The Island Lesbos

Lesbos

Lesbos is the third biggest Greek island. It has an area of 1630 square kilometres and is situated just off the Turkish coast in the Eastern Aegean. Approximately 84.000 people live there.

In the ancient world the island was an important cultural centre. Well known artist and philosophers lived here; most famous of them all was Sappho. Her poetry was praised throughout antiquity and remains famous and admired until today. She has to be considered one of the most influential poets of Ancient Greece.

Sappho was born and raised on Lesbos. Her poetry was somewhat special. Her favourite topics were love and passion. That is hardly unusual for a poet but Sappho's narrator would normally admire another woman. Especially by Ancient Greek standards that was unusual. The word lesbian in fact derives from the islands name and that's mainly thanks to Sappho.

Modern is a popular destination for gay couples especially women. It seems to be a good place for artists. The most famous Greek painter of the 20th century (Theophilos) is "Lesbian".

The islands capital is Mytilene. The rather pretty port is located there as well. It is a relatively big city (40.000 people) and pretty busy. The main tourist attraction is the Byzantine Castle. It is one of the biggest in all Greece. Interesting are the Archaeological and the Theophilos museum.

Quite interesting is Molyvos (ancient Mythymna). It is the second biggest town on Lesbos and popular for several reasons. It is situated in the northern part of the island. Nearby is a rather popular beach. Most impressive is the Genoese fortress.

Another place you may want to visit on Lesbos is Eresos. Sappho was born there and that made it popular especially with Lesbian tourists.

Most of the rooms for rent you would find in Mytilene and Eresos.

There are daily ferries from Lesbos to Piraeus (Athens port) and a frequent connection to Chios and Lemnos. Twice a week you get a boat straight to Thessaloniki.

By plane you can get there 2 to 5 times a day with Olympic Airways (depending on the season) there also is a daily flight to Thessaloniki and Chios. Lesbos has an international airport. During summer you should be able to get a direct flight from the UK.

Public transport on Lesbos is pretty good. Frequent busses connect the capital with every corner of the island. There are local busses in Mytilene itself.