The four inhabited islands of the Sporades include Skopelos (of Mama Mia! filming fame), Skiathos, Skyros and Alonnisos. With pine forests and lush vegetation that meet sandy golden shorelines, there is a distinctively green beauty to these parts.
THE ISLANDS
Skiathos is the more cosmopolitan and lively of the four islands. Skopelos, popular, but not overly so. Alonissos is an Eden of rare flora and fauna, including the Mediterranean monk seal. While far-flung Skyros is quiet and rocky oddity of the group.
GETTING THERE
Travel by plane to Skiathos International Airport and island hop to discover the rest by ferry. There is also a small domestic airport in Skyros.
Ferry travel requires a little more planning, as there are no direct sailings from Athens’ Port of Piraeus to Skiathos, Skopelos or Alonissos. Instead, travellers typically depart from either Volos on the mainland or the small port of Mandoudi in northern Evia, around a two-hour drive from Athens. From Mandoudi, the fastest crossings reach Skiathos in around 40 minutes and Skopelos in about an hour, with daily services operating throughout the summer season. Ferry timetables are usually published only in the months leading up to summer.
Skyros, the outlier of the group, is disconnected from the Sporadic island hopping itinerary. Not connected by large fast-ferry operators that run between Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos, Skyros Ferry Services connects it with Skopelos and Alonissos.