Greece · Sporades
Yacht Charter Skopelos
A hundred and twenty-three churches on one hillside, and pine forest over most of the rest.
Skopelos is the green one — Aleppo and stone pine over about two thirds of the island, and a Chora that climbs the hillside above its harbour in tiers of slate roofs with a hundred and twenty-three churches worked into it. It has no airport, which has kept it a step quieter than Skiathos an hour west, and it makes its money from plums and from the sea.
The Chora and the chapels
The town rises straight from the quay in stepped lanes, whitewashed below and grey slate above, with churches at every turn — some no bigger than a room, wedged between houses and opened once a year for their saint.
Agios Ioannis sto Kastri sits on a rock on the north coast, reached by about a hundred steps cut into the stone face. There is nothing else on the rock, and the sea is a straight drop on three sides.
The bays and the plums
Panormos is the big sheltered bay on the west coast and the natural place to lie; Stafylos and Agnontas are on the south, both small. Glossa, the second town, sits high above Loutraki at the northern end and keeps to itself.
The plums are dried in the old way and turn up in everything, and the island's cheese pie is coiled into a spiral and fried rather than baked — which sounds wrong and is not. Alonissos is an hour east, inside the marine park.
Practical notes
- No airport: the nearest is Skiathos, an hour west
- The Chora holds a hundred and twenty-three churches on one hillside
- Agios Ioannis sto Kastri stands on a rock reached by about a hundred cut steps
- Panormos on the west coast is the big sheltered bay; Alonissos is an hour east
Reached from: Skiathos, Volos and the Sporades
Where to dine
A table by the water
Agnanti
GlossaHigh above Loutraki at the north end, and the kitchen that put Skopelos cooking on the map.
Perivoli
ChoraIn a courtyard garden in the old town, with a menu built on the island's own plums and cheese.
Anna's
PanormosOn the big west-coast bay, doing fish plainly a few metres from the water.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The Chora
A hillside of stepped lanes and slate roofs with a hundred and twenty-three churches worked into it.
Agios Ioannis sto Kastri
A chapel alone on a north-coast rock, up about a hundred steps cut into the stone.
Panormos
The big sheltered bay on the west coast, and the natural place to lie.
Glossa
The second town, high above Loutraki at the northern end, and quieter again.
The fleet
Yachts available for Skopelos
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 Skopelos
- Why is Skopelos so green?
- Aleppo and stone pine cover about two thirds of the island, which is unusual in the Aegean and is what people notice first coming in from the sea.
- What is Agios Ioannis sto Kastri?
- A chapel on a rock on the north coast, reached by about a hundred steps cut into the stone. Nothing else stands on the rock and the sea drops away on three sides.
- What does a yacht charter in Skopelos 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
Charter here
Enquire about a charter on Skopelos
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.