Nissiros or Nisyros is a Greek island of the Dodecanese, located in the south of the Aegean Sea between Kos, Tilos and Rhodes. Its area is 41 km2. The island has many natural beauties and a rich cultural heritage that the inhabitants keep alive. The most striking feature of the island is its active volcano. It is the youngest volcano in the Aegean Sea whose last eruption, geothermal, dates from 1887.
Nisyros was born after a series of eruptions of the unique volcano in Greece. Access to its craters is easy and thousands of tourists and scientists visit it each year. The volcano and the tranquility that reign in the picturesque villages are two of the main assets of the island.
The island is surrounded by four islets also of volcanic origin: Gyali, Pergoussa, Paheia, and Strogyli Kasou. Almost in the center of Nissiros, on the plateau at Lakki, the crater of the extinct volcano, Polybotes (diameter 260 m and depth 30 m) opens. Steps lead to the center, with soft ground. The smell of sulfur is very marked.
According to mythology, Nissyros was originally united with Kos. When the battle between the Gods and the Titans broke out, Poseidon chased the giant Polyvotis and finally caught up with him in Kos, where he impaled him with his trident. The shock was so strong, that the island was divided into two parts, thus creating the island of Nissiros. One can still hear the giant sighing in the volcano. According to another myth, the first king of the island was Thessalus, son of Heracles.
The capital and port of Nissiros is Mandraki, located to the northwest at the foot of a steep hill. Its white and brightly colored houses form an impressive contrast with the dark color of the volcanic soil on which they are built. The castle overlooks the city and overlooks the sea and a folklore museum with various exhibits restoring the history of the island.
In addition to visiting the volcano, you can also visit the picturesque villages of the island: Mandraki, Pali, Emporios and Nikia. These 4 villages are built according to the architectural style of the island. In Mandraki, you will meet the monastery of Panagia Spiliani with its iconostasis which is inside the Castle of the Knights of Saint John.
To the south of the island, the village of Nikia perches on the crest of a hill, 400 m above sea level. Its white houses with colored doors and windows and tiled roofs shape the green countryside.
The monastery of Panagia Kyra, the chapels of Evangelistria and Stavros, the acropolis of the old town of Emporios, or Palaiokastro, the Knights’ Castle, the History and Folk Museum, the thermal springs of Loutra, 2 km east of Mandraki and Pali, Avlaki and Shirous are also worth a visit.
Nissiros has many beautiful coasts suitable for swimming and fishing. In Mandraki there is a beautiful sandy beach and a little further east in Cholchaki, a large beach with black pebbles of volcanic origin. This is probably the most beautiful and typical of Nissiros.
In Agia Irini and Paloi, there are some pretty calm beaches. The beaches of Aspri Ammos and Ammos Pachia are white sandy beaches. At Avlaki, the waters are crystalline.