3 Best Sights in Skala Eressou, The Northern Aegean Islands

Ancient Eresos "was founded on a hill and lied by the sea" according to the Greek geographer and historian Strabo, and sections of the preclassical walls, medieval castle ruins, and the 5th-century-AD church, Agios Andreas, remain from the storied and long-inhabited site. The church has a mosaic floor and a tiny adjacent museum housing local finds from tombs in the ancient cemetery.

The old village of Eresos, separated from the coast by a large plain, was developed to protect its inhabitants from pirate raids. Along the mulberry tree–lined road leading from the beach you might encounter a villager wearing a traditional head scarf (mandila), plodding by on her donkey. Equally you might meet a former hippie reliving their youth; it is that kind of place—a community of spiritually minded people you would not expect to find in a remote Greek island village. The settlement of two-story, 19th-century stone and shingle houses, often restored by Northern European second homers and retirees, is filled with superb architectural details. Note the huge wooden doors decorated with nails and elaborate door knockers, loophole windows in thick stone walls, elegant pediments topping imposing mansions, and fountains spilling under Gothic arches.

The 4-km-long (2½-mile-long) town beach at Skala Eresou is a wide stretch of dark sand lined with tamarisk trees. A small island is within swimming distance, and northerly winds lure windsurfers along with the swimmers and sunbathers. There are many rooms to rent within walking distance of the beach, and in the section that skirts the town, many appealing bars and cafés front the sands. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; snorkeling; sunset; swimming; walking; windsurfing.