Blanketed with emerald pine forests and olive groves, Thasos is a family-friendly Greek island in the North Aegean Sea. It’s home to a fascinating archaeological museum where artefacts dating from the Neolithic period are on display, as well as beautiful beaches, charming mountain villages and an impressive clifftop monastery.
Things to do in Thasos
Take a step back in time at the Archaeological Museum of Thasos, which occupies a 1930s-built house in the town of Limenas. It showcases sculpture, pottery and architectural objects dating from the Neolithic to the Roman period. Highlights include a Cycladic plate depicting Bellerophon on the winged Pegasus and a 600-BC statue of a man carrying a goat that was discovered at the site of ancient Pythion.
Overlooking the south-east coast of Thasos is the Archangel Michael Monastery, a clifftop complex that was founded in the 13th century and is named after the island’s patron saint. After being abandoned during Ottoman rule, the monastery was revived in the 1970s and offers spectacular views across the Aegean Sea. The monastery museum displays an impressive collection of religious artefacts, including a fragment of a Holy Nail from the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
On the east coast of Thasos are several picturesque bays and stretches of sand, while the west coast is dominated by pebbly beaches. Refresh in the circular rock pool of Giola, kick back beneath an umbrella on aptly named Golden Beach or admire the conical island of Nisida Kinira from Paradise Beach.
Getting around Thasos
Regular ferries connect from Keramoti on the Greek mainland to Thasos town, as well as from Kavala to the village of Prinos on the island’s north-west coast. Public buses travel around Thasos and rental cars, scooters and motorbikes are available for getting around.