Lesvos Travel Guide

Situated in the eastern Aegean Sea, near the Turkish coast, Lesvos is one of Greece's largest islands and is well connected by air and sea to Athens, Thessalonika and other Aegean Islands. Quaint fishing villages and pale sandy beaches encircle this delightful destination, with olive groves and pine trees defining the interior. Despite its popularity, many parts of the island have remained virtually untouched and the crowds are much smaller than on other islands.

Mitilini is the main town, though most holidaymakers head for the northern village of Molivos and the south coast town of Plomari. Sigri is also popular, given its location near one of the world's largest petrified forests. Apart from beautiful, secluded beaches and superb opportunities for walking and bird-watching, Lesvos has relics of a long and proud history. Indeed, the island has been inhabited since the Bronze Age and rose to glory around the 6th century BC, when only Athens rivalled it as a centre of civilisation. Classicists know Lesvos as the ancient poet Sappho's birthplace.