Amorgos

the island of The Big Blue movie

The most famous beach of the island

Amorgos

Amorgos is one of the remotest islands of the Cyclades, with long and narrow shape and mountainous landscape. The island is renowned for the authentic villages, the Monastery of Hozoviotissa and the amazing blue water, suitable for diving.

Few people know that some scenes of Luc Besson`s movie The Big Blue were shot on Amorgos and its beach Agia Anna, which is now visited mainly because of the movie.

Hotels in Amorgos

General information about Amorgos

The bay of Aegiali

Mountain landscapes and rugged coastline dominate in Amorgos. There are a few valleys between the mountain slopes and the two ports of Egiali and Katapola are set in these valleys. There are no coastal roads to connect the beaches and small distances take more time to cover.

The capital of Amorgos is called Amorgos Chora and it is considered to be one of the most authentic and beautiful capitals in the Aegean sea.

Where to stay in Amorgos?

Chora

Aegiali is the most preferred village for accommodation, especially by families with kids, because it has everything in one place - hotels, tavernas, cafes and a sandy beach with shallow water. Within walking distance there are a few more nice beaches, and the old villages of Tholaria and Lagada are close for a walk.

Katapola, the other seaside village, is close to Amorgos Chora (5 km) and it offers hotels and restaurants, too, but its beach is practically unusable - very narrow and pebbled. Lots of accommodation is available in Chora as well, if you don`t mind that many of the guesthouses in the village are accessible only by foot.

There are two more villages in the south part of Amorgos, called Arkesini and Vroutsis. They are not very popular but yet you can find places to stay and eat.

Which are the best beaches of Amorgos?

Agios Pavlos beach

Amorgos has both sandy and pebbled beaches and most of them are on the north coast. The south coast is wild and there are just two beaches that can be accessed by road - Agia Anna and Mouros. They are very scenic but pebbled and surrounded by high cliffs.

Sandy beaches are the beach of Aegiali, Levrossos, Maltezi (near Katapola) and Kalotaritissa, and they all have beach bars with amenities in summer. Another famous beach of Amorgos is Agios Pavlos, a pebbly beach close to Egiali and looking toward the islet of Nikouria which also has a few beaches. In this part of the island Nikouria looks so close that one can easily swim to it. In the summer small boats transfer people between Agios Pavlos and Nikouria every 30 minutes.

What to do in Amorgos?

Hozoviotissa Monastery

The main points of interest and things to do in Amorgos are:

- The charming capital Amorgos Chora with the ruins of a Venetian castle and the windmills
- The old villages of Tholaria and Lagada
- The monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa
- The church of Agios Panteleimon near Aegiali
- The shipwreck Olympia which is half sunk in a bay in the south part of the island (accessible on foot or by sea)
- The ancient Minoan settlement on a hill near Katapola
- The beach of Agia Anna because of the enchanting blue color of the sea
- The ruins of Ancient Arkesini with the church of Panagia Kastriani on the top
- One-day trip to some of the Small Cyclades islands (Donoussa, Koufonisia, Schinoussa or Iraklia)

What to eat in Amorgos?

In Chora

Amorgos is a great place for foodies and those who are not afraid to taste something different. The island has scarce vegetation and grows only herbs and olives but there are many goats from which local residents get fresh meat and milk for cheese varieties.

The most popular dishes in the island are patatato (slowly cooked meat with potatoes, tomato sauce and spices), Amorgian fava and favokeftedes (fava fritters). Xerotigana are the local sweets - crispy fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon and honey (this type of dessert is known as diples in some places in Greece). Another specialty of Amorgos is the alcohol drink psimeni raki, homemade raki boiled with the local thyme honey.

How to get to Amorgos?

Windmill at sunset

Amorgos has no airport, the closest is the airport of Naxos. The island has daily connections with the port of Piraues on mainland Greece and with other islands of the group like Naxos, Paros and Santorini. There is also a ferry which connects Amorgos with Astypalea (Dodecanese) a few times weekly.

Amorgos also has a local ferry called Express Skopelitis which connects it daily with Naxos and the Small Cyclades, and once per week with Ios and Santorini.

Amorgos photo galleryx