Molyvos - Eftalou - Skala Skamnias

This is the place for archeological excavations, medieval memories and golden glints on the blue Aegean Sea.
Welcome to enchanting Molyvos, one of the most beautiful destinations in the world.
Its traditional settlement, organized social life and hospitable residents will win your heart from the very first.

The city of Mithymna – today’s Molyvos – is located on the northwestern tip of the island. Archeological finds show that this village has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and was a very important city in antiquity.

Its architectural appearance is living proof of its eventful and tumultuous history. The city-state, which was embedded in the cliff-face and dominated by the medieval fortress, reached to the sea.
Today’s settlement extends around and beneath the medieval fortress. All the houses are constructed of stone or wood, and densely situated amid a network of kalderimia. The overall picture of the village, with its courtyards and balconies, is not only uniquely beautiful but also a most interesting example of town planning, well-deserving of its protected status.

Many mansions in Molyvos date from the late 18th century. One of these is the Giannakos Mansion, which is decorated with ornate murals.

Molyvos – The Star

Molyvos offers large hotels and many small ones, fine tavernas and restaurants and a charming shopping center where you’ll find whatever your heart desires. Be sure to stop at one of the hanging verandas for a coffee and sweet. The galaktoboureko (milk custard pie) and lemon pie at the Ble Alepos (Blue Fox) are fantastic! And the sunset may be the most enchanting in the entire Aegean. Relax and enjoy authentic gourmet delicacies with a vista of the endless blue sea.
Famous Molyvos is one of Greece’s cosmopolitan spots. It enchants crowds of tourists who flock here from all over the world to stroll its cobbled streets.

Its appeal is most likely due to the fact that, despite its immense popularity, it has succeeded in preserving intact its appearance and character.
There is never a moment’s boredom in this place. For the past 100 years it has been in the forefront and attracted quality tourism. And its unusual architecture and beaches are only part of the reason. Molyvos has a special, intangible quality, which the more you experience it the less you are willing to leave it!
Here traditional charm keeps pace with development and sophistication. The town’s attractive shops and lodgings and its excellent, specialized services make this one of Greece’s most fashionable holiday spots.
There’s something happening every hour of the day in Molyvos.

Bars, tavernas, cafés, clubs, restaurants, florists, dry cleaners, pastry shops, jewelry shops, souvenir and pottery shops, press services, liquor shops selling superior wines from all over the world, organized parking facilities outside the historic center – all contribute to the town’s top ranking as a tourist destination. But Molyvos does not rest on its laurels. Every year it takes care to revitalize and upgrade its tourist profile to ensure its reputation as an all-time classic leading destination.

The Harbor

At the outskirts of the village you’ll find one of Greece’s coziest, most cosmopolitan and picturesque little harbors. You’ll have a hard time choosing among the charming tavernas for your ouzo and meze or your breakfast. With its marine culture, Molyvos is one of the few places in Europe where the fishing boats still set out in a line every evening at dusk with their lanterns and nets.
The caiques and yachts moored along the quay are an especially lovely sight.

An Elite Lifestyle

The small society of Molyvos is especially friendly and refined. Along with the locals, many foreigners from other places in Greece and abroad love this place and have chosen it for their holiday or permanent residence. Its prominent jet-set and intelligentsia colonists are attracted by the quality and timeless allure of the village. They meet here in their renovated mansions during the summer and in other seasons, their comings-and-goings creating constant interest. Many artists, musicians, painters, poets and intellectuals of all kinds gather in Molyvos. Scientists, doctors, art dealers, and all sorts of people of means live in complete harmony with the hospitable locals.

An Easy-Going Way of Life

Daily life in Molyvos usually takes place outside the home, in the tavernas and the central shopping district with its perennial wisteria vines.
Just picture these fragrant lavender clusters in springtime! Imagine having your morning coffee or afternoon ouzo with friends on a veranda gazing out at the Aegean and the glorious sunset.

Don’t Miss

The grilled sardines and salt-cured mackerel in the harbor’s quaint little tavernas
The courtyards with their grapevines, bougainvilleas and jasmine
The wisteria covered kalderimi in Molyvos’s central market, a protected landmark as is the rest of the village
The fresh air, the swept alleyways, and the chic local women who pay careful attention to what they wear even when going to the grocer’s

The Archeological Collection of Mithymna

This collection is housed in the old City Hall. It contains finds from the excavations in the greater area, amphorae dating from the 4th-6th centuries BC from the Spanish coast, northern Africa, Chios and Samos, as well as a collection of archival photographs from the liberation of the island from the Turks in 1912.

Eftalou

Eftalou is located 4 klm northeast of Molyvos. Its coastline is scalloped with beautiful coves with a view of Turkey, which is so close in one place that you can hear the roosters and automobile horns from the opposite shore. At one end of the town, you’ll find the famous healing spa, with rooms for rent and an excellent taverna with delicious home-style dishes and fresh fish.

Vafeios

Any local talking about Vafeio will undoubtedly begin by describing the ouzo and mezes at its traditional tavernas. A small village built on the western slope of Mt. Lepetymnos on the road to Skamnia, it has a view of Molyvos – see its illuminated fortress at night – the sea, and the Bodrum Peninsula on the Turkish coast. The tavernas here have a reputation for excellent regional cuisine and are a gastronomical destination.
The sunset and vista are truly stunning.
Vafeios was a farming settlement on the outskirts of the ancient Temenos (sacred precinct) of ancient Mithymna. It took its name from the dye-houses (vafeia) and the vegetable dye (vafi) used by the ancient Mithymnians for their clothing and textiles.

Argenos

To the east is Argenos, a small village clinging to the mountain cliff like an eagles’ nest. The region is noteworthy for its natural diversity: perennial chestnut trees, rocky plateaus, sheer cliffs, and farther down on the road, the remains of the abandoned village of Chalikas. Frequent landslides forced its inhabitants to move to nearby lower land in the newly built village of Lepetymnos. The road leads to a beach with its thermal waters, ruins, and Ai Dimitris.
The Museum of the National Resistance and Library of Lesbian Letters is housed in the residence of the Lesbian philosopher and scholar Giorgos Valetas (1907-1989).

Skamnia

This village is a preserved traditional settlement with mansions, narrow kalderimia, picturesque inclines, a beautiful square and a superb view of the Aegean Sea.
Skamnia is the birthplace of the author, journalist and scholar Stratis Myrivilis (1890-1969). You can see his ancestral home in the village and the square in Skala Skamnia with the mulberry tree under which he did his writing. The charming little taverna in the square serves excellent regional mezes at unbeatable prices.

Skala Skamnia

Skala Skamnia is renowned for the little church on the rock that provided the inspiration for the popular book, “Panagia i Gorgona” (“The Mermaid Madonna”), by the beloved Greek writer, Stratos Myrivilis. One of the island’s most developed tourist destinations, Skala Skamnia has plentiful lodgings, excellent seaside tavernas known for their fresh fish, and lovely little beaches, the best being the pebble beach of Kayia. From here you can drive along the coast on a good dirt road all the way to the once-powerful Mithymna, medieval Molyvos.