The pine-clad mountains, the lee coves, the picturesque gulfs and the multitude of beaches (50 in total) all represent different pieces of a mesmerizing puzzle, each one a different shade of blue and green.
Alonissos, formerly known as Ecos, was already famous during the ancient times for its delicious wine. The island entered the Athenian Alliance of Delos in 478 B.C. and although it remained under the rule of Athens for over a century, it was apparently powerful and independent enough - both politically and financially - to issue its very own currency, a coin depicting Poseidon, the mighty god of the sea.
Alonissos used to be the name of another island located north of Ecos, which later became known as Liadromia and is now called Kira Panagia.
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Alonissos
 
It is located on top of a hill on the southern side of the island, 4km away from Patitiri. Alonissos is the former capital of the island, abandoned in 1965 following an earthquake that caused major damages. The town was later restored to its original traditional style and has now become a local landmark and a major attraction for everyone visiting the island.  A walk around the narrow streets of the village with the beautiful old houses featuring characteristic stone roofs and the marvelous view of the Aegean is a must-do.

Patitiri (capital)

It is the capital, as well as the port of the island, not to mention its commercial and administrative center. The village was named after the wine-presses (patitiri in Greek) formerly located in the area, used for producing the famous local wine. There is a local bus-service to Alonissos (20 minutes away) and small fishing boats always at your disposal should you fancy visiting some nearby beaches or the marine park.

Votsi

It was built right after the 1965 earthquake, when the locals were forced to abandon the old capital due to severe damages. Votsi is 2km away from Patitiri and it features a beautiful lee bay with crystal clear waters. The world famous center of Homeopathic Medicine is just outside the village.

Rousoum Gialos

It was built after the 1965 earthquake, just like Votsi, and it is so close to the capital that it’s almost impossible to tell they’re two different villages. Rousoum is Turkish for duty (as in export-import duty), a leftover from the period of the Turkish domination, when the locals were forced to pay export duties (rousoum) before they were allowed to transport their merchandise.
Rousoum Gialos features one of the most beautiful beaches in the whole island, with crystal clear waters and pine trees all the way down to the sea.

Steni Vala
Steni Vala (which means firth in the local dialect) is 8km away from Patitiri, built next to one of the few natural harbors in the island. It hosts the famous Care Center of the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal (MOm) boasting its very own research vessel Odyssia, manned by biologists hired to observe and record changes in the marine environment. Steni Vala had its very own mascot called Thodoris for a few years, a particularly friendly seal taken in by MOm. He was the most photographed seal in the world, but in 1993 he disappeared and hasn’t been seen ever since. The biologists believe that Thodoris found a mate and returned to his natural environment.
Steni Vala also features an organized camping site at the village beach.
 

Marine Park
In the spring of 1976 captain John’s boat left Patitiri and headed towards Piperi, the northernmost island of the Sporades complex. The only two passengers on board, Dr. Thomas-Schultze Westrum, a Zoology, Geology and Cultural Anthropology expert, and Kurt Lorenz, an experienced cameraman, were going to play a significant part in the future of Alonissos. Their mission was to track down a sea mammal, which European experts considered extinct, and record some footage on a 16mm camera. The mammal in question was the Monachus-monachus seal, a species that used to be very common in the Aegean and the Ionian Sea, as well as in Crete, Sicily and Malta.
This film, entitled “The coast of the seal”, was screened all over the world causing major surprise immediately followed by skepticism. It was made obvious that the Sporades complex - twenty islands with limited human presence and singular coastlines - was the ideal environment for the survival of the species.

Pressured by international associations for the protection of wildlife, on the 31st of August 1986 the prefecture decided to create a marine park in the northern part of the Sporades Islands.
Around the same time (1988) an environmental organization called MOm (Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal), an official member of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), decided to take immediate action. Nowadays, it is estimated that the number of the seals in the north of the Sporades Islands is a stunning 250. The majority is located around the desert islands of Gioura and Piperi.”.

Where to swin
•At Votsi, a small pebbly beach. The color contrast between the green and the turquoise blue of the waters will definitely impress you. Votsi also serves as the port of the homonymous village.
•At Rousoum Gialos, a pebbly beach with wonderful crystal clear waters, also serving as the port of the homonymous village.
•At Spartines, a pebbly beach on the north side of Votsi village. You can reach this lovely beach by following a dirt path at the entrance of the village.
•At Kokinokastro, a pebbly beach with impressive red rocks clashing against the brilliant whiteness of the pebbles. If you stand on the shore you can make out the remains of the fortifying walls that used to protect the ancient town. Some archaeological researchers believe that these ruins belong to the town Ecos. You can reach Kokinokastro through a dirt path.
•At Megali Amos, a pebbly beach on the northwestern side of the island. If you want to get there you’ll have to follow a short dirt path for about 500 m.
•At Tsoukalia, a pebbly beach south of Megali Amos. Swimmers occasionally come across pieces of ancient ceramics, which must have been discarded before reaching the final stages of production. According to many archeological researches, this beach used to host pottery workshops, which mainly produced amphorae to accommodate the wine trade. You can access this beach through a dirt path.
•At Chrisi Milia, a sandy beach with shallow waters, perfect for small children.
•At Lefkos Gialos, a pebbly beach on the northeastern side of the island, just a few meters away from the Kokinokastro crossroads. If you want to get there you’ll have to follow a little dirt path.
•At Giorgi Gialos, a pebbly beach on the eastern side of the island behind Kokinokastro.
•At Agios Dimitrios, one of the best pebbly beaches in the island, north of Steni Vala, past the Kalamakia settlement.
•At Gialia, a picturesque bay with black pebbles. You can reach this beach through a dirt path, just before the old capital.
•At Vrisitsa, a picturesque bay with black pebbles. You can reach this beach by way of a dirt path, just before the old capital.
•At Mourtias, a pebbly beach on the west side of the island, opposite the coasts of Skopelos.

Transportation
•Ferry departures to Alonissos Island from Agios Konstantinos and Volos.
•Flying Dolphin departures to Alonissos Island from Agios Konstantinos and Volos.
Port Authorities
•Agios Konstantinos Tel: +30 22540 93393 • Volos Tel: +30 24210 38888, +30 24210 28888 •Alonissos Tel: +30 24240 65595