Amorgos Travel Guide: Best Hiking Trails and Crystal Clear Beaches

Last updated August 01 2023

If you came to Amorgos because of ‘Le grand bleu‘ (The Big Blue), the all-time famous movie directed by Luc Besson that put Amorgos on the map for its’ astonishing blue waters, you will not be disappointed to see Amorgos in real life!

I returned to Amorgos after a decade of absence. I had been in Greece from time to time since then, but when I returned to Amorgos I was dazzled as to how little has changed in the meantime. Only this time I was different.

I have changed so much since I was a teenager to the person I am now. Now I am more than eager to discover new places, endure long hikes and try different restaurants. But I still find myself needing a slow day with a morning snorkeling trip on one of the local beaches with my parents, spending the heat of the day inside the hotel room, having a simple Greek salad or Gyros pita at the usual grill restaurant (see the bottom of this post), and returning to the beach again in the late afternoon.

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Reasons to go to Amorgos

Amorgos has some amazing nature. If you enjoy hiking in the mountains, surrounded by nature and open land, Amorgos is a great place to visit for hikers.

The beaches in Amorgos are pristine. You can find a large variety of beaches in Amorgos, including sandy beaches, rock beaches, beaches good for snorkeling and diving. One of the most picturesque beaches is Agia Anna! The beach of Agia Anna is situated close to the most famous monastery in Amorgos, the Monastery Hozoviotissa.

Amorgos is less visited than many of the neighboring islands. Therefore, you will have a more authentic stay in Amorgos than in other places.

View of hiking route 7A on Amorgos, Katápola. Mountain and blue waters — Hiking near Katápola, Amorgos Greece

Amorgos hiking trails

I spent several days exploring some of the hikes that you can embark on when visiting Amorgos.

If you are arriving in Katápola you will find a map overview of the possible hiking trails of Amorgos. It is situated behind the taxi waiting spot close to the bookstore.

What is in common for most of the hikes were that they are marked with little signs with their numbers, red markings on rocks or rock cairns (read more about rock cairns and rock stacking here).

As the temperatures are quite high on Amorgos during summer, it is recommended to start in the early morning. Make sure you do the most difficult parts early (e.g. climbing altitude) before the temperatures rise too high up.

Especially the months of June, July and August is where the temperatures are highest. Always go prepared when you go on a hike, and take precaution in the summer months when the weather forecast looks like there will be a heat wave. In case of extreme weather conditions, reconsider your plans and reschedule. Stay hydrated!

Hiking routes starting in Katápola

Hiking route 7A and 6 were my two favorite hikes as they went through some interesting terrain with beautiful sceneries.

I hiked among goats, old shepherds huts along the coast north of Katápola to the lighthouse and back (route 7A, see photo below), where I had the highest number of bird species during my stay on Amorgos (check out my eBird list).

Another hiking route (route 2) took me and my parents to Chora for brunch and a walk around the charming mountain village of Chora, my parents’ favorite place on the island.

Rie overlooking the pristine blue waters of Amorgos — Here I am enjoying the view from a hike near Katápola. From hiking route 7A.

Hiking routes from Chora

From Chora you can hike down east (route 1) to the Panagia Hozoviotissa monastery where you can have a glass of rakí and a loukoumi with the local monks. Then continue further down to the charming but tiny beach Agia Anna to the most clear waters I have ever seen during my many times in Greece.

Despite being microscopical, Agia Anna is worth the experience especially if you like snorkeling. The view there is absolutely stunning and the sun shines brightly on the crystalline blue sea.

At Agia Anna there is a small café where you can enjoy a cold beverage or better, an iced coffee, while enjoying one of the most calmingly beautiful views of the island. You might as well while you wait for the bus to pick you up!

The hike from Katápola to the Saint George Valsamitis monastery (route 6) is not the most beautiful of them, but you get to experience some rough mountain hiking with decent views of the Katápola bay. The path was not always clear, and there were parts of the trail where it was a little too exciting. If you continue along the roadside after the monastery you can end your hike in Chora, from where you can get busses to Katápola, Aigiali.

Hiking routes near Aigiali

One morning we took an early taxi from Katápola through the misty mountains, past Chora and along the coastline, to begin the hike in Aigiali (route 6). From the starting point it was a steep climb up to Tholaria, the first of the little mountain villages we would encounter along our hike. In Tholaria we stopped for an iced coffee and a little stroll around the quiet mountain village. Here I also got the best views of the local darling and breeding bird, the Eleonora’s falcon.

Soaring Eleonora's falcon — *The Eleonora’s falcon is a bird that is hard to miss. If you look up you will see them soaring the skies, maybe even perching on buildings or oth*er *structures in the town.*

This species of falcon thrives in this landscape, and if may find it gliding around so elegantly just above your head while they look for their next prey, a small bird or mammal.

Timing is key

A fun fact about the Eleonora’s falcon is that they time their breeding with the migration of passerines, which means that when exhausted little songbirds arrive along the shores of Amorgos, the Eleonora’s falcon will catch them as prey for their young chicks! How cool is that 😊. Check out this nice website for more info on the species, although not the Greek falcons.

Church in Tholaria with blue, red and white colors. Mountains in background. — *Tholarian church*

After Tholaria we hiked on an ancient mountain path that clearly had been used by the mountain village inhabitants for several hundreds of years. It was to me the most special path I hiked during my vacation in Greece, with several little discoveries along the way. We arrived in Langada after about 1,5 hours of hiking in the baking sun, and we were longing for a break in the shade with good food and cold beverages. We had a delicious lunch at the café 25raki, where especially the homemade local bread was super soft and yummy!

The ancient path between Tholaria and Langhada. View of mountains and town Langhada — *The ancient path between Tholaria and Langada*

After having sat there and rested our feet and filling our stomachs, we set east and downhill back to Aigiali.

Make sure you have checked the bus schedule beforehand! We arrived in Aigiali just in time for an afternoon bus, only to find it filled with young tourists that could not squeeze any more people in. Instead we called one of our favorite taxi drivers to drive us back to Katápola. This was of course an expensive alternative..

How to get around in Amorgos

By bus: You can get around by public busses in Amorgos. You can google and find the latest bus schedule for Amorgos, and it may also be printed in the towns.

In the future, Amorgos may be an increasingly more popular destination, meaning that probably public busses will be more packed than they were when i visited in 2021.

By car: You can rent a car and go around Amorgos as you want. It is easier to escape the crowds, as you can reach more secluded places this way.

How do you get to Amorgos

There are several ways to reach Amorgos. What is in common for all of them, is that you can only reach Amorgos via sea way!
There are two ferry ports in Amorgos; in Katápola (the center of Amorgos) and Aigiali (the north end of Amorgos).
Amorgos is well connected to the other Cyclades Islands. You can for example fly to Athens, Mykonos or Naxos and then take a ferry to Amorgos.
You can use apps to find routes and tickets to Amorgos, when I visited in 2021 I used the app NISEA. It seems the name has been updated since, but here’s a link to the Openferry (NISEA) app on GooglePlay.

Where to stay in Amorgos

Accommodation in Katápola

I stayed at the family-owned hotel Saint George Valsamitis located in Katápola. My room had a lovely balcony and view of the mountains. The hotel is within walking distance of the ferry in Katápola, making it an ideal place to stay for a short visit in Amorgos.

We have previously stayed at the camping ground in Katápola, which is situated right in the center of Katápola, and right in front of the beach. Albeit the beach is not the best on Amorgos, since the water in the harbor city Katápola is not the cleanest, it is a sandy beach with free umbrellas!