BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide

Skopelos or Alonissos: Which Boat Trip from Skiathos?

Mamma Mia's film set or a monk seal sanctuary: how to choose between Skopelos and Alonissos for a boat trip out of Skiathos, in Greece's Sporades islands.

From Skiathos, the most practical rental base in the Sporades, two neighbouring islands pull the itinerary in opposite directions: Skopelos, a film set turned whitewashed hilltop village, and Alonissos, a monk seal sanctuary at the heart of Europe's largest marine park. They look similar on the map, but they make for two very different days on the water.

Skopelos, the Mamma Mia! film set

A short hour's crossing from Skiathos, Skopelos lines up pine-covered coves down to the waterline and plum orchards that give the island its local reputation. It owes its international fame mainly to the filming of Mamma Mia!: the chapel of Agios Ioannis, perched atop a rocky outcrop and reached by roughly 200 steps, served as the film's wedding backdrop, while Kastani beach, about a thirty-minute drive from Skopelos Town, remains the island's most photographed spot. Skopelos Town itself, its white houses with blue slate roofs stacked around the harbour, is worth a stop to wander and have lunch overlooking the boats.

Alonissos and Europe's largest marine park

Further east, Alonissos sits at the heart of the National Marine Park of Alonissos and the Northern Sporades, established in 1992 and covering roughly 251,400 hectares — Europe's largest marine protected area. It encompasses Alonissos and six satellite islets (Peristera, Kyra Panagia, Gioura, Psathoura, Piperi and Skantzoura) and shelters one of the last viable populations of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), one of the world's most endangered marine mammals: roughly 300 of the 600 surviving individuals live in these waters. Navigation is regulated by zone, with a strictly protected core around the islet of Piperi off-limits to leisure boats, and wider sectors where anchoring and speed are restricted. A study by Trivourea, M. N., Karamanlidis, A. A., Tounta, E., Dendrinos, P. and Kotomatas, S., published in 2011 in Aquatic Mammals, on the socioeconomic impacts of the park on local residents and businesses, found that local buy-in to the protection rules depends directly on how much people perceive the tourism benefits it brings to the island (see the study on Google Scholar) — one more reason for a visiting boater to respect the marked zones carefully rather than treat them as an abstract inconvenience.

Both islands in one day?

It's technically possible but not especially comfortable: allow close to an hour from Skiathos to Skopelos, then another 45 minutes to 1.5 hours on to Alonissos depending on where you land, before the trip back. On a day-rental RIB, that's a lot of running time and not much actually spent ashore. It's better to pick one island per outing, or book two separate days if your stay allows — our general guide to the Sporades covers the archipelago's other anchorages to combine depending on how many days you have.

What boat to book

These distances call for a boat with real range: a well-powered RIB rather than a small license-free model, and a checked full tank before setting off, since fuel stops are scarce once you're out of Skiathos. Expect €200 to €600 a day depending on engine size, with a skipper optional at €150-350/day if the crew lacks experience for a run this long — a sensible precaution given the sea often runs choppier between the islands than in Skiathos's sheltered coves.

How to choose

For a first outing, an easy swimming stop and film-set atmosphere: head for Skopelos. For unspoiled nature, clear water and, with a bit of luck and a respectful distance, a fleeting glimpse of a monk seal: Alonissos is the pick, provided you keep your distance and follow the park's markers. Our guide to watching dolphins and turtles covers reflexes that apply just as well to monk seals, and our guide to marine protected areas explains how these regulated zones work across the Mediterranean and the Aegean.

Booking out of Skiathos

Skiathos remains the archipelago's only real rental base, with an airport and a well-served marina. On Boat-Comparator, compare offers from Boataround, SamBoat and Click&Boat in a single search out of Skiathos for your dates, and check the boat's fuel range before booking if Alonissos is on the itinerary.

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