Northern Aegean: Islands of Nature and History

The Northern Aegean comprises the four main islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos and Limnos, as well as smaller islands such as Ikaria, Fourni, the Inousses, Psara and Agios Efstratios. When planning your trip, you can focus on a range of themes: natural history, cultural heritage, trails and regional cuisine. Choose your island based on the experiences that interest you most.

Landscapes and trails

On Lesbos, the Petrified Forest tells a story of geological history dating back around 20 million years. It was formed by intense volcanic activity in the northern Aegean. The Petrified Forest near Sigri is one of four nature parks managed by the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest.

On Samos, hiking trails lead through caves, gorges, streams, waterfalls and wetlands. Megalo Seitani Bay can also be reached in different ways: on foot or by boat. Chios, meanwhile, offers a wide variety of coastal areas, from remote and rugged stretches to more accessible, family-friendly pebble and sandy beaches.

Cultural heritage and mastic on Chios

In southern Chios lie the Mastichochoria, 24 traditional villages where mastic trees are cultivated using techniques passed down through generations. The traditional cultivation of Chios mastic was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014. In summer, the trunks of the mastic trees are incised; the resin droplets that ooze out are then collected and cleaned. Mesta is considered one of the best-preserved medieval villages on Chios.

Another highlight is Nea Moni, an 11th-century Byzantine monastery and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its gold-ground mosaics are considered a unique artistic achievement of Byzantine art. The monastery’s refectory has been converted into a museum; its main exhibit is a long, permanently installed table with inlaid marble slabs. The museum collection also includes ecclesiastical and secular silverwork, embroideries, woven textiles and religious icons from the 17th to 19th centuries.

The museums of Chios also offer different perspectives on the island. The Archaeological Museum displays exhibits relating to daily life and art from the Neolithic to Roman periods. These include finds from prehistoric settlements, sculptures, inscriptions, coins, vases, mosaics and funerary stelae. The Byzantine Museum is housed in the Ottoman Mecidiye Cami, built in the mid-19th century. It presents art from Chios from the Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods, as well as the island’s modern history.

Ancient sites and museums on Samos

The Tunnel of Eupalinos on Samos runs 1,036 metres through the mountainside and carried water to the ancient city. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pythagoreion and Heraion of Samos links the fortified ancient city of Pythagoreion with the ancient Temple of Hera. In the centre of the modern town of Pythagoreion stands a newly built museum building. There, the Archaeological Museum displays more than 3,000 objects relating to the cultural development of the ancient city of Samos and its rural hinterland. The collection spans from the 4th millennium BC to the 7th century AD.

The Archaeological Museum of Samos is spread across two locations. The old, two-storey neoclassical building, built in 1912, displays finds from the Heraion, including statues, vessels and votive offerings. The new building, erected in 1984, houses the important sculpture collection from the Archaic period. Together, the collections showcase different periods and archaeological contexts from the island.

Lesbos: collections and regional cuisine

At the Archaeological Collection of Eresos, you can see finds from the ancient city of Eresos. They come from houses and graves and date from the Late Helladic period to the Early Christian period. The New Archaeological Museum of Mytilene, which opened in 1999, showcases Hellenistic and Roman Lesbos. On display are mosaic floors, frescoes, other finds from Roman villas and sculptures.

Lesbos’s culinary traditions include dishes visitors can sample in traditional cafés: stuffed zucchini flowers, sougania, or stuffed onions, scallops with pilaf, baked sfouggato, gkiouzlemedes—small cheese pies—and octopus fritters. On Lesbos, archaeological collections and regional cuisine sit alongside the geological history of the Petrified Forest; on Chios and Samos, other specific cultural and natural highlights shape trip planning.

Planning your trip to Lesbos

Ferries to Lesbos run from Piraeus and Kavala, and the island can also be reached by air from Athens. There are also ferry connections to other islands in the northeastern Aegean and the Cyclades. As services may change, check the latest timetables before your trip. If you’re looking for a hotel for your stay, it helps to decide first which island to visit and which of its highlights interest you.

Discover more destinations: Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Limnos, Ikaria.

Discover more destinations: Epirus, Attica, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.

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