The small – “big” idyllic coastal surprising city
that with humility constantly wins the impressions as an alternative destination, shaping its own model of tourist development for years, with its island aura being a privileged field but also the crystal clear beaches, the picturesque coves, the green landscapes, the hospitable inhabitants.
Embraced by the Ionian Sea and under the protection of Mount Veloutsa, Astakos looks like a hidden secret that has been waiting patiently for you to discover for years. To walk by the sea with the picturesque fishing boats, to cross the cobbled alleys, to envy the flower-decorated courtyards of the houses, to admire the well-preserved neoclassical buildings of the port but also those of the market and the square. Many of Astakos houses, witnessing a prosperous era, have beautiful frescoes inside, ornately decorated ceilings and remarkable decorative details. Poetic touch in the picturesque landscape are the windmill and the carnagio, at the entrance of the city, at the bottom of the bay.
Astakos took its name from the ancient king and having a rich history allows historians to look for it in the monuments and historical sites of the area such as the Byzantine castle of Dragamestos and the archaeological site of ancient Astakos in which the ruins of a temple are preserved. dedicated to Zeus Karaos. Below the castle town of Astakos, is the “Cave of the Cyclops”, where it is said that the famous Cyclops Polyphemus lived with his herd.
Nature lovers will look for the oak forest, which covers an area of thousands of acres and is the only one in Europe that has the rarest species of oak in the world. In fact, in the past, Astakos was an important commercial center for the export of oak, while the oak wood supplied the carnagas of Europe for centuries.
