Astypalea is the westernmost island of the Dodecanese, halfway to the Cyclades, which it resembles in landscape and architecture. It is shaped like a butterfly: two mountainous halves joined by an isthmus a few hundred metres wide. From 1207 to the 16th century it was ruled by the Venetian Querini family, who built the castle at the top of Chora.
Chora, one of the most photographed in the Aegean, spills down from the castle towards the port of Pera Gialos in white houses with colourful balconies and a row of windmills. Two churches stand inside the castle walls. Beaches are peaceful: Livadi, below Chora, Maltezana with remains of Roman baths and mosaics, Vatses, Kaminakia and, by boat, Koutsomytis and Kounoupa. Since 2020 the island has hosted a project to replace combustion vehicles with electric ones and a shared transport service.
Getting there
A small airport has flights to Athens; ferries from Piraeus take 9-12 hours, with links to Amorgos, Naxos, Kalymnos and Rhodes.
See also Amorgos.