Euboea (Greece) is a long island south-east of mainland Greece with exit to the Aegean Sea. I bet you millions you haven’t heard about it. I stayed in the little town of Eretria, on the south-western side of the island. Many have told me, oh, yes, I heard about Eretria… No, you probably haven’t, you’re confusing it with Eritrea, the north-eastern African country on the Red Sea coast. Get it? Do not confuse them, or you’ll end up in Africa.

Weather

     I went there mid-May and the temperature was going towards the 25ºC-30ºC during the day and little under 20ºC during the night. During the summer you’ll get the same scorching Mediterranean temperatures, cooled a bit by the sea breeze.

Transport

     We booked a car at the airport in Athens and drove to Eretria. We took the long way, but you have two options: you either drive 115 km / 72 miles, cross the High Bridge Evripos al the way to your destination, or drive from the airport to Skala Oropou for 62 km / 39 miles and take the ferry to Eretria (the shorter, but more expensive version). The price for the ferry is 8€ car and driver, then add 2€ for extra passengers. The price is actually not that bad. We just wanted to see Greece by car. If you are tired I recommend this faster option.

     Once in Eretria you have local Taxis that can take you places. I have seen some highly deteriorated bus stops, but no buses. Anyway, the town is really small and if you plan on seeing more of the island, I recommend you rent a car at the airport. It is definitely the best option.

    When driving there you will find that no one obeys the traffic rules. Overtaking on continuous lines and in prohibited areas, speeding in the city or town with 90 km/h or more in 30 km/h areas, it was crazy! Don’t be afraid to step on it, but be careful. People there will take care when crossing the street and so should you when a pedestrian. Rules? What rules?

     My advice: even if locals are rushing you from behind, be careful and a preventive driver. Take your time and drive safe.

Culture

     This is Sparta! You probably know this famous line from somewhere… Those lands were the home of the Spartans and to my surprise, they were more than 300. 🙂 Although the town doesn’t look that great (actually I found the towns in that area complete chaos when you look in the distance), it used to be an important part of Greece almost 2,000 years ago. I could not put my finger on a specific cultural thing other than the miniature Christian Orthodox churches at every crossroad and the Gyros.

     It was my first time in Greece and could not believe the shocking spelling resemblance with the Cyrillic (Russian) alphabet. You always hear the Russians saying that they had lived in Russia since ever, they are not Asians despite covering most of it, they are not Europeans, but look European and share the alphabet with a civilisation that’s over 6,000 years old. Hmmm! Interesting…

     They also have stray dogs on the streets. Most of them are tamed, but during the night be careful, they can be pretty unpredictable. As you can see in the photo, this one is a male: 🙂

Attractions

     You can visit the archaeological museum, or the Temple of Dionysus (mostly very old ruins and not that impressive).

     Eretria has a main beach called Eviana. On the side with Eviana Beach Hotel you have the more current-influenced beach and on the harbour side you can swim in clearer waters, but less clean in my opinion, due to the ferries. At times you might see rainbow shades on the surface of the water caused by fuel, or mechanical grease. In front of Eviana Hotel watch out for the huge stingy purple jellyfish. The water is clear most of the times, but when the current brings waves, you might have nasty surprises in the water. Be cautious!

     Outside of Eretria are the real gems. There are more beaches to visit, but I’m going to tell you about the ones I’ve seen.

     For an amazing day at the beach go to Kalamos Beach, 52 km / 31 miles from Eviana Beach. There you’ll find crystal clear waters clean of debris and jellyfish. You can swim outside as much as you want without worrying. If you are hungry or thirsty you have two or three bar-restaurants that will serve you local and international cuisine. Personally I did not enjoy their beer, or my hopes had been pretty high. That area is formed of two beaches and on the second one you can even camp. I loved it!

     For a more wavy and remote experience and caves go to Paralia Chiliadou beach. It’s a bit more to drive from Eretria going through the mountains, roughly 59 km / 37 miles. Be careful because the road will take you through endless turns and twists with very deep valleys on the sides. It is worth the trip though.

     On the way to Paralia Chialiadou you will pass through Steni Dirfyos, a small town with a lot of personality and calm. Have a break there on the riverbank in the shade, or have lunch in Kissos Taverna.

     Also on the way to Paralia Chiliadou and for a more spiritual approach, you have to visit Ekklisia Agia (the church on the river). Few places on earth are as calming as that oasis and religious spot. The church is small and will improve your karma. There you can drink fresh water from the spring and replenish. I recommend you buy honey, propolis, or something else you like from the local people on the side of the road. Take advantage to feed your body with natural medicine full of flavour. It’s cheap and you also help the local community, which is not that large. I’m finishing that propolis as I write this article and if you didn’t know, it is what bees carry back to the hive on their legs. It’s a natural antioxidant and the best immune system booster. It’s applications are endless.

     Probably the best experience there was climbing their highest mountain peak, Dirfi, at 1,743m. You travel till the base of the summit by car and don’t be scared if you end up driving on very harsh terrain, you’ll know you are there when seeing the south-eastern rocky wall of the mountain. When driving on the tight mountain roads be careful because the beekeepers are placing hundreds of hives on the sides and you might get some bees in the car that won’t be too happy to see you. Roll your windows up to avoid an accident. Once at the bottom of the peak you’ll find the climbing trail on the left side, just follow the paint signage. When we climbed we chose the hardest approach going straight up. That was foolish and highly dangerous. Don’t do it that way and watch where you place your foot next. Once on the peak you’ll have a rare view of the entire island, from Eviana Beach all the way through to the other side at Parlia Chiliadou. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Nightlife

     Nightlife in Eviana Beach where we stayed is close to zero. You have a promenade like a resort, with bars and restaurants facing the sea. It’s beautiful and most you’ll get is a bar where you can have cocktails and maybe socialise with other tourists or locals. Being a small town, the locals have to visit the same locations. Sometimes a crazy guy with a Smart car will play very bad music and really, I mean, really loud while driving on the promenade, disturbing your peace. No one will mind if you stick a knife in his tyres, but let him go past, he’s got a family and a lot of head issues. 😉

Shopping

     You can shop for souvenirs and other things on the promenade close to the ferry terminal. No glamour though, but just simple things. They’re the best sometimes, you know… You have a local supermarket next to Eviana beach called Kritikos. There is another one which is bigger called My Market on Vratsanou street.

Food

     I was disappointed by their cuisine and being on the edge of the sea I was hoping to enjoy fresh food. I come from a country with an extraordinary cuisine, so I would lie to you if I said their food was delicious; I could not see any diversity specific to Greece. We ate in a restaurant in Eviana Beach and the sea fruits were not fresh. I really enjoyed their marinated anchovies as starter. Maybe it was the beginning of the season, I don’t know what happened… If ever there again, I’ll give them another try. You’ll see a lot of people eating fries with bread. That is a proper East European trait. 🙂 We had the food plateau at Remetzo and pizza and crepe at GeMa. Discover the others for yourself and see which one is better. Try to order something local and find yourself with not too many options. Sorry, Eviana…

     Most of our days we ate in a Gyros place that is always packed with locals. On top of that, its name is highly similar with one of my forenames. Weird! The place is called Stamatukos and is positioned across the street from the ferry terminal. They also have a terrace right next to the terminal where you can eat outside and enjoy the view. I think I had about 10 pork gyros in 3 days. I also recommend their fries with melting cheese on top and their delicious salad named after me, the Stamatukos. It was delicious! 🙂

     There was another gyros place next to Stamatukos but there was never anyone in. Do not go to places like that to avoid disappointment, or worse, food poisoning.

For drinks, on top of Ouzo, you have to try Tsipouro, a fiery spirit made from grapes. If you’re a spirit lover you will like it a lot.

Accommodation

   We stayed in Eviana Beach Hotel. It is probably the main hotel there an the best accommodation you’ll get. The hotel is clean and well positioned, they have a terrace on the beach and the staff are very friendly and helpful. They speak good English too. Eviana Beach is a good base for your stay because you can go everywhere on the island from there and travel roughly the same distance. I recommend going there and visiting as much as you can. The landscapes are amazing!

The salute in Greek is “Yaso” for singular and “Yasas” for plural.

Travel yourself to life!

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