Kastellorizo Island Greece
8
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Star Clippers (8 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
By tender, in the middle of the horseshoe of ochre, blue and red neoclassical houses ringing the harbour. Ships anchor here: there is no berth for large vessels.
At the very edge of Greece, a short hop from the Turkish coast: it is the country's easternmost inhabited island. Locals still call it Megisti.
A loop of the waterfront in about twenty minutes, the climb to the Lycian tomb, the museum near the landing, and above all the boat trip to the blue cave. Strolling is not an option here, it is the programme.
A cavern sixty metres long and up to thirty-five metres high, a quarter of an hour by boat from the quay. The entrance is so low you have to lie down in the boat to slip through; inside, light filtered by the water sets the vault glowing electric blue.
Early in the morning: that is when the reflections are strongest and the sea is most often calm enough to pass the low entrance. The round trip, visit included, takes about three quarters of an hour.
A fourth-century BCE burial cut into the rock, with a temple-shaped facade. Tombs of this kind are common on the nearby Turkish coast, but this is the only one recorded on Greek soil. A stairway cut into the cliff leads up to it.
Yes, near the landing, in a former Ottoman building: stone anchors, ceramics, costumes and everyday objects telling three millennia of human presence on this strategic rock, from Lycian through Byzantine to Ottoman times.
Because the island, home to several thousand people in the days of shipping and sponges, went through hard times in the twentieth century. Restored houses still stand beside a few ruined ones, and that is part of the story.
For the boat trip and the waterfront, yes: sea turtles sometimes come begging beneath the terraces. The Lycian tomb, though, is reached by a steep stairway; wear sturdy sandals or trainers.
The euro and Greek. The island is tiny and remote: bring cash, plus a hat and water, since shade is limited to the terraces. English is spoken in the quayside tavernas.
