Scenically attractive, and exceptionally warm and welcoming, Livadia will provide a holiday in its traditional sense.
Description
On the quietly reserved island of Tilos, Livadia is the hub of the action. You’ll find a pretty, well maintained beach, a town square with a selection of tavernas with some interesting attractions. Scenically attractive, and exceptionally warm and welcoming, Livadia will provide a holiday in its traditional sense: time to unwind in an authentic greek atmosphere and space to wander and explore.
Who holidays here?
The perfect destination for anyone wanting to slow down the pace a little. Very relaxed, but with plenty of interest, Livadia is ideal for young families and couples of any age.
Destination Profile
Livadia is where island hoppers disembark and is also where most of holiday accommodation on Tilos is situated. As such, it is the most vivacious spot on an island of calm and tranquillity, more so than its inland capital of Megalo Chorio 7kms away. As a pretty port, it attracts a mix of people from wealthy yacht owners to holidaymakers, locals and the odd artist, all of whom mingle along the traffic-free, stone walkway that follows the curve of the bay. The sand and pebble beach is well served with sunbeds and parasols and some eateries nearby while the warm waters of the Aegean shelve gently away to the distant horizon in a magnificent sweep of turquoise. The cubed white and pastel dwellings take your eye up the hillside forested with the dark greens of tamarisk, fig and pine to the clear skies above. Splashes of vibrant colour from sapphire woodwork, or the intense hues of mediterranean flora enhance the scene. In the evening, the lights twinkle around the bay reflected in the sea, but the main square is the place to go to spend time over a delicious meal in a cafe or tempting taverna.
Now the main port on Tilos (though not always - it once was the neighbouring medieval port of Agios Stefanos) the town’s economic history is of farming rather than fishing; Livadia is greek for meadows. The community, who today number about 300, work fertile plain in the valley of Livadia as well as cultivation on the hillsides. As a spot vulnerable to pirate attack in centuries gone by, however, islanders tended to retreat inland to settle in towns such as Megalo Chorio and Mikro Chorio. But the rise of tourism in the 1970s brought more development along the coastline, though not of the mass-tourism variety - Livadia still retains the air of a traditional Greek town, with some interesting architectural attractions. There is the quirky Italian-built police station, for example, or the churches of Agia Anna, Agios Nikolaos and Agios Panteleimonas. High above, on a rocky ridge aptly named Kastellos, are the remains of a Mycenaean fortification and ruins of medieval castles are to be found if you cast your net wider and take the coastal road towards Agios Stefanos. Here there is also a lighthouse and a couple of kilometers further on, the agricultural settlement of Geras with its natural springs.