Alonissos

Alonissos is the wild, quiet edge of the Sporades, an island where nature comes first and everything else follows. There are no big resorts and no rush here, just green hills, clear water and a pace set entirely by the seasons. For travellers who want the Sporades at their most peaceful, this is the place.

The island's great treasure lies offshore. The National Marine Park of Alonissos and the Northern Sporades is one of the largest protected marine reserves in Europe, a sanctuary of open sea and uninhabited islets that is home to the endangered Mediterranean monk seal, along with dolphins, wild goats and countless seabirds. The best way to experience it is slowly, on a private boat, drifting between islets and dropping anchor in water so clear you can watch the seabed pass beneath you.

On land, Alonissos rewards those who wander. Walking trails cross the island through pine and olive groves, past old shepherds' paths to the hilltop Old Town, its stone houses restored and looking out over the sea. Below lie coves and pebble beaches where, more often than not, the only sound is the water on the shore.

With our local captains and guides, the marine park and the quiet corners of the island open up as they should: a full day on the water among the islets, a walk to a beach you would never find alone, a taverna where the fish was caught that morning. You arrive, and the wild side of the Sporades is arranged around you.