Leros Island Dodecanese Greece

   Getting There
Ferries: There is a daily connection with Piraeus. This scedule also connects Leros with Patmos, Kalymnos, Kos and Rhodes. From May till October hydrofoils also connect Leros with Samos, Patmos, Lipsi, Kalymnos, Kos and Rhodes. There is also a less frequent service (once / twice a week) to Agathonissi and Ikaria.
Air: There are daily flights from Athens International Airport.

   Getting Around - There is a bus service connecting the villages and the beaches. Taxis amd car motorbike rentals is also available.

  Tradition - According to the tradition, the the miraculus Icon of Virgin which is housed in the church of Megalohari Kyra tou Kastrou in Platanos, set sail from Constantinopole on board lit by a sacred candle, and turned up in Leros during the Turkish occupation having. The inhabitants led by the bishops retrieved it from the seashore and carried it in great procession to the Cathedral. The next day, the icon had vanished and the Turkish captain of the Kastro found it, candle blazing, in the fortress gunpowder store, even though the door had been firmly locked. The icon was taken back to the Cathedral, but the next night decamped to the arsenal again. It kept this up until the Turkish governor was conviced it was a miraculus sign and gave the powder store room to the Christians.

the capital of Leros, is very pretty especially at night with stunning views to the fishing village of Panteli below. Platanos is crowded by the Kastro (Castle), a Byzantine fortress renovated by the Knights of Saint John and the Venetians and later used a military observation post. During ceasefire the inhabitants used to live in and they were well protected of it. Today there are ruins of about 180 homes in Kastro. The fortress was built over the ancient ruins and a 7th century BC tomb has been discovered. There are 370 steps up or a winding road.

Lovely, flower-decked houses scent the steep march up, a march rewarded not only with views of the village spilling down to Agia (Santa) Marina, but of the "four seas" of Leros, the bays of Panteli, Marina, Gournas and Lakki.

Inside Kastro there is the beautiful church of Megalohari Kyra tou Kastrou, the (Madonna of the Castle) with the miraculus icon of the Virgin. Near the Town Hall in Platanos Square is a small museum housing local finds. There is also the Antonelli family museum.

is the seaside quarter of the capital Platanos and is the second post of the island. It is a picturesque village with pretty white houses with wooden or stoned balconies decorated with flowers, tiny and narrow streets. At the harbour there is the fortress of Broutzi. During the Italian occupancy, Agia Marina was a very important town and here was the post office, the port Authority and the schools.

once a commercial port, is a very pretty seaside village 3 Km north west from Platanos. The chapel of Agios Isidoros in Kokkali area is built on an islet which is connected with a concrete road. Close to Drymonas there is the church of Panagia Gourlomata since the 14th century.
For swimming, Alinda (one of the best beaches of the island), Gournaa Bay, Kokkali and Drymonas beaches are offered.

(only 500 metres from Platanos) is a picturesque fishing village and it seems to be the united with Platanos and Agia Marina. With its little harbour full of fishing caiques Panteli is very much a working fishing village by day. There is small tree fringed beach and at night the taverna tables and chairs spill out on to the sands. Along the coast from Panteli, Vromolithos is a popular beach.

is a seaside village, 8 Km south from Platanos. Here is Paliokastro with remains from the Acropolis since 4th century BC. Further up, there is the nice chapel of Panagia. In Xirokambos Bay there are many beaches for swimming.

is the largest natural harbour in Greece, 4 Km away from the capital Platanos and it looks like with a lake as it only has 400 meters opening. The view of Lakki changed after the Italian rule in 1923 and as a result of that, new large buildings were built and wide and well paved roads were constructed. For swimming, Koulouki is the nearest beach.

Near the waterfront there is a monument to those who perished in 1943 when a Greek ship, Queen Olga was attached by German planes and sank in Lakki's harbour.