive straight past. Another one would usually come along earlier than advertised on the timetable. To avoid waiting for a long time, we would try to use the water taxi instead.

Hotels provide bus itineraries, however ours wasn’t up to date, it said the last bus stop out of skits town was 11pm when actually we found out on our last day that they can be as late as 1:15am. I would check the timetables at the offical kiosks.

The bus route starts at Skiathos town at bus stop 0 and ends at Koukanaries which was bus stop 26.

The price is between €2-3 depending on the length of the journey, we always paid in cash. Sometimes there was a member of staff at the bus stop who gave you a ticket, however sometimes you paid once you were on the bus. I think this all depended on if it was peak time or not. 

Water Taxis

Another option is getting a shuttle boat into Skiathos town. Most popular southern beaches have shuttle boats, the one closest to our hotel was €4.50 as the last one left at 10:30pm. Water taxis are available from Koukounaries beach, Kanapitsa beach, Vassillias and Ahladies. As Kanapitsa is closer to Skiathos town in comparison to Kanapitsa, its possible the price of the journey from Kanapitsa will be higher. I personally prefer getting a water taxi into town, as its a more enjoyable and relaxing experience.

Taxi

There was a taxi rank in the new port at Skiathos town harbour. For getting taxis into town, I would ask a hotel reception to see if one could be called, as flagging one down during peak times was difficult. For reference, a taxi cost €15 to get from Kanapitsa to Skiathos town. Taxi station number is 2427024461.

Accommodation

We paid a tourist tax of 3.50 euros per night, and the amount you pay will depend on the type of hotel you are staying at, so for example we stayed in a 4 star hotel, so a 5 star hotel might be a little more, but not by much.

Skiathos Blu, Kanapitsa Beach

We have stayed in this hotel twice and loved it. The location is stunningly perfect, and the hotel overlooks a sand beach with clear blue waters and moutain views. The hotel is decorated clean and modern, with comfy beds, balconies with beautiful views and a big pool. . Its around a 10-15 minute drive into Skiathos old town, and close to a pubic bus stop and water taxi to head into town.

We booked in April 2023 for a 7 night stay and paid £660pp including flights & breakfast and then booked in May 2024 for a 7 night stay in June 2024 and it was £642pp including flights and breakfast

I can do a much more in depth review of this hotel in another post, as I frequently get asked questions about this hotel.

Skiathos Princess, Agia Paraskevi

This is for those who prefer a 5 star option, my parents have stayed here pretty much every time they visit Skiathos and they have been visiting every year since the early 2000s. So it gets their approval. We have visited this hotel for an evening meal on their beach restaurant which is available to the public and you do not need to be staying at the hotel to eat or drink here. The sunsets are absolutely not to be missed from this sandy beach.

Elivi Skiathos, Koukounaries Bay

This is another 5-star hotel, and I would personally say it’s on another level of luxury compared to the Skiathos Princess. It’s very secluded and quiet, and decorated in a really stylish, modern way. We visited Elivi Resort when we went to Nest Restaurant, which is their breakfast restaurant located at Big Banana Beach.

It’s a great choice if you have the budget, but it’s worth noting that it’s quite remote and secluded, with limited amenities nearby. There aren’t many supermarkets, bars, or restaurants in the surrounding area that aren’t part of the hotel, so it’s best suited to those who are happy spending most of their time at the resort.

Links to accommodation here 

Prices

Restaurants & Bars

 
Areas to Stay

Skiathos is a pretty small island, so it’s fairly easy to get around, what I would recommend is finding a hotel which is on the main bus route on the southern parts of the island.

Skiathos town

I would recommend staying in the centre if you are visiting only for a short amount of time eg on a backpacking trip or if you a younger person who wants to be in the centre of town amongst the hustle and bustle. It is a stunning old town, so picturesque but obviously with any town it will be much louder / busier staying here. The airport and ferry port is so close to the town centre, perfect for Greek island hopping.

Megali Ammos

If you want to be really close to Skiathos town but not quite directly in town, lots of people opt to stay in Megali Ammos. This area is pretty much right on the beach. There’s lots of options for bars, supermarkets and tavernas in this area. It is an approx 16 minute walk into Skiathos town and buses come past this area often, taking you into the centre.

Kanapitsa

This is our favourite place to stay, close to bus stop 12 it’s pretty easy to head into the town centre, also a shuttle boat can take you into Skiathos town regularly for €4.50 per journey. There is a supermarket here and 2 beautiful beaches, watersports, 2 tavernas. Some have found there isn’t enough bars/tavernas in this area but we normally headed into town each night, so it wasn’t an issue.

Agia Paraskevi

This is an area my family return to year after year (parents are 60). They like this area for the bars, tavernas and chilled atmosphere. They stay at the Skiathos Princess hotel which is a bit of a boujee option. The sunsets in this area are the some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. This is a good area to stay if you need flat land, and not much incline. A 13 Minute drive to Skiathos town., obviously a bus will take longer with stops. Again, there are gorgeous beaches close by here. Bus stop 15.

Koukounaries

This is the area for beach lovers. Home to the most famous beach on the island; Koukounaries Beach. This part of the island is at the end of the bus line (bus stop 26) and is perfect if you want to spend your days sunbathing, swimming, and just being near the sea. There’s a few tavernas, bars, and some budget-to-mid-range accommodation, but no big resorts. It’s a bit further from town, so best if you don’t mind being more beach-based. I personally, wouldn’t like to be this far out of the centre. There is a shuttle boat here from the beach to take you into Skiathos town. 

Kolios

Kolios is a calm, relaxed area that’s a great middle ground — not too far from town, but also a lovely spot to just switch off and unwind. It’s close to bus stop 14, so really easy to get around the island. There’s a handful of tavernas, a supermarket, and access to a couple of small but really beautiful beaches nearby. This area is ideal if you want to be out of the hustle but still have a few options on your doorstep. We ate at the Crazy Rooster restaurant which I would definitely recommend.

Places of Interest