About Leros

From a tourist brochure

Leros, a lovely verdant island of low sweeping hills, fertile valleys and scattered villages, has to be one of Greece's best kept secrets. Gentler and greener than Kalymnos, her nearest neighbour, the island has an indefinable charm and wonderful countryside ranging from wild hills to gentle pastures and a coastline so indented that each turn reveals little harbours, coves and beaches on all sides. This is a perfect, varied countryside for walkers, cyclists, explorers and it is one of the few small Greek islands where it is still possible to find a beach or cove which is very much 'off the beaten track'.

Leros also has a couple of busy, bustling towns, with a thriving Greek community which does not depend on tourism to survive, so the atmosphere is very friendly and very Greek. This marvellous island looks likely to remain one of the most genuine and unspoilt islands in Greece. The social hub is Aghia Marina, a pretty port, dominated by a huge crusader castle and six windmills on a hill. Spreading up from the port is the area known as Platanos, the main town of the island, which sits astride the saddle of the hill and merges with the picturesque, fishing harbour of Pandeli on the other side.

On the opposite side of the island is the larger, rival port of Lakki, an amazing Art-deco town and the main port of call for the inter-island ferries. Around the island there are several other villages and hamlets, all of them easily accessible by good roads. Rent a bicycle or a car and the whole island is yours to explore, from the resort of Alinda, which has hotels, tavernas and a long stretch of shingle/sand beach as well as an excellent museum, up to tranquil Blefouti in the north and down to sleepy Xerocampos in the south, both with some lovely quiet beaches.

Leros has plenty of beaches and secluded coves. The lovely shingle beach at Vromolithos is just a twenty minute walk from Platanos and is a long, gentle sweep of bay with a small island in the middle. The beach has a couple of tavernas and 3 bars for sustenance. Xerocampos, in the far south of the island, is a village of four tavernas, a small hotel and two jetties for the small caiques which ply between here and Myrties on Kalymnos every day. On the west coast there are beaches at Gournas, as well as the tiny church of Aghios Isidoros on a little island reached by a causeway.