Greek Islands

Kea (Island)

Kea the Monastery and the beach of Kastriani

Welcome to Kea!

This small and mountainous island is the nearest of the Cycladic chain to the mainland of Greece, lying merely 16 nautical miles from the southern tip of Cape Sounion, and with ferry service from the mainland’s southern port of Lavrion. While not one of the Cyclades’ main tourist destinations, it is a lovely small island to explore, either on its own, or combined with nearby Kythnos or Serifos. It is a good destination if you’re looking for peace and quiet, and unspoiled landscapes, and if you’re not in need of luxury accommodation.

It shares a similar history to other Cycladic islands in that it was occupied by the Venetians from the beginning of the 13th Century, then off and on by the Turks from 1537. Kea is only 121 square kilometers in size, with a population of less than 2,000 inhabitants. It’s fairly barren and rocky, but does have small pockets of farming and olive trees in the interior.

The main town, Chora or Ioulis, sits atop a hill of 320 meters in height, capped by the old Kastro with the remains of ancient walls and a temple in honor of Apollo. The town features traditional Cycladic architecture, with both flat and red-tiled roofs, narrow alleyways, and has a small Archaeological Museum. The view over the island from this hilltop town is quite beautiful, with glimpses of green streambeds sprinkled among the bare, rocky and hilly countryside.

The island has about 80 kilometers of often-indented coastline that produces a large number of coves and small bays offering some lovely swimming. Some of the better beaches include Pisses and Koundouros on the west coast, and Poles on the southeast coast near the site of the ancient city of Carthaea (1000 BC).

The main port is Korissia on the northwest coast of the island, and it has a very nice sandy beach. From here, you can move further north to Vourkari, a nice seaside settlement and yacht harbor; then continue to Otzias village 6 kilometers further along. In this northern coastal region, a number of excavations have been undertaken, most notably at Agia Irini and at Kefala. Opposite on the northeast tip, you will find the Monastery of Kastriani, situated in a wild, rugged landscape where you might get the feeling that you’re at the edge of the world.

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