Ithaki: Hiking Trails, Culture and Island Cuisine

On Ithaki, hiking trails run between mountain and coastal settlements, alongside archaeological sites, museums and a cuisine featuring distinctive regional ingredients. When choosing where to stay, consider whether you mainly want to hike, explore traces of the past or combine the two. Vathy is a useful reference point for bus connections and vehicle rentals.

Hiking Trails, Views and Coastline

The moderately difficult Vathy–Perachori–Pera Pigadi trail is 13.68 kilometres long and passes through olive groves to viewpoints with panoramic views. A shorter hiking option is the also moderately difficult Anogi–Kioni trail: At 4.5 kilometres, it connects the mountain village of Anogi with the coastal village of Kioni. The two routes therefore differ both in length and in the landscapes they pass through.

The Anemodouri–Arethousa spring trail also passes through a distinctive landscape: It crosses slopes covered in low scrub and offers views of Ithaki’s southeast coast. If you are interested in the history of Palaiochora, you can include a hiking trail through its ruins. Another route, Perachori–Palaiochora–Nymphs’ Cave, leads to the Church of Saint John the Theologian, which has a stone bell tower and frescoes.

You can reach Gidaki Beach by kaiki boat from Vathy or on foot via the trail from Skinos; both journeys take approximately 25 minutes. Boat frequency and trail conditions may vary by season. The Vathy–Gidaki–Filiatro–Sarakiniko Bay sea-kayaking route offers a different view of Ithaki’s coast. It is 12.5 kilometres long, suitable for beginners and passes more than 20 small and large beaches. Sea conditions are seasonal and changeable.

Vathy as a Point of Reference

There are car and two-wheeler rental offices in Vathy; businesses and availability may change. KTEL buses from Vathy serve almost all the villages in northern Ithaki. If bus connections are important to your plans, check current routes and timetables before travelling. When choosing a holiday rental, you can then consider whether Vathy works as a base for rental services and buses that suit your plans.

Vathy has been recognised as a traditional settlement since 1982 for its distinctive Ionian architecture. Its architectural features include houses with tiled roofs, grand mansions and narrow, stone-paved lanes. Ithaki’s former capital was Palaiochora, before the capital was moved to seaside Vathy. Three churches in Palaiochora are protected as historic monuments of Byzantine art.

Museums and Archaeological Traces

The Archaeological Museum of Ithaki includes votive offerings from the Sanctuary of the Nymphs’ Cave, as well as bronze coins depicting Odysseus and bearing the inscription ΙΘΑΚΩΝ. The Maritime and Folklore Museum opened to visitors in 1997. It displays evidence of Ithaki’s long maritime history and presents everyday island life from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. The Archaeological Collection of Stavros spans a further period: its finds from four sites on Ithaki date from the Early Bronze Age to Roman times. The named sites include Loizos Cave and the settlement of Stavros.

Alalkomenes is a designated archaeological site where the ancient city of Ithaki has been identified. On Ithaki, Nymphs’ Cave is associated with the tradition that Odysseus hid the gifts of the Phaeacians there. Rizes Cave is also connected with Homeric traditions: researchers associate it with the cave of Eumaeus, where Odysseus’ swineherd kept his animals.

Off Polis Beach, the remains of a sunken ancient city lie on the seabed. The small island of Lazareto is at the entrance to Vathy harbour; its only building is the Chapel of the Saviour. These places complement museum visits with traces of history found in different parts of the island.

Festivals and Local Cuisine

Ithaki’s panigyria are organised by local cultural associations in village squares in honour of patron saints, especially in summer. Check the dates before your trip if you would like to attend a festival. For a culinary discovery, the local cuisine includes agourelaio olive oil and local wine, as well as animal products, meat and fish, wild herbs and native vegetables. It also features vegetable pies and sapsycho, a herb from the marjoram family found only on Ithaki.

Discover more places: Itháka, Frikes, Vathí and Aetos.

Discover more destinations: Corfu, Paxos, Kefalonia and Lefkada.

Return to the main travel overview: Ionian Islands.