Skopelos: Chora, Castle and Living History

Skopelos brings together the old harbor and a preserved traditional settlement whose amphitheatrical layout gives it a distinctive character. In Chora, medieval Venetian fortifications meet older sections of wall, churches and houses with their own histories. The town offers several ways to explore Skopelos not only through its coastline, but also through its cultural heritage.

The harbor and settlement as points of orientation

The old harbor of Skopelos has an anchorage for tourist vessels. Together with Skopelos Town’s location in the northern part of the island, this gives the town a clear geographical setting. Its amphitheatrical layout is another defining feature of the preserved traditional settlement. If you like to alternate between local history and the harbor area when planning your trip, you’ll find both as part of the destination here—without having to connect the individual places into a specific walking route.

When planning your trip, you can decide whether you’d rather focus on the harbor or on the history of Chora.

Venetian fortifications and remnants of walls

Chora has medieval Venetian fortifications. The Venetian Castle of the Saints stood at the northern edge of the harbor in Skopelos Town. Sections of the Byzantine wall have also survived: in the north, in the highest parts of the town and in the east. The wall was built using dry-stone masonry and wood. Arrow slits have also survived on its eastern side.

These details make the fortifications more than just a name on a map. They offer specific points of reference for the town’s history: the castle’s location by the harbor, the remaining sections of wall, and the building techniques using stone and wood. Those interested in historic buildings can consider these aspects separately rather than grouping all the remains into a single structure.

The Vakratsas Mansion and its collections

The Vakratsas Mansion, dating from the 18th century, is in the center of Skopelos. Antigoni Vakratsa donated the house to the Municipality of Skopelos for use as a museum. It has been preserved in the same form it had when it was inhabited.

The mansion displays personal belongings of the family, heirlooms, household items, icons, paintings, embroideries and decorative objects. The collections also include traditional costumes from the 20th century. One room preserves a doctor’s office in its original condition; the medical instruments were used by doctors from the late 19th to the early 20th century. Family history, religious images, everyday objects and the history of medicine are thus brought together in the same house.

Another exhibition is titled “Peparethos Skopelos: The History of the City from Antiquity to the Present”. It is housed in a traditional “Macedonian”-style house, the family home of the writer and doctor Pavlos Nirvanas (1866–1937). The house’s connection to Nirvanas and the exhibition on the city’s history offer two distinct approaches: through an individual and through the development of the place.

Churches and religious tradition

Numerous churches in Skopelos Chora are cared for by local residents and preserve the area’s religious tradition. Panagitsa of the Tower is a 17th-century church dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple. Its specific dedication adds a religious perspective to the picture of Chora, while the local tradition extends beyond any single building.

Find a holiday apartment to suit your travel interests

If you choose Skopelos mainly for its historic sites, Chora offers a clear thematic starting point for finding a holiday apartment. The harbor, fortifications, churches and houses with their collections provide different areas of focus within the same destination. Which accommodation suits your trip therefore depends first on whether you want local history to be a defining part of your stay.

Discover more destinations: Sporades, Agios Petros, Platanias, Achladias, Kolios, Stafilos, Neo Klima, Patitírion.

Go to the main travel overview: Sporades.