Skopelos
Forested Sporades Island Of Plum Orchards And Some Three Hundred Churches, Where The 2008 Film Mamma Mia! Was Shot At The Chapel On The Rock And Kastani Beach · Skopelos, Thessaly
Skopelos is the green middle island of the Northern Sporades, between Skiathos and Alonissos, covered in Aleppo pine and planted with plum, almond and olive trees. Its main town, Skopelos or Chora, climbs from the harbour in white houses with grey stone roofs to the ruins of a Venetian castle, and the island is said to hold some three hundred and sixty churches and chapels. In 2008 the film Mamma Mia! was shot partly here, at the chapel of Agios Ioannis sto Kastri on a rock above the sea and on Kastani beach, and many visitors still come for that. But Skopelos is gentler and more traditional than the film suggests: a working island with farming villages, forest paths, monasteries on the slopes of Palouki, Glossa's hillside village in the north, and quiet pine-fringed beaches along the west coast. It suits couples, walkers, families and anyone who likes a slower island. Honest caveats: there is no airport, so you fly to Skiathos and take a boat; the beaches are mostly pebble; and a car or scooter is almost essential.
Skopelos, Northern Sporades; Skopelos Town (Chora) and the port of Glossa (Loutraki); Agios Ioannis sto Kastri chapel on the north-east coast, Skopelos, Thessaly, Greece
The island, its beaches, churches and paths are open at all hours and free, but Skopelos is seasonal: most hotels, beach canteens, boat trips and many tavernas run roughly May to October and many close from November to April. Monasteries on Palouki open in daytime with a midday break, and small chapels such as Agios Ioannis sto Kastri may be locked outside services - confirm. Buses run between Skopelos Town and Glossa along the west coast road in summer. There is no airport: fly to Skiathos, then take a ferry or fast boat to Glossa (Loutraki) or Skopelos Town, or come direct from Volos or Agios Konstantinos. Book August ferries, cars and rooms early.