One Day in the North — Molyvos, Petra & Eftalou
The island's most photographed corner: a Genoese castle town, a church on a rock, thermal water on a wild beach, and an Anaxos sunset.
Base yourself anywhere and this loop still works — everything sits within fifteen minutes of Molyvos. Climb the castle before the heat, take the rock-church stairs in Petra, then trade sightseeing for the Eftalou hot spring where the thermal water runs straight into the sea.
Morning
Molyvos
Molyvos — known officially as Mithymna — is the undisputed jewel of Lesvos and one of the most photographed villages in the Greek islands. A Byzantine castle crowns the hilltop, and below it a cascade of stone houses, cobblestone lanes, and blooming wisteria tumbles down to a working fishing harbour. The village has be
6 km · ~10 min drive
Mid-morning
Petra
Petra is defined by its extraordinary geological landmark: a massive volcanic rock that rises sheer from the centre of the village, crowned by the 17th-century church of Panagia Glykofilousa, reached by 114 stone steps carved into the cliff face. The views from the top — over red-tiled rooftops to the Aegean — are amon
Mid-morning
Holy Church of the Virgin Mary Glykophilousa
4.8Petra
Perched atop a dramatic monolithic rock that rises some thirty metres from the centre of the village, the Holy Church of the Virgin Mary Glykophilousa is one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable landmarks on the island of Lesvos. It is this great bare rock that gave the north-coast village of Petra its name, a
8 km · ~15 min drive
Lunch
Molyvos Beach
Molyvos
The town beach at Molyvos is a narrow strip of pebbles and smooth rock that stretches below the harbour and the castle-crowned hillside. It is not the most comfortable beach on the island — the stones can be hard on bare feet, and water shoes are advisable — but the setting is magnificent. The medieval castle of Mithym
5 km · ~10 min drive
Afternoon
Efthalou Beach 1
4.4Efthalou
Eftalou sits on the northern coast just east of Molyvos, where the volcanic geology that defines this part of the island creates a coastline of warm stone and mineral-rich water. The beach itself is a mix of pebbles and flat rock, less conventionally beautiful than the sandy beaches of the south but remarkable for its
4 km · ~5 min drive
Late afternoon
Megala Therma Thermal Spring
4.1Argennos
Megala Therma Thermal Spring is one of Lesvos's most celebrated natural attractions, where geothermal waters rise from deep within the earth to create a bathing experience that has drawn visitors for centuries. Located near the village of Argennos on the island's northern coast, the springs are part of a remarkable vol
16 km · ~25 min drive
Evening
Paralia Anaxou
Anaxos Skoutarou
Paralia Anaxou, more commonly known as Anaxos Beach, stretches along the northwestern coast of Lesvos near the small coastal settlement of Anaxos Skoutarou, cradled between the foothills of the Lepetymnos mountain range and the calm blue expanse of the North Aegean. This is one of the island's most beloved family beach