Tepeköy Village: Village Life on Gökçeada

Tepeköy Village is located on Gökçeada, on the slopes of the volcanic mountain Aya Dimitri. The Greek village was formerly called Agridia; it is the highest-lying of the Greek villages on the island. Its village character makes Tepeköy a destination in its own right for travelers who would like to get to know a village as well as the island’s center.

Lanes and a protected village character

In the center, you can stroll through narrow lanes lined with whitewashed houses and stone walls. Tepeköy’s architectural character is protected as part of an urban conservation area. A walk offers the chance to take in the lanes and the distinctive forms of the houses and walls together. If having a clearly defined village center is important to you when choosing a holiday destination, this provides a concrete point of reference for your planning.

Churches, a cemetery and an annual event

Tepeköy is home to the Evangelismos-Teotoku Church, which dates from 1832. There are also churches named Panagia and Agia Maria, as well as an old Greek cemetery. For travelers interested in churches and historic cemeteries, these provide several cultural points of interest within the village. The named churches and cemetery add another dimension to a walk through the lanes, offering a glimpse of other aspects of village life.

A regular date on the annual calendar is the Meryem Ana Panayırı: Tepeköy hosts the Panayırı every year on August 15. If you would like to plan your travel dates around this recurring event, the date gives you a clear point of reference. You can consider whether it suits your planned stay, or consider Tepeköy independently of the event for its village character and cultural points of interest.

Picnic area and distinctive natural features

Near Tepeköy, there is a picnic area at Çınaraltı (İspilya), where you can enjoy a picnic with a view. Çınaraltı is also home to a 625-year-old plane tree that is classified as a monument. There is also an old fountain with spring water. These offer different reasons to look beyond the village center: the picnic area for a break with a view, and the old plane tree and fountain as distinctive features of the surrounding area. If you would like to plan your trip around more than just lanes and churches, you can consider this area as another point of interest.

Wine from its own vineyards

A distinctive feature at the entrance to the village is the Barba Yorgo tavern. It produces five varieties of homemade wine from its own vineyards. For travelers interested in local winemaking as well as architecture and landscape, this is a distinctive aspect of Tepeköy’s character. The five varieties and their origin in the tavern’s own vineyards give this subject a concrete connection to the village.

Tepeköy as a base for your trip

Tepeköy is 11 km from the center of Gökçeada, near Çınarlı. The center can be reached in 20 to 30 minutes by private car, the municipal bus or taxi. You can factor this distance and the available transport options into your choice of a holiday apartment or holiday home: consider whether you want to focus your stay on Tepeköy’s village center and the experiences described, or whether you plan to visit the center near Çınarlı more often. This helps you choose a holiday base that suits the places you want to visit, while keeping the distance between the two places in mind.

Other places

Other places: Burhanlı Village, Gölcük, Kalkım Municipality, Taşağıl, Koruköy Village, Arıklı Village, Sarıot, Gallipoli.

For the broader travel overview: Çanakkale.