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Day trip
Plytra and Archangelos
Two seaside villages across the bay, with the ruins of the ancient town of Asopos under the sea.
- 40 km
- about 45 minutes by car
Across the bay of Vatika, less than an hour from the island, two villages by the sea combine swimming and history.
Archangelos
Less than 30 kilometres from Elafonisos, Archangelos is a pretty fishing village with a lacy coastline and blue water. It is named after the church of the Archangels. Around it are many small coves, and a little further on the long beach of Charakia, about three kilometres, and the sandy beach of Pyla.
Plytra and sunken Asopos
Past Daimonia, about 40 kilometres from the island, Plytra is built on the site of the ancient town of Asopos. At Kokkines, in the shallows, ruins of buildings and the ancient harbour can still be seen on the seabed: the town sank in the great earthquake of the 4th century AD, the same one that, tradition says, cut Elafonisos off from the mainland. Asopos had its own coins, and one of them is kept in the Archaeological Museum of Sparta.
For a swim
North of Plytra, at Elia, you will find Kavos, Limani, Viandini and Tigania beach. To the south, towards Asopos, is Boza beach.
Good to know
Bring a mask: in the shallows at Plytra you can see the ruins of Asopos, as at Pavlopetri. Do not touch or take anything from the seabed.
