Lemnos

North-East Aegean Islands

Lemnos (or Limnos) produces some of the best retsina in Greece, and other wines too for those whose palate does not take to Greece’s unique resinated drink. The vineyards are in the western and more volcanic half of this island, which is almost cut in two by the deep gouge of Moudros Bay, one of the biggest and best natural harbours in the Aegean. 

View of Myrina on Lemnos in GreeceView of Myrina

In complete contrast to the barren and rocky western half of Lemnos, the east is mostly low-lying and agricultural, apart from several areas of marshland. There are a number of good beaches scattered around the coast, although nowhere has really developed very much in terms of tourist facilities. The main town is Myrina, or Kastro, on the west coast, which is also where the ferries call in that link the island with towns such as Kavala and Rafina on the mainland, and other islands like Lesbos and Chios. There is also a small airport with daily internal flights to Athens, Thessaloniki and Lesbos.

Myrina

Myrina is an enjoyably ordinary town, with an attractive waterfront, a couple of decent beaches close at hand and a picturesque small fishing port. There are also the ruins of its Byzantine Castle to explore, and from here there are excellent views over the town and the whole west coast from the site where the original acropolis once stood. In the old part of the town there are cobbled streets and some grand Ottoman houses, some of which have seen better days.

In one 19th-century mansion is the Archaeological Museum, which does its best with the limited displays that it has. There are several minor classical sites around the island, such as Polyochni (which dates back to 3000BC), Ifaistia and Kabireio, but much work remains to be done on these.

A bottle of retsina on a taverna table in GreeceRetsina - Yammas!

Getting to Lemnos

Flights to Lemnos
You can fly to Lemnos International Airport from Athens on Olympic Air. There are also flights on Sky Express to Lemnos from Thessaloniki, Lesbos and Ikaria. British Airways also do direct summer charter flights from London Heathrow Airport to Lemnos. 

Ferries to Lemnos
There are daily ferries to Lemnos (or Limnos) from Kavala on the Greek mainland, with a journey time of between four and five hours. There are also one or two ferries a week to Lesbos (journey time over five hours). Ferries between Athens and Lemnos depart from the ferry terminal at Lavrio, about 30 miles south-east of Athens. There are 1-2 sailings per week and the  journey time is 10-11 hours.

Blue Star Ferries also call in at Lemnos on their Thessaloniki-Piraeus route, enabling you to island-hop to some of the North-East Aegean and Cyclades islands on the same route.

Ferries in Greece

Ferries in Greece has an excellent and very thorough website where, in addition to checking ferry schedules and times, you can also book tickets and get lots of useful information about travelling by ferry in Greece.


Where is Lemnos?

Where to Stay on Lemnos


More pages on the North-East Aegean

  • Thassos Travel Guide

    The A-Z Thassos travel guide, including Kavala and Philippi, is newly updated for 2022 and is the most comprehensive guide to Thassos available.

  • Thassos in the North East Aegean Islands of Greece

    Thassos is in the North East Aegean and on this page from the Greece Travel Secrets website you can also see information about flights and ferries to Thassos.

  • Samothraki

    Samothraki (Greek) or Samothrace (English) is a small island in the north-east Aegean Sea with the closest Greek islands being Thassos and Lemnos.

  • Samos in the NE Aegean Islands of Greece

    Samos is in the NE Aegean islands of Greece with attractions including Heraion and Pythagoreio, and this page tells you what to see and how to get there.

  • North East Aegean Islands

    The North East Aegean Islands include Lesvos, Thassos, Chios, Samos, Fourni, Ikaria, Limnos, Samothraki and here are tips on ferries, flights and what to do.

  • Museum of Samos Wine

    A visit to the Museum of Samos Wine to learn about the muscat grapes that produce the best dessert wines in the world and also the Greek spirit, Metaxa.

  • Lesbos or Lesvos in the North East Aegean Islands of Greece

    The island of Lesbos or Lesvos is in the North East Aegean Islands in Greece, and on this page you can see information including flights and ferries.

  • Chios

    The Greek island of Chios or Hios is a large island in the North East Aegean close to the Turkish coast, south of Lesvos and north of Samos, and famous for its mastic trees.

  • Best Things to Do on Thassos

    The best things to do on Thassos in the North East Aegean islands of Greece include its beaches, mountain hikes, and visiting its ancient archaeological sites.

  • Ikaria

    Ikaria (or Icaria) is an island in the North East Aegean Islands of Greece between Samos and Mykonos and is truly one of Greece's travel secrets.

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