Poros cannot be said to be much of a walker’s island, but the town is absolutely great, so a visit is really really mandatory!

I cannot recommend the island for its beaches either, they all looked small and cramped, and in high season (August in my case), the sewage plant could obviously not cope with the pressure from the larger tourist hotels nearby. Horrible smell and the water was grey. Only a very brave person would put as much as a toe into this. Not that the beaches were very clean in the first place… Yuck! Luckily this could not be noticed from the town itself.

For food and drink Poros town at least is great and hotel standard seems also very high. I can warmly recommend the 7 Brothers Hotel in the harbour. All the tavernas I tested served good stuff, and the wine was fresh and delicious. Those I tried were: Dimitris Family Taverna, Gia Mas, O Kipos, Oasis and Rota. The last one is especially good for fresh fish. The simple pizzeria Kolona is very good for both pasta and some basic Greek starters in my experience, and has efficient and good service. The Skipper Café is super relaxed for all your drinking needs (and more) during the day.

Selected walks: For walks on Poros take a look at the Step by Step Poros Hiking Map. Not quite sure why there even is a “Hiking” map to Poros, as remaining paths are very few. Also this one is not well up-to-date with the current situation, as tracks have become disused, eroded and overgrown (no problem for the walker), other areas developed and everything fenced in (and impassable even for a walker).

•1 POROS TOWN – AGII ANARGYRI (+ RETURN) (my total time 2h16; 216a 213d; net walking time 1h24): This is a superb little walk with many possible variations. Some good, some not so good… But anyone staying on Poros should do this walk, in one way or another.

My suggestion is to combine the walk to the little chapel with a more or less complete circumnavigation of “Little Poros”, using the coast road. Begin in the harbour and start your round trip counterclockwise. When the road swings left and inland, take a little side trip to the right to another little chapel, before returning to main road. There are great views from the southern tip of the peninsula.

Nearing town again on the other side from where you started, there is a sign for the Agii Anargyri path. Follow that steep road upwards, and you will soon arrive at a tower on the highest point. From here just continue on the good path eventually ending at the chapel for more extensive views.

There are many options for your route back down to town: 1. You can return all the way back down to the coast road again, to complete a full circumnavigation, even with an optional detour to the Kanali. 2. You can take the fastest route steep down left not far from the chapel (by the sign). 3. You can take an initially very nice path left (and back) from the saddle below the tower (you passed this one also on your way to the chapel). This is the route I took, but I cannot recommend it as the path is destroyed further down (just past the first house). If you take this route, be very careful. 4. You can wander into the streets and explore the upper parts of town by walking back just past the tower.

•2 POROS TOWN – VAGIONIA BEACH – TEMPLE OF POSEIDON – POROS TOWN (my total time 3h54; 505a 512d; net walking time 3h12): A sightseeing tour.

Start early in the morning and just follow the asphalt road to Vagonia. The beach is pretty, but rather uninteresting in itself as it is covered wall-to-wall with sunbeds. And outside this area it is not even cleaned.

Then follow the asphalt road back, eventually heading left for the temple ruins (free access). Do the necessary sightseeing then head back out the entrance and slightly to the right towards the crest of the hill, then immediately left into something that looks like a parking lot, but is actually the start of a track. Use the hiking map to get yourself back down e.g to Askeli.

•3 POROS TOWN – MIKRO NEORIO – MEGALO NEORIO – RUSSIAN BAY – CAPE AKRITSA (+ RETURN) (my total time 3h38; 393a 398d; net walking time 3h05): A beachcomber walk, at least initially. I actually tried to investigate more inland routes for this part of the walk, but that came to nothing. Why was more apparent on the way back…

Start out in the early morning when there is no traffic, and follow the asphalt road in the direction of Cape Akritsa, and eventually take the signed walking path down left, to pass a very small (as well as stony and dirty) beach before ending up at the lighthouse.

From the lighthouse carefully make your way up the crest of the hill on animal traces. I did not see any actual waymarks, but if you pick your way carefully and methodically the going is not too bad. Eventually you get up to a track, and then the main road again.

Continue on the asphalt road (not back in the direction you originally came), and take the SECOND turn off to the right. Here you can just meander along the hills (keeping your elevation more or less constant) all the way back to the asphalt road used initially for walk 1 above, and return to town from there. You will from this angle see that other options (those I tried to investigate from below) are either overgrown to the point of being impassable, or completely fenced off.

• Good starting points: • Poros town

• How to get there: • Excellent ferry/hydrofoil connections from Piraeus’ Great Harbour • Taxi boats the short stretch over to Galatas on the Peloponnese

• More info: Sorry, nothing yet