Things to Do in Euboea: A Local Guide
Euboea is Greece's second-largest island, but most visitors miss most of it. A guide to the places and activities worth your time.
Euboea (also spelled Evia) is Greece's second-largest island, yet it rarely makes the top-ten lists. That's part of the appeal. The beaches are quieter, the roads are emptier, and the villages still run on their own schedule. Here's what's worth seeing near Nea Styra.
Karystos
The largest town in southern Euboea, about 30 minutes from the villa. The waterfront is lined with cafés and is one of the nicest places in the region to sit and watch ferries come and go. The medieval Venetian tower (Bourtzi) is free to walk up to and has excellent views.
Dragon Houses (Drakospita)
A genuinely mysterious thing: enormous stone structures built from massive slabs, scattered across the ridge above Styra. No one knows exactly who built them or how, though theories range from ancient Pelasgians to post-Mycenaean settlers. The hike up takes about an hour from the road. Bring water.
Marmari
A small resort town with good seafood restaurants and a ferry connection to Rafina (useful if you want to return to Athens a different way). The beach here is organised and family-friendly.
Hiking
Euboea has several marked hiking trails, including sections of the E4 European long-distance path. The ridge above the villa offers panoramic views of the gulf on clear days — ask the owners for the trailhead, it's a short drive.
Food and drink
- Tavernas in Nea Styra: simple, honest food, mostly seafood and grilled meat. No reservations needed outside August.
- Winery visits: the interior of Euboea has several small wineries. The Fakinos winery near Aliveri produces decent red from local varieties.
- Souvlaki in Karystos: there's a grill house near the main square that the locals queue for on weekend afternoons.
Getting around
You need a car. Public buses exist but are infrequent. The roads in the south are mostly single-lane but well-surfaced. Petrol stations are in Karystos and Marmari — don't assume small villages have one.
Euboea rewards slow travel. Two weeks here would still leave things unexplored.