Northern Aegean: Nature, Hiking Trails and Island Culture
Accommodation in Northern Aegean
A petrified forest, hiking trails through gorges and islands with a layered history: the Northern Aegean combines striking natural landscapes with archaeological and cultural discoveries. On Lesbos, the Petrified Forest was formed around 20 million years ago by intense volcanic activity in the northern Aegean. If you enjoy combining nature experiences with historic sites and regional traditions on holiday, you’ll find a range of options here to shape your trip around.
Nature and trails between the islands
The Petrified Forest near Sigri is one of four nature parks managed by the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest. Its history makes it a distinctive natural attraction in the region. On Samos, by contrast, the focus is on hiking trails through caves and gorges, along streams and waterfalls, and through wetlands. Megalo Seitani Bay on Samos can be reached on foot or by boat. If you like to make hiking and scenery a priority when choosing where to stay, these two different nature experiences can help guide your decision.
Chios also offers a variety of coastal landscapes, ranging from remote, rugged stretches to more accessible beaches. These include pebbly and sandy beaches, as well as coastal areas described as family-friendly. If you’re planning beach days, this variety is one factor to consider when choosing Chios; Samos’s nature and hiking trails or Lesbos’s Petrified Forest offer a different focus.
Cultural history on Chios and Samos
Different eras and traditions come together on Chios. The 11th-century Byzantine Nea Moni Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its gold-background mosaics are considered a unique artistic achievement of Byzantine art. The former refectory has been converted into a museum; among its notable objects is a long, built-in table inlaid with marble slabs. The collection also includes ecclesiastical and secular silverwork, embroidery, woven textiles and religious icons from the 17th to the 19th century.
The Archaeological Museum of Chios offers a different glimpse into the island’s history. Its exhibits explore daily life and art from the Neolithic period to Roman times, including finds from prehistoric settlements, sculptures, inscriptions, coins, vases, objects from sanctuaries, mosaics and grave steles. The Byzantine Museum is housed in the Mecidiye Cami, an Ottoman mosque built in the mid-19th century. It presents Byzantine and post-Byzantine art from Chios, as well as the island’s modern history.
On Samos, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pythagoreion and Heraion brings together the fortified ancient city of Pythagoreion and the ancient Temple of Hera. The Archaeological Museum of Pythagoreion is in a newly constructed building in the centre of the modern town and displays more than 3,000 objects. They illustrate the cultural development of the ancient city and its rural surroundings from the 4th millennium BC to the 7th century AD. The Archaeological Museum of Samos is spread across two locations: the two-storey neoclassical building, constructed in 1912, displays, among other things, statues, vessels and votive offerings from the Heraion; the new building, constructed in 1984, houses the important sculpture collection from the Archaic period.
Traditions and regional character
In the south of Chios lie the Mastichochoria, 24 traditional villages where mastic trees are cultivated using techniques passed down through generations. To harvest the resin, the trunks are scored in summer; the droplets that seep out are then collected and cleaned. The traditional cultivation of Chios mastic was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014. Mesta is considered one of the best-preserved medieval villages on the island. On Lesbos, meanwhile, visitors can sample stuffed zucchini flowers, sougania, scallops with pilaf, baked sfouggato, gkiouzlemedes and octopus fritters in traditional cafés.
When choosing a holiday apartment, it’s worth first considering the island and experiences you want to shape your trip around: nature and hiking trails on Samos, beaches and mastic traditions on Chios, or natural history and food culture on Lesbos. Lesbos is served by ferry from Piraeus and Kavala and is also accessible by air from Athens; ferry connections are also available to other islands in the northeastern Aegean and the Cyclades.
The four main islands of the Northern Aegean are Lesbos, Chios, Samos and Limnos. Smaller islands include Ikaria; Fourni, the Inousses, Psara and Agios Efstratios are also among them.
For the broader travel overview: Greece.
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