KASSOS ISLAND – The AUTHENTIC TRADITIONAL GREEK ISLAND !
Kassos is the South-eastern island of the Dodecanese with 1000 habitants . Is located eastern of Crete and South of Karpathos island. It remains authentic and traditional with its local traditional festivals with local music, dances, wine and gastronomy, during summer and all year. When tourists participate to the Festivals they have a unique experience and joy !
Kassos has a long history as it contributed on the Greek Revolution by its fleet (almost 100 wooden ships) since there was a tradition on maritime and they used to build ships in Kassos. So during the Greek Revolution the Kassiot people were fighting a lot the Turkish Navy and they provoqued a lot of damages to their Navy. Therefore the Turkish with the Egyptians they wanted to get revenge and after a long period of fighting the island finally on the 7th June of 1824 the Turkish got into the island from Antiperatos area and burnt it. This was the Holocaust of Kassos! Captains Markos Malliarakis, Th. Kantartzis, N. Grigoriadis where some of the most well known heroic captains which were sacrificed to delay the entrance of the Turkish in order to save the women and children which were hidden into the Hellinokamara –an ancient cave of the 5th Century B.C.
Since 2018 Kassos was announced by the Greek Parliement as the “HEROIC ISLAND OF KASSOS” because its historical participation to the Greek Revolution. Every year the Municipality of Heroic island of Kassos organize a huge festival around the 7th of June to celebrate its story and to honor heroes of the Holocaust of Kassos! This is a nice period to visit the island. The year 2024 Kassos was celebrating the 200 years from the Holocaust of Kassos!
Kassos has 5 villages at a short distance from each other. Fri is the capital where is the port and most of Hotels and café, restaurants and shopping. The old traditional harbor of BOUKA is the most popular with its fishing boats and nice café and tavernas. There is located also the Archeological Museum and the Maritime Museum. Walking through the narrow streets of the village you will feel the tradition and local architecture with a lot of old houses –captain’s houses- with a unique traditional architecture! You can find such houses all around the villages of the island but there is only one which has been characterized by the Ministry of Culture as a Monument of local traditional Architecture – Meleti’s family captain’s house at Fri behind the Maritime Museum.
Agia Marina is the biggest village on the hill and it is worth to walk around the neighborhoods of Kasteli , Plaoulia , Akri , Kefali , Chrousoulas and Kathistres with its nice local restaurant . There are 2 Big churches such as Agia Marina and the Cross which have a wonderful pebbled traditional pavement inside and outside.
Arvanitochori has also nice houses and its picturesque Marouklas Square in the middle of the village. Agios Dimitrios church is an old and traditional church . There is a small folklore Museum at the “Aletourgio of Agios Dimitrios “ which is worth to visit . Walking through the Skilas river above Arvanitohori village through the H3 Kasos trail the visitor can find the small chapel in a cave “Panagia Potamitisa” .
The village of Panagia is the smallest but very nice since there are 6 chapels on the row. There is also the Big Church of Panagia where is happening the Biggest traditional festival on the 15th August every summer with a lot of people . Finally the village of Poli on the top where is located the old Castle of Poli . From Poli there is a road to Agia Kiriaki –small chapel on the top of the mountain with a wonderfull view and to Agios Mamas Monastery which is very old and kept authentic!
It is very interesting to visit the South part of Kassos island , the road to Helatros beach and Agios Georgios Hadies a nice Monastery. On the way to Helatros you will find the small chapel of Panagia Elleros with a nice wild environment. Kassos has a lot of small chapels all around the island.
There are beautiful original beaches in Kassos island especially on the South part , Helatros, Avlaki and Hohlakia are wonderful ! There are also nice beaches near the capital of Fri , such as Kofteri and the sandy beach of Emborios with nice tavernas and café! After the Airport area there is also Ammoua sandy beach and Antiperatos with 3 different pebbled beaches.
The most unique and wonderful beach of Marmara is on Armathia island which is a sandy beach with turquoise colour! There is a small local boat doing itineraries almost everyday.
Tourists in Kassos with interest on hiking will find a great interest since there are 12 Kassos trails which some are easy and some are difficult but the view is magnificent! There is a map on Kassos trails and there are all well signed with its grade of difficulty, length and duration. On the same map there are also 6 Cycling trails with a great interest to explore Kassos !
The gastronomy of Kassos is extremely delicious ! There are some local products such as dolmadakia and makarunes with sitaka cheese which are tasteful! Visitors in Kassos will enjoy the local gastronomy also during the local traditional festivals where the plate has usually dolmadakia and pilafi made with the goat meet. All local tavernas serve the local food .
The local cheese products from the “Cheese factory of Vonapartis family” are famous . Visitors can buy local cheese such as sitaka, elaiki, gavriera of Kassos and the delicious fresh yogurt combined with local kouloures from the Bakery. There are also some nice local sweets such as –xilikopites , mizithropites which are served to some local café . Some local café also serve a traditional breakfast with products of Kassos!
Through Kassos there are over 126 churches and small monasteries of unique beauty.
The 12 most popular Traditional Festivals of Kassos are the following and it is really interesting to participate the visitors in some :
Saint George of Hadies (April 23rd), Saint Constantine and Helen (May 21st ), Saint Triad -(June), Saint Marina (July 17th ),Christ ( August 6th ) ,Pera Panagia (August 15th ),Saint Fanourios (August 27th ), Saint Mamas(September 2nd ) ,Panagia Elleros (September 7th), Timios Stavros( September 14th ) , Saint Dimitrios (October 26th ), Saint Spyridon (December 12th ).
During the Traditional Festivals all local people participate and prepare volunteer the festival and it is amazing to become part of all these tradition and enjoy with local music and dances by the sound of Lyra and Laouto !
TRANSPORT
BY BOAT FROM PIREAUS –CRETE-RHODES-KARPATHOS
3 TIMES/WEEK WITH BLUE STAR CHIOS ( BLUE STAR FERRIES)
BY AIRPLANE FROM ATHENS-RHODES-KARPATHOS –SITIA(CRETE)
6 TIMES /WEEK WITH AEGEAN ARILINES
BY BOAT FROM KARPATHOS
A LOCAL SMALL PASSENGER BOAT “ KASSOS PRINCESS” 5 TIMES/WEEK -1 HOUR TRIP
USEFUL PHONES & WEBSITES:
MUNICIPALITY OF HEROIC ISLAND OF KASSOS : 0030 2245041400- 0030 2245041277
PORT AUTHORITY : 0030 2245041288
MEDICAL CLINIC : 0030 2245041333
POLICE DEPARTMENT:0030 2254041222
ASSOCIATION OF TOURIST BUSINESS IN KASSOS : 0030 6992673833
e-MAIL : syllogosepangelmationkasou@gmail.com