Psara in Greece

Psara, 22 kilometers northwest of Chios, belongs to the East Aegean archipelago. It is a small island both in terms of surface area and number of inhabitants, approximately 450 people live here. The capital, and the island's only village, is also called Psara. The area is 43 km2 and the highest mountain - Profitis Elias - measures 512 meters above sea level.

When you get off the boat in the small harbor, you easily get the feeling of being the only tourist in the village. But if you're on Chios and want to escape the intense traffic of the capital for a few days, the four-hour boat ride may be worth it.

Chios is one of Psara's neighboring islands. The picture from Nagos.

The gently rounded mountains of Psara are not high, and almost all the settlements are concentrated in the village that bears the same name as the island. A few cafes and a couple of taverns are what entertainment offers. Some children play in a small square after sunset, a monk walks by along the harbor, a couple with a pram passes and five minutes later you see the same people again. That's pretty much what happens in the evening.

TRAVEL TO PSARA

From the town of Chios there are several daily boats to Psara. The trip takes about four hours. There is also a boat connection with Lesvos, Oinousses and Athens port Piraeus. From Chios there are boats from nearby islands such as Samos and Lesvos. Chios also has an airport with daily flights from Athens. You can also fly to Chios from Samos once a week.

Boat timetable for Psara »

Book ferry tickets online here »

Agathonissi is an almost as unknown island as Psara.

GETTING AROUND ON PSARA

Psara lacks public transport, there are not even taxis here although there are a number of cars for local transport. In other words, you have to go on foot.

VILLAGES ON PSARA

There is only one village and it is also called Psara. The village is beautifully situated, like an amphitheater, sheltered by a high pyramidal rock, with the port and port promenade on one side and a pebble beach, flanked by an impressive church and associated monastery on the other. Otherwise, the building is not particularly noteworthy.

Most houses are simply built around a few narrow alleys. But on the outskirts of the village there are also signs of a certain prosperity with a number of modern, rather lavish houses. One explanation is that some of the islanders get a good income from the shipping industry.

BEACHES ON PSARA

The water around Psara is soft and clear. In the village itself, west of the cliff, there is the above-mentioned beach with gravel. At the end of this beach there is also a tavern. Very close, to the northeast of the village, there are a number of small fine sandy beaches in a row one after the other. Although the chance of running into any other people is quite small, the further away from the village you go, the more likely it is.

Lesvos is another of the neighboring islands. The picture is from Molyvos.

SIGHTS ON PSARA

Apart from the feat of having gone here at all, the monastery and the view from Agios Nikolas, the church at the top, is a sight to behold. The pyramid-shaped rock is also worth climbing. Here are the remains of a 15th-century fort, Palaiokastro, but also a monument to the massacre that took place on the island in 1824, when half of the island's then 30,000 inhabitants are said to have been slaughtered after rebelling against Turkish rule.

Batsi on Andros. Andros is about as far from Psara as the "neighboring" island of Lesvos is.

ACCOMMODATION ON PSARA

What may make potential visitors to Psara hesitate is the lack of rooms. On our visit at the end of June, there was only one accommodation available, a relatively newly built small hotel with very high prices, with no possibility to negotiate down. During high season, there is said to be another pension plus some rooms for rent.