Ithaca is famous for its many walking trails including the famous Odysseus trail. The island has centuries old olive groves, archaeological sites, stone huts, chapels and windmills leading to different village and fishing ports spread along the amazing rugged coast.
Our walk from Frikes to the archaeological site of Homer’s Odysseus is a gentle uphill walk. It starts in the village of Frikes, a small, friendly port on Ithaka’s northeast coast.
It then follows a quiet paved road passing olive groves and low stone terraces. As you walk, views open back toward Frikes bay and across the sea to Lefkada and the mainland. We reach the site of Homer’s Odysseus, which is an archeological site dated back to 1300BC and the excavations reveal a Mycean palatial complex with roads, staircases and drainage systems.
The views from this site are amazing and you can see why it was an important location for the legendary Greek king of Ithaka for defending his island. On our decent we walk through the village of Platrithias along its narrow lanes and stone houses, with tiled roofs and shaded courtyards back towards the small port of Frikes.
We start this walk from Filiatro Bay, a wide, curved pebble beach set in clear turquoise water with a backdrop of stunning cliffs. We continue our walk along a paved but lightly used road which is lined on one side with pine and cypress trees and then to the other side offering stunning views of small coves and secluded beaches and bays. As the walk continues the sea remains constantly in view, changing between open sea to sheltered harbors.
On the approach to Vathy the road gently descends towards the water’s edge, where there are many cafes, tavernas and neoclassical buildings. We spend some time walking through the narrow town streets, visiting many of the local Greek shops and spending time with the local Greek villagers. After a lovely walk around Vathy, we return to Filiatro bay, where we can enjoy a refreshing swim in the crystal-clear water, before returning to the catamaran.
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