Lipsi Island, Greece: Quiet Beaches in the Dodecanese

The island of Lipsi

Lipsi lies north of Patmos and draws most of its visitors as day-trippers from Patmos and Leros. Lipsi takes its name from the Odysseus myth, in which the goddess Calypso held Odysseus on the island for seven years on his way home from Troy to Ithaca, and the word derives from Leipsos, meaning “lack”. The island has never been an important one, because it is low and dry and has no easily defended places, so through most of its history it was simply a part of Patmos, though finds from the classical period show it has been inhabited since prehistoric times.

Large parts of Lipsi once belonged to the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist on Patmos, which is why small churches stand all over the island. Several churches date from the 16th and 17th centuries, and the church of Panaghia tou Charou, built around 1600 at the highest point of the island, holds a remarkable icon of the Virgin Mary cradling the crucified Jesus. The church is famous for the miracle of the lilies of 1943, when a withered bunch of lilies came back to life on 23 August, four months after it had been placed there. At Kouselio stand the remains of a 5th-century early Christian basilica with mosaic flooring, and at Katsadia there are walls and mosaics of old temples.

Lipsi sits on the main Dodecanese ferry routes, so it is relatively easy to reach, and Samos, Leros, Kalymnos and Kos are all close by for island-hopping. The east side of the island is flatter and easier to walk, while the west side is rougher, hillier and more of a challenge.

Lipsi village

Lipsi village is the island's only settlement, a fishing village with an old chora behind it, white houses and a harbour dominated by a large church with a blue dome. The village has two harbours: ferries and catamarans dock at the larger one, while excursion boats use the smaller harbour nearer the centre, about 500 metres away. A local bus runs from the village to Platis Gialos, Katsadia and Hohlakura beaches, and there are two taxis and a motorcycle to rent.

The central square holds a post office, and a bank stands at the harbour. A small museum on the main square opposite the church opens from 11am to 1pm with free admission and shows a collection of pebbles and bottles of holy water gathered from around the world. The large white Church of Saint John Theologos, with its blue dome and two bell-towers, keeps the archaeological collection of Lipsi in a ground-floor hall. From the small quay, excursion boats leave for the islets off the coast, usually around 10 o'clock in the morning.

Beaches of Lipsi

Lipsi is blessed with a large collection of beaches for such a small island, in every size and surface from sand to pebble and stone, and many of them stay quiet enough to have one to yourself. Platis Gialos is the largest and best sandy beach, set on the north coast about an hour's walk from Lipsi town, and Monodendri in the north-east is the island's official naturist beach. The main beaches around the island are listed below.

• Liendou Beach — the town beach west of Lipsi village where the ferries dock, coarse sand and pebbles in a narrow bay with a few trees for shade and tavernas close by.
• Platis Gialos Beach — the largest and best sandy beach, in a long bay on the north-west coast an hour's walk from the capital, with a taverna and little shade.
• Katsadia Beach — a pebble-and-sand beach in a wide bay 30 minutes south of Lipsi town, with tavernas, yacht anchorage and views to Leros and Kalymnos.
• Kohlakura Beach — a large beach of fine white pebbles in the south-east, 30 minutes' walk from town, with little shade.
• Monodendri Beach — the official nudist beach, a group of coves in the north-east reached over a goat track in 45 to 60 minutes, with almost no shade.
• Kamaris Beach — a stony beach in a rocky cove in the remote north-east, used as a naturist beach, 45 to 60 minutes' walk with a steep last stretch.
• Kambos, Helena, Kimisi and Moschato — quieter west-coast beaches of pebbles, rock and stone, some with a small church and clear but limited swimming.

Where to stay on Lipsi

Lipsi offers simple studios and apartments, most of them in and around the harbour village. The named properties on the island are listed below.

• Studios Anna — air-conditioned studios in the village a 5-minute walk from Lentou Beach, each with a kitchenette, private bathroom and garden-view balcony.
• Studio Poseidon — self-catering studios 300 metres from the village and 100 metres from Lientou Beach, with an on-site restaurant, sea-view balconies and a free port transfer.
• Calypso Hotel — a family hotel of 10 studio rooms in the harbour, 150 metres from the ferry port, all with sea view, air conditioning and private facilities.
• Calypso Apartments — a complex of 5 apartments 150 metres from town, each with a lounge, kitchen and separate bedroom in a peaceful garden.
• Mina Studios — two studios in the heart of the village 250 metres from the main port, with kitchen, private facilities and harbour views.
• Kouselio Apartment — an apartment 500 metres from the village with a separate kitchen, lounge and bedroom, air conditioning and country and sea views.