 |
| Map of Ios |
Ios is the
8th bigger island of the Cyclades with 2.024
population and 108km2 extension. Though not terribly different
-geographically and architecturally- from its neighbours, no other Greek island
attracts the same vast crowds of young people as Ios. Although it has worked
hard to shake off its late-twentieth-century reputation for alcohol excesses
and to move the island's tourism one class up with some success, Ios is
extremely popular with young backpacker set who take over the island in July
and August.
The only
real villages, Yialos, Hora and Mylopotas, are clustered in a western corner of
the island, and development elsewhere is restricted by poor roads. As a result
there are still some very quiet beaches with just a few room to rent. Most
visitors stay along the arc delineated by the port, at Yialos, where you'll
arrive, in Hora above it, or by the beach
of Mylopotas. Despite its
past popularity, sleeping on the beach on Ios is strictly banned these days and
so is nudism.
Hora or Ios Town,
the capital, is a twenty-minute walk up behind Yialos port, and is one of the
most picturesque towns in the Cyclades, filled
with meandering arcaded lanes and whitewashed chapels. Still, it gets pretty
raunchy when the younger crowds moves in for the high season. The main road
divides it naturally into two parts: the old town climbing the hillside to the
left as you arrive and the newer development to the right. The archaeological
museum (Tue-Sun, 8:30am-3pm, free), in the yellow town hall, is part of an
attempt to attract a more diverse range of visitors to the island. It contains
some interesting finds from ancient Skarkos, a few kilometers inland from
Yialos.
Yialos,
with its surprisingly peaceful beach- isn't in the same league as Hora, but it provides
a refreshing, breezy escape from the hot, noisy capital. Alternatively there's
the popular Mylopotas, the site of a magnificent beach, lots of water activity
outlets and surprisingly little nightlife.
