Guest Blogger Jennifer Barclay, is a resident of Tilos and the author of Falling in Honey, the story of how Tilos stole her heart. Who better to share some Tilos itinerary inspiration with us.

The Magic of Tilos

Tilos seems to exist in another world from the big islands with their bustling resort ambiance. In some ways it’s a land that time forgot. Without an airport, and a little too far away from Rhodes or Kos to invite day trips, it’s been spared from the clutches of mass tourism.

In fact, the island looks deserted as the ferry approaches its empty hillsides baked by the South Aegean sun, with no sign of the permanent population of around 400, not to mention the thousands of goats. Then you round a headland and a glittering, wide, blue bay opens up, the white houses of the laid-back port of Livadia tucked mostly into one corner.

Ferry from Rhodes

In summer there’s usually one ferry a day from Rhodes to Tilos: often it’s the island’s own fast catamaran, the Sea Star, which reaches Tilos in an hour and a half, leaving from Mandraki Harbour near the New Market; there’s also the Dodecanese Express, taking around two and a half hours with a stop at Halki, leaving from the jetty at Colona in front of Rhodes Old Town; and the big Blue Star ship Diagoras, which stops at Symi and takes around four hours, leaving from Rhodes’ Commercial Harbour.

Tickets range from around 13 to 28 euros each way. Check for information updated weekly at www.tilos-travel.com, as schedules change and the Sea Star is notorious for starting late in the season due to financial problems.

Livadia Village

Livadia is the first port of call for most visitors to Tilos. It’s a friendly village with a mile-long, pebbly beach that never gets too busy; tourists lounge on sunbeds with their books and listen to the waves, plunging into the clear, blue sea to cool off. In the evening there are plenty of tavernas to choose from and you can admire the bay from one of the seafront bars, Mikro Kafe or Ino.

The square is a hub of activity, where in the mornings the fishermen sell their catch and farmers sell their produce from the back of their trucks. Good pastries can be found at the zaharaplasteio as well as the nearby bakery.

Walking paths lead off in all directions over rocky hillsides redolent with wild sage and oregano to coves accessible only by foot, where the only sound is a goat scrambling up a cliff, or the buzzing of bees which make the island’s thyme honey.

An easy and popular walk is to Mikro Horio, the ancient hillside village abandoned in 1960, now home only to a music bar on late summer evenings. If you feel like a challenge, the paths around the headland, up the ridge behind the village to the ruined castle of Agriosykia or down the other side to the coves of Tholos and Stavros have magnificent views.

Scooters and cars are available for rent; the local bus also departs several times a day from the square and follows a road lined with colourful oleander bushes to drop you within walking distance of most places of interest. On Sunday mornings in summer, it also goes to the Byzantine monastery built high in the cliffs on the northwest point of the island.

 

Read Part 2 of this article “Exploring Tilos with Jen Barclay”

 

Jennifer Barclay, a resident of Tilos, is the author of Falling in Honey, the story of how a tiny Greek island stole her heart (now published in several countries).

She writes a blog about Tilos Greek island life at Octopus in my Ouzo.