Greece · Cyclades
Yacht Charter Ios
Homer's burial place by tradition, a Bronze Age town on a hill, and bays in the south nobody reaches by road.
Ios has a reputation built on one small stretch of its Chora, and it distracts from the rest of an island that is mostly empty hills, a Bronze Age settlement of the first rank, and a southern coast of deep bays. Herodotus records that Homer died here and was buried at the northern end, and the site the tradition points to is still called Plakotos.
The Chora and Skarkos
The Chora climbs a cone above the port under a row of windmills, with the church of Panagia Gremiotissa at the top and a view across to Sikinos and Santorini. It is whitewashed, stepped and small.
Skarkos, on a low hill on the plain, is one of the best-preserved Early Bronze Age settlements in the Aegean — two-storey houses still standing to first-floor level, excavated and awarded a Europa Nostra prize. It was abandoned around 2000 BC and never built over.
The south and the water
Manganari at the southern tip is four linked sandy bays with almost nothing on them; Kalamos and Papas are on the same coast. These are the anchorages, and most of them have no useful road.
Mylopotas is the long beach below the Chora. Santorini is an hour and a half south, Naxos two hours north, and Sikinos is twenty minutes across the strait.
Practical notes
- Skarkos is one of the best-preserved Early Bronze Age settlements in the Aegean, abandoned around 2000 BC
- Tradition and Herodotus put Homer's grave at Plakotos, on the northern end of the island
- Manganari in the south is four linked sandy bays, largely undeveloped
- Santorini is an hour and a half south; Sikinos is twenty minutes across the strait
Reached from: Santorini, Naxos and the Cyclades
Where to dine
A table by the water
Katogi
ChoraIn a stone cellar in the old village, with a short menu and the island's own wine.
Thision
ChoraOn a terrace under the windmills, looking across to Sikinos, and open from sunset.
Polydoros
KoumbaraOn the small beach west of the port, and the oldest kitchen on the island.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
Skarkos
An Early Bronze Age town on a low hill, still standing to first-floor level and never built over.
The windmills
A row along the ridge above the Chora, with Panagia Gremiotissa at the top.
Plakotos
The northern headland where Herodotus and tradition place Homer's grave.
Manganari
Four linked sandy bays at the southern tip, with almost nothing on them.
The fleet
Yachts available for Ios
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Ios
- Is Homer really buried on Ios?
- Herodotus and later writers say he died here and was buried at the northern end, and the site is still called Plakotos. Whether it is his grave is another matter, but the tradition is ancient.
- Is Ios only a party island?
- One stretch of the Chora is, and the rest of the island is not. Skarkos, the windmills, Plakotos and the empty southern bays are all a different island, and from the water you see mostly that one.
- What does a yacht charter to Ios cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
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Enquire about a charter on Ios
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.