Ithaca

NOW 16 °C

Next 5 days

SUN 26 °C
MON 28 °C
TUES 28 °C
WED 28 °C
THURS 27 °C

Climatic Data

Source: National Observatory of Athens /meteo.gr

Odysseus’s home

Worldwide famous as the home of Odysseus, Ithaca symbolises the return to the haven, the discovery and the fulfillment. Today, it is a peaceful, quiet and undiscovered island thus being an ideal place for alternative activities and a holiday living up to the standards of the most demanding ones amongst us. With its 27-kilometre long and 6.5-kilometre large mountainous surface, it boasts plenty of hiking as well as mountain bike trails in a sequence of blue and green alongside the coast and through olive, cypress, pine, oak, arbutus and carob trees up on the hills. Explore the island on foot - on ancient historical yet enchanting trails - and unwind by the water on one of the most relaxing destinations around!

Scuba diving and sea kayaking are some of the options too, while the Cave of the Nymph will give you the chance to combine an exciting visit with a myth. Odysseus had hidden there the gifts he had brought along from the land of the Phaeacians.

“Keep Ithaca always in your mind. Arriving there is what you are destined for”. Cavafy, Ithaca.

Discover Ithaca

Villages

Vathy
Marked by the features of the local architecture, it is the capital of the island and home to the Maritime and Folkloric Museum as well as to the Archaeological Museum of Ithaca. Vathý is built on a bay the center of which is decorated by the tiny little island of Lazarétto, a former sanatorium and prison.

Perahori
A gorgeous scenic little village with a breathtaking view over the island. Built at the edge of the Afentikós Lógos forest, it is the perfect starting point for walks by medieval ruins in the oaks.
Stavrós: Situated on the north of the island, this village hosts another Archaeological Museum, known for the clay mask of the 1st century A.C. writing “ΕΥΧΗΝ ΟΔΥΣΣΕΙ” (= “a wish for Odysseus” in Ancient Greek).

Anoyi
A must of a visit thanks to the upright stones of the area (menhirs) the tallest of which goes as high as 8 metres.

The Myth

When Odysseus set off for glorious days in Troy, his beloved wife, Penelope, was left alone to unwittingly excite the appetite of men for a gorgeous queen. Before long, the palace was brimful of odious suitors who would flirt with the queen persistently. What is more, they made Penelope promise she would marry one of them. To keep them at bay, she came up with a devise; she promised she would come to a wedding with the best of them when she would have finished weaving a shroud. So, she spent the daytime weaving it and the nighttime unweaving it. Thus doing, she managed to stay clear of the suitors for 20 whole years, until Odysseus returned to Ithaca.