According to legend, the giants Otos and Ephialtes once dislodged massive rocks from the peaks of Mount Pelion and hurled them into the sea to test their strength. This gave the world the magnificent Sporades archipelago. The gods cloaked these new islands in a lush mantle of a thousand shades of green, and when they reached the last, the easternmost island, they emptied their baskets filled with fragrant gifts: pines, cypresses, holm oaks, juniper bushes, sage, thyme, and oregano, flowers for every season, heather, orchids, honeysuckle, poppies, cyclamen, gladioli, and black cumin… one of the most beautiful gardens of the Northern Sporades was created.
Alonissos rises like a green mountain from the sea, distinguished by the intense aroma of pine, wild oregano, sage, and thyme in the air. Crystal-clear waters, lush forests, and largely untouched coastlines with enchanting bays and beaches contribute to its natural beauty, making it one of Greece's most pristine islands. The varying, rich vegetation stretching from south to north and the diverse silhouettes of the small islands surrounding Alonissos create vistas of exceptional beauty. The fusion of rugged land and sea is mesmerizing, lending a unique charm to the landscape and the view over the water. Alonissos – the island where one can leave the crowds behind and approach nature not as an intruder, but gently, on tiptoe.
The west side of Alonissos is dominated by imposing cliffs that drop steeply to the sea. From many hiking trails, there are fantastic views over the water – and with some luck, on a clear day, one might even glimpse Mount Athos. The eastern side, however, slopes gently down to the sea, lined with idyllic bays, beaches, and settlements overlooking the nearby islands of Peristera and Dio Adelphia. While the southern hills are covered in pine forests and olive groves, the north offers a rugged mountain landscape, Mediterranean scrub with bushes and shrubs such as strawberry trees, heather, buckthorn, juniper bushes and kermes oak. Alonissos is a paradise for lovers of hiking, swimming, snorkeling, and diving and attracts those who appreciate the beauty of simplicity and untouched nature.
Two special features set Alonissos apart from Greece’s 226 inhabited islands: first, it is part of the Northern Sporades Marine National Park, one of the largest protected areas in Europe, home to a wide variety of endangered plant and animal species. Secondly, Alonissos hosts Greece’s first underwater museum, showcasing the impressive, nearly 2,500-year-old shipwreck off Peristera, known as the "Parthenon of shipwrecks."
