Sailing Holidays in Karystos
Karystos is located at a distance of 128km from the town of Halkida and is the southern Evia port. This charming and very picturesque town has been known since antiquity, and has a very rich history with many monuments as a testament to its power and importance.
Modern Karystos was originally designed by a favorite architect of Greece’s first king, Otto. This was probably the first attempt at urban planning in the newly formed Greek state following the War of Independence from Ottoman rule (1821-1829).
When the old village was moved from around the Venetian castle after 1830, the Bavarian architect Bierbach redesigned a new community adjacent to the harbor, complete with several broad boulevards leading to squares, as well as sidewalks and a promenade. Some lovely Bavarian-type homes and neoclassical buildings are still here.
Karystos also has many restaurants, ouzeries, tavernas and other shops. The closest port is Marmari, some six miles away, where ferries shuttle to and from Rafina on the Attica mainland. The town combines perfectly the sea and mountains, creating a very unique and charming environment. With the many mineral spring fountains, rich and luscious vegetation, crystal clear waters and lovely sandy beaches, it provides the perfect setting to escape and unwind.
Picturesque villages perched on ravines with natural springs and mulberry trees, a modern mountain refuge, the Venetian Castle Castello Rosso, the Gorge of Dimossari, the Dragon House, the Gulf of ancient Geraistos, and Bourtzi, a small rectangular fortress located just east of the small commercial port, are a few of the sites with great interest.
Widely known as the place of origin for the homonymous prized quarried stone used in decorative masonry throughout Greece and beyond, the area also has an abundance of livestock and fish.