The island Tilos belongs to the archipelago of Dodecanese
places
There are only two real places on Tilos, Livadia and Megálo Horió. There is also a small hamlet, Agios Andonis, and a scattered settlement called Eristos.
In Livadia, with its long pebble beach, actually takes place the whole life of the island. Here you will find shops, restaurants and the ferries. 20 years ago the island was still an insider tip and only had around 100 guest rooms to offer. In the meantime, the number of rooms has increased from 350 to 700 between 2002 and 2006 - and the trend is rising. In addition, Liavadia was given a new harbor front with a small promenade. But don't worry, Tilos is still quieter than almost all of the islands in Greece.
The second place Megálo Horió, is still overslept. Those who do not arrive on the island during the main tourist season of July and August can still find peace and relaxation in the few guest rooms on site. The only downside - it's not on the sea.
Agios Andonis on the other hand, it is a tiny port town with a dreamy pub and a beach that is dirty and therefore relatively unsuitable for swimming. Here you will find the best Greek salad and pure traditional life. Some rooms are also new for rent. There are good bathing opportunities on the pebble beach of Pláka, about three kilometers to the west.
Eristus consists of just a handful of buildings and a hotel with approx. 50 beds and is located on the bay of the same name in the west of the island. The 700 m long beach consists partly of pebbles, partly of fine and coarse sand. In the months of July and August, many Greeks come from the mainland to camp. Then the wide sandy beach with the bushes and tamarisks on the road is a bit more crowded.
Other goals
The island of Tilos has 19 beaches, twelve mountains, seven medieval castles, a Byzantine monastery and around 200 Orthodox churches and chapels.
background
geography
Tilos is located between the two islands of Nisyros and Chalki, has an area of 64 km² and is just 16 km long in the north-south extension. In the center of the island there is a very fertile valley. The rest of the ground is rocky and barren. Emerging vegetation is kept short by the free-roaming goats. Like the other islands of the Dodecanese, Tilos has been inhabited since ancient times. Today around 550 people live there, most of whom live from tourism. A small percentage still lives from fishing, construction, beekeeping and arts and crafts.
history
As is so often the case with small islands, it is not so easy to establish an accurate historical dating. Due to the geographical location, however, there will always have been a close relationship with Rhodes. Tilos was a member of the Attic League (479 BC)[1] Tilos also had the privilege of minting its own coins at times.[2]After the Roman rule, the Johanniter came to the island from Rhodes in 1310. At the time, the entire Mediterranean was an unsafe region. Seven Kastra were built one after the other to secure the island. They were strategically designed so that they could keep in contact with each other and of course exchange information about the island of Chalki as far as Rhodes. The Kastro above the main town Megalo Chorio is still best preserved. A year before the fall of Rhodes, Tilos was conquered by the Turks in 1522. This political structure then remained until 1912. From then on, the Italians occupied the main island of Rhodes and large parts of the Dodecanese with the island of Tilos as part of the Tripoli War. The island then had the Italian name Piscopi until 1945. Italian postage stamps were given an additional overprint. After a brief occupation by the German Wehrmacht, Tilos was liberated by the Allies and officially assigned to the Greek state in 1948.
language
Of course, the official language is Greek. Since the island lives mainly from tourism, you can get along very well with English. For many years there has been a large proportion of British tourists, and the hotels and restaurants have adapted to this. Some tiliots (locals) have also lived in the US for several years. Of course, it's always good to have a few words in Greek handy. Something like that promotes interpersonal relationships immensely. The Russian day tourists are also met, there are Russian menus and the service sometimes speaks Russian.
getting there
Once or twice a week Tilos is approached by the large ferries on the way from Piraeus to Rhodes. There are also various other connections (Rhodes, Kos) with smaller ships. These ships include the fast catamarans of the Dodecanese Seaways Line from Rhodes, and the likewise fast ship, the SeaStar. The SeaStar belongs to the Tilos community and operates the route Rhodes - Tilos almost every day in summer. A look at the current timetable (Stefanakis Travel) can't do any harm. In the event of special situations such as strikes or storms, call the respective port police or the travel office. The island of Tilos is not a large island, and therefore you do not always have the guarantee of arriving or departing according to plan, even in summer. Always consider a few additional days in the overall planning. The large ferries take cars or mobile homes with them, of course, while the fast catamaran can take cars or smaller mobile homes with them. The capacity is very limited and quite expensive. The SeaStar (Tilos boat) can only take passengers. All ferry prices have been at a high price level in recent years. Island hopping can quickly become expensive.
Marina
Arriving with your own boat is also possible. The pier for the ferries in Livadia keeps some places free for motor and sailing boats. There are several supply boxes for drinking water and electricity. Harbor master speaks German. If the harbor is overcrowded, you can anchor in the large bay. Anchorage is not very safe in the wind. In the summer months, the marina is often used as a stopover for Aegean regattas. There is also an emergency port on the northern side of the island in Agios Antonios. However, the approach is not that easy, especially with north winds.
mobility
The island bus runs regularly (approx. Every two hours) between Livadia, Megálo Horió and Eristos in the high season. Several times a week in the main season the bus goes to the relatively distant Panteleimonas monastery. The timetables are coordinated with the times of the day boat excursions from Rhodes. Unfortunately, at the moment (as of January 2013) there are no more taxis on Tilos. However, there are several car and scooter rentals at the port of Livadia. The police presence is very low on Tilos, but so is the alcohol limit of 0.5. The frequency of accidents in relation to the number of inhabitants is very high. Therefore, a defensive driving style is advisable. Between the towns of Livadia and Megalo Chorio, goats can be expected on the road at any time of the day or night.
Tourist Attractions
October 28 public holiday
Tilos Livadia port
Kastro at Megalo Chorio
Tilos hiking trail
Agios Antonios port
The meeting point-The Platia
The last of their kind
- Micro Chorió. The extinct city.
- Monastery of St. Panteleimon, in the northwest of the island.
- Church of the Archangel Michael, in Megálo Horió.
- Pygmy elephant fossils
- Museum room, in the municipal office of Megálo Horió.
- new museum, next to the theater.
activities
Tilos is less suitable for mass tourism because of the beach situation, so the concept of environmentally friendly tourism is more likely to be pursued. Committed to bird protection, hunting was banned on Tilos as early as 1992, which is why the island is accepted as an undisturbed resting place for migratory birds. In 2009, Tilos received the EuroNatur Prize for committed migratory bird protection.
So if you are interested in nature, are looking for peace and quiet and enjoy hiking, you will find great opportunities here.
hike
The fact that hiking tourism is promoted here can be seen in the various marked hiking routes as well as in our own hiking map, which is rather unusual for a Greek island of this size.
kitchen
nightlife
security
climate
trips
Smaller boat excursions around Tilos, to small bays or even to Nisyros can be made with the very beautiful converted fishing kaiki from Stelios.
literature
- Annette Spangenberg, Stefan Heitmann: Tilos - Treasure Island in the Aegean Sea. EuroNatur travel guide, Radolfzell 2013, ISBN 978-3-00-042508-0 .
