In the far north of the Aegean Sea, just 7 km away from the Macedonian coast, lies the island of Thassos.
The island belongs to the prefecture of Kavala. In the past, it belonged to East Macedonia and Thrace, but due to tectonic movements this part of the ground has been separated and converted into an island.
The area of Thassos is 393 km², making it the 9th largest island in Greece. The main island is home to three smaller uninhabited islands, with a total area of 0.4km²: Tasapulo in the north, Kinira in the east and Panagia on the south side of the island.
Thassos is a rather hilly island covered with dense forests of pine trees, fir and platans, while olive trees grow along the coast.
The island is of a round shape, extending 22km from west to east, while it extends 26km from north to south. You will spend more time if you travel through the interior of the island. Its highest peak is the Ipsario (1208m). The other peaks are Profitis Ilias (1108m) and Fanos (744m).
The island of Thassos was known even in antiquity. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, wrote about healing enviroment of the island. Thanks to its position, Thassos is protected from sea winds, which are otherwise specific for other islands. From high temperatures it is protected by the Ipsario mountain wreath that gives it a mild and pleasant climate. The lowest average temperature during the summer is around 24ºC in June, to the highest average 27ºC in July. The temperature during the hottest part of the day is 30-35 ºC. The average water temperature is about 25 ºC. Island has very low number of rainy days.
As you approach the island from the north, you can get the impression that you are coming to the wilderness. Although the southern part along with the inner part of the island suffered greatly in the great fires of the 1980s, the island can still be proud of its nature.
The great advantage of Thassos are definitely beaches. The coast of Thassos is fairly accessible and all the beaches can be reached by land.
There are beaches of all types: beaches with white marble pebbles, fine sand or gravel, with or without shade, with cafes and deck chairs, wild and lonely or nudist – something for everyone. There are also four beaches with a blue flag that meet strict ecological and other standards: Golden beach, Pefkari, Makriamos and the city beach in Limenas.
Thassos is rich in fresh water. It has many rivers and springs with unreal waterfalls and lakes.
The island is also rich in natural materials, such as copper in the areas of Timonium, Astris and Theologos; lead, silver and zinc in Limenaria and iron in Kalirahi. Snow white marble from the island, is known everywhere in the world, and even in the Byzantine era it was used to construct the church of St. Sophia in Constantinople.
The island is also known for its high-quality honey. The symbol of Thassos is a pine honey, but we recommend you to try orange honey. Of course, olives and olive oil must also be taken home. We especially recommend famous wine from Thassos, which is ranked as one of the best wines in the world. Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, was sending ships to Thassos every year to bring the wine. The legends say that the ancient gods from Olympus drank only this wine. The facts, however, say that today many wine producers, all over Greece, buy grapes from Tasos and mix it with their own.
Thassos today has about 13,000 inhabitants, although this number is increasing during the season. Of course, most of the inhabitans are Greeks, but becase there are many mixed marriages, you can hear German, Bulgarian, English, Czech, Slovak, Romanian and Serbian.