Where to eat

Here are some of our own favourites. Click on the town links to see Matt Barrett's (Lesvos.com) favourites.

SKALA KALLONIS
The harbour area of the town boasts a plethora of tavernas, but here are some recommendations.

Dionysos - right on the harbour front this taverna offers a large and varied menu to suit all. Excellent service and value. They simply have too many good dishes to start listing! You won't go hungry that's for sure!

Sea Horse - on the sea front out of the main town square with a good menu, good food, good service.

Ambrosia (near the church) remains very good delivering a simple Greek kitchen menu.

Madousa (on the seafront between the square and the car park) is an excellent family run taverna with a very enjoyable menu.

MOLIVOS (MYTHIMNA)
The harbour area is crammed with tavernas, some good, some bad, some outstanding! Unfortunately our favourite, Onar's, disappeared in 2008.

My favourite is the To ouzodiko fish taverna next to Octopus. It often has fresh fish hanging in the doorway. Exellent food (especially the seafood and fish) and you wont have to wait long (unlike at many other tavernas on Molivos which seem to pride themselves on slow service!).

For good coffee, ice creams and snacks try my favourite cafe on the island, Briki (first on harbour front by the car park opp the harbour chapel - was Indigo). Cafe Habana (at outward end of harbour) is also good.

Sea Horse is also good - especially for ice creams!

In the town centre, try the taverna (sorry, forgot its name!), just through the arch on the left as you come up from hill. It has great food and a great balcony and view! Use the Taverna Panorama by the castle for drinks if you need them. The food and service is much better down at the harbour.

When at Molivos harbour make sure you check out the little gallery which faces the harbour – it’s great for Greek and Mediterranean art and crafts as well as souvenirs and nick-knacks.

VATERA
As with many real tourist traps good tavernas can be hard to come by in places like Vatera, but the Akrotiri is an excellent fish taverna situated on the headland of Agios Fokas to the west of the town. The Vatera Beach Hotel, on the seafront heading towards Agios Fokas, is also excellent.

SIGRI
Australia, one of a group of tavernas overlooking the harbour front, is excellent - try their fresh fried prawns. The Golden Key sits overlooking the fort and the offshore islands. Its got a fantastic balcony area and some of the best shrimps on the island.

PETRI
The Achilles Well by the car park at the village entrance is fabulous. It has a balcony view to die for and serves a fantastically simple Greek kitchen menu. Tell them Lesvos Birding sent you!

VAFIOS
The taverna Vafios on the western edge of the town has fantastic views from an olive tree lined terrace, an excellent menu and good service. A little more formal than most tavernas but casual dress fine.

NEAR MYTILINI AIRPORT
Taverna Liminaki is just a few km towards Mytilini from the airport on the beach side of the road. It does great fresh fish - a real welcome and tonic after that flight or a great way to say goodbye!

SKALA ERESOU
There are loads of beach tavernas and bars here. Look for the ones patronised by the Greeks! Soulatso (mid way along front) rates as our favourite taverna on the island! What more can I say - eat there! Roots (second in from the west end - was Cafe Agua) is one of my two favourite cafes on the island and is excellent for good coffee, drinks and snacks and offers free Wi-Fi internet whilst you're sipping and snacking!

OFFBEAT
If you're away from the main areas, don't be afraid to eat in any of the town tavernas. We frequently end up in little tavernas occupied by old men sipping Greek coffee and stuffing themselves silly with local dishes! Vatousa, Skala Vasilikon, Skalochori, etc - they all have tavernas primarlily for local custom, but don't be afraid. Many will have an Engligh version of their menu, if not, then you'll just have to brush up on your Greek! It can be great fun and you'll be surprised at just how good and simple eating at the 'local's' tavernas can be.

Where to stay

View of Molivos when approached from Petra

SKALA KALLONIS (see map)
Skala Kallonis is centrally placed (right in the centre of the island at the northern end of the Gulf of Kalloni) for exploring the whole of the island of Lesvos with ease and is the first choice for many visiting birders. Many main birding sites are on the doorstep - Skala Kallonis Pools (when wet), Tsiknias (East) and Christou (West) rivers, Kalloni Saltpans, etc, as well as very good road links to the rest of the island.

Hotel Pasiphae Used by several birding tour groups and many individual birders as a base for their birding holiday on Lesvos. An exellent hotel used to catering for birders. Great bar with pool terrace. Used by several UK bird/wildlife holiday tour companies.

Lesvosbirding.com's Steve Dudley uses the Hotel Pasiphae for all his trips (groups and private holidays).

MOLIVOS (MYTHIMNA) (see map)
A town with two names! The Medieval name of Molyvos is still preferred to the comtemporary name of Mythimna.

Molyvos is situated in the very north of the island and is just over an hours drive from Mytilini (and most of the island!).

Molyvos is Lesvos's tourist capital and shows other places how to do it! It is truly spectacular and even at the busiest time of year, it can still be a realxed place to be.

The town is set on a hill rising up from its picturesque harbour to its Medieval castle, sitting atop the town like a crown. From the castle you can spectacular views of the island across as far as Ipsilou in the west, as well as across the sea to neighbouring Turkey.

Molyvos is a great place to base yourself. The north coast track along to Skala Sikaminias is great for migrants and breeding birds, and most of hte main birding areas are within an hour's drive.

VATERA (see map)
Situated on the south coast, Vatera has the longest beach on the island. This is a real package holiday hotspot and during peak season can be absolutely bustling.

During the spring birding season however, the place is deserted and makes a good base with its own good local areas to explore (inc. the Almiropotamos River, Agios Fokas, Ambeliko Valley), allows regular visits to the Polichnitos Saltpans but is a bit of a drive to the other main birding hotspots inc Kalloni (c. 45 mins drive), the north Coast (70+ mins) and Sigri (up to 2 hrs). But don't let this put you off staying here, exploring a much neglected area and shun the birding crowds around the Kalloni main area. Very few of them will bother you down here!

SIGRI (see map)
Sigri lies at the extreme western end of the island.

Few birders stay at Sigri presumably because its simply too far from anywhere, including a 2-hour drive to and from the airport at Mytilini.

Sigri is though one of the best birding areas on the island and boasts some of the best migrant areas which can easily take up most, if not all, of your holiday! You will other birders here as no matter where lese they may be staying, everyone will go to Sigri at least once during their stay - its that good!

Other places (see map)
Other towns where birders are increasingly staying include Skala Eressou (in the south-west) and Anaxos and Petra in the north.

Plomari in the very much out on a limb from the main sites, and Mytilini is simply not suitable for most wildlife-interested folk, and again away from the main birding sites.