Many of you who followed along with my June 2021 Instagram stories from Ikaria and read my Instagram recap feed post about it asked me for travel tips to the island. Here’s everything you need to know to customize the trip to your travel aspirations.
Where to Stay
In an ideal world with no budget and if you wanted to party a lot, I’d actually book two places simultaneously — one place by the water at Erofili in Armenistis (the main tourist area) and one place in Christos (a village in the mountains), most likely an AirBnB. This is because parties start after midnight in Christos and go until sunrise, and it’s really hard driving on the mountain roads in the dark. There is absolutely no street lighting so you have to drive slowly and use your high beams. By having an AirBnB in Christos, you could walk home. Alternatively, just stay out until sunrise then drive back to the beach. It’s only about a 15-20 minute drive from Armenistis. There are also bars by Armenistis that will stay open until sunrise, just fewer of them. The main party area is a group of four bars in Christos that are all right next to each other in a 2x2 grid.
If you plan to spend most of your time at the beach, stay at Erofili in Armenistis. The front desk speaks fluent English and if you call to book it’ll be cheaper than booking through a travel website. Erofili is closest to my favorite beach on the island, Messakti, where you can rent a daybed under an umbrella for about 6 Euros. Servers bring you whatever you want right at the beach. Erofili includes a breakfast buffet in the morning from 8 AM until 10:30 AM (Greek yogurt, fruit, Ikarian honey of course, eggs, bacon, jam, homemade baked goods, coffee, tea), has a private seaside, and is right in the center of all the restaurants and bars in Armenistis, the main tourist village of Ikaria. The rooms are simple but very clean. They clean the rooms every other day. There is someone at the front desk 24/7. Importantly for me, the shower is separated from the toilet and sink. There are hotels in Greece where it’s all in one open space so after you shower the whole bathroom floor is wet. Watch out for that. I can’t stand that personally.
If you plan to party a lot at night and want to stay by the bars on weekends, I’d find an AirBnb in Christos Raches. This is the area that’s most packed on Friday, Saturday, and sometimes Sunday nights.
There are very cute places up in the mountains, but I don’t recommend staying at them. It’s a hassle to drive to and from the main villages and beaches.
The most luxurious place on the island is Toxotis. It’s about an 8 minute walk to the main restaurants and bars in Armenistis. The rooms are nicely designed and the pool is gorgeous. The downsides are that it is very hilly on the properly and it doesn’t have direct seaside access. For me personally, I prefer having an easy walk to the bars and restaurants over having a super nicely designed room, so I prefer Erofili. But if you really want the nicest room on the island, then stay at Toxotis. Just be prepared to walk a lot more. Also, their check in process isn’t as easy because it’s a smaller property. You really have to coordinate with the team about when you’ll arrive.
Where to Eat
Armenistis: MaryMary for lunch or dinner. The chef owner is Nikos and will make sure you have the best time. This is the restaurant I ate at most often. Highly recommend the wild greens, grouper, and grilled calamari. Try his dad’s homemade local wine as well. Fully organic with no added sulfites. Grandma’s Recipes for goat milk ice cream (it’s right next to MaryMary).
Nas: there are a few restaurants here and it’s a 10 minute drive from Armenistis. Check out Anna’s for seafood and Thea’s for a fun ambiance where a lot of tourists congregate at night.
Pigi: About a 25 minute drive from Armenistis is Karimalis Winery. This is run by Eleni and Georgios, the most amazing couple who is passionate about preserving traditional Ikarian cooking and recipes. Eleni milks goats daily to make her own cheese that she uses. She also ferments the dough for all of her baked goods. Everything is made from scratch. They serve only vegetarian meals, so expect ample goat milk cheese and no seafood or meat. Message them in advance if you plan on coming as the table only seats about 12 people each night. It’s not a full blown restaurant yet but more of a family style dinner for those staying at their winery rooms and for the lucky few who can fit.
In the mountains 15 minutes from Armenistis you’ll find Sto Kampi and then further along the restaurants in Christos Raches. Grab coffee or a smoothie in Christos at Navagio. Maria owns the bar and will take good car of you. The restaurants there like Tabouras open for dinner much later in the day, some at midnight.
If you day trip to Seychelles, definitely eat at the nearby restaurant Fourtouna. It’s about a 10 minute drive from the beach and is one of my faves on the island. There’s one grandma in the kitchen who cooks everything. Be prepared to wait a long time even if it’s empty lol. Worth it though. The flavors will blow you away. Order the fresh seafood, fried squash blossoms, and vegetable stew.
Grab a snack at Afianes winery at around 5 or 6 PM. They have charcuterie platters, but I recommend their smoked eel salad. It’s to die for. Made by the owner, Maria. The smoked eel isn’t made onsite though. She gets it from a nearby island. All the produce is local though. The salad mostly has seaweed and tomatoes. I still dream about this salad. Maria’s son, Constantine, if onsite can explain really clearly how their special sparkling wine aged in the sea is made. When I visited they had a sommelier from the states on site as an intern who obviously spoke fluent English.
When to Come
If you want to party, come in August when the panagiria village parties happen that go from daytime to sunrise. Live Greek music, dancing, food, wine. It’s the busiest time of the year in Ikaria and something locals and Ikarians who live elsewhere look forward to every year. Ikarians fly in from all around the world to come back to this every year.
If you want to come when it’s less crowded so it’s easier to get into restaurants and hotels and spend ample time with local business owners, come when it’s slower in June or July. I went in June and thought it was perfect. If you come in mid June, restaurants and bars will just be starting to open for the season and nothing will be super packed yet.
Don’t come outside of summertime if you want to hit restaurants and bars because a lot of restaurants and bars are only open in the summertime. On the other hand if you just want to be somewhere secluded and slow, then it’s probably perfectly fine. Get ready for a lot of rain though.
How to Get Around
You’ll want to rent a car for sure. Villages are spread out from each other. I rented a car from a company called Ikaria Holidays, run by the friendliest local, Dimitris, who speaks fluent English. He’s the one who had to help me tow my car when I almost drove it off a cliff lol. Make sure you request an automatic if that’s all you know how to drive.
As a heads up, the drive from the airport to Armenistis takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The island is literally completely covered in mountains so be prepared to only drive on curvy mountain roads. Note that when using GPS, GPS isn’t accurate. Always just stay on the main roads. You can get to wherever you need on the main roads even if it looks like it takes longer. If the map leads you onto a dirt road, do not follow it. That road will most likely dead end somewhere.
Hitchhiking is very common here. They call it “autostop.” Don’t be surprised if someone on the side of the road tries to get into your car! I picked up two women on two separate occasions who basically walked up to my car and opened the door and got in lol. On the bright side, this also means that if you really need a ride somewhere, someone will most likely pull over to pick you up.
It’s extremely safe here. People leave their car doors unlocked. You can do the same.
It’s easy to park everywhere. Don’t worry about finding parking when you drive somewhere.
I hope you make it to this island. t’s truly a magical place that will leave you feeling relaxed, more in alignment with the things that really matter in life, and with a positive view for what’s possible for humanity when people prioritize taking care of each other over things like money, material items, and power.