Kymi

Kymi stands on the east coast of Evia, the largest town on this side of the island, built on a wooded ridge about 250 metres above its own little harbour. The position, gazing out over the open Aegean rather than the sheltered gulfs of the west, has earned it the nickname the "balcony of the Aegean", and the views from its upper streets and squares are among the finest on Evia.

The town proper is a handsome place of neoclassical mansions, plane-shaded squares and steep lanes, testament to a prosperous nineteenth-century past built on trade, silk and seafaring. That heritage is preserved in a good Folklore Museum, while the surrounding hills are famous for their orchards, above all the plump green figs of Kymi, still dried and sold as a local speciality. Springs and greenery make this a notably lush corner of the island.

Down at sea level, Paralia Kymis is the port and beach quarter, a working waterfront of tavernas and moorings below the town. From here departs the only car ferry to Skyros, the southernmost of the Sporades, a crossing of under two hours that makes Kymi an essential staging post for anyone island-hopping in that direction. There are pebbly beaches nearby and, a little to the north, the monastery of the Transfiguration and other quiet religious sites tucked into the hills.

Because it lies on the far side of the island, roughly three hours from Athens by bus via Chalkida, Kymi sees fewer casual visitors than the west coast, and it keeps an authentic, everyday Greek rhythm. It suits travellers who want big sea views, good local food and a genuine town rather than a resort, whether as a destination in itself or as the jumping-off point for Skyros.

Come for the panorama, the figs and the ferry, and stay for a town that quietly goes about its own business high above the Aegean.