Ios: the party island grows up

About Ios: the party island grows up

By the ULTIMATE Greek Islands Editorial Team

Ios built its reputation as the party island of the Aegean, a rite of passage for young backpackers since the 1970s. It still parties hard in high summer, but there is a calmer, beautiful island too.

The legend

From the 1970s, young travellers came to Ios for cheap rooms, beaches and nights that never ended. Chora’s lanes became a strip of bars, and the island’s reputation spread around the world.

The island today

In July and August, Chora still fills with a young crowd after midnight. But Ios has added boutique hotels, good restaurants and beach clubs, and in June and September it is relaxed. Mylopotas is the lively beach; Manganari, in the south, is one of the most beautiful in the Cyclades.

Ios by night is loud; Ios by day is golden.

Homer’s island

Ancient tradition holds that Homer died on Ios, and a site in the north is still called his tomb.

Our advice: if you want the party, come in July or August and stay in Chora or Mylopotas; if you want peace, come in June or September and stay near Manganari or Koumbara. Ios has no airport, so arrive via Santorini or by ferry from Piraeus.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Ios: the party island grows up before you go.