Citera
According to Hesiod, Aphrodite was born from the blood of Uranus that fell into the sea near this island, carried by the foam of t...
Updated 10 July 2026
Citera
This season · July · Summer
What to do in Citera now
The story
The story of Citera
The ancient origins and the cult of Aphrodite
The earliest traces of settlement on Kythera date back to the Bronze Age: at Kastri, on the southern coast, the remains of a Minoan trading post have been brought to light, evidence of contacts between the island and Crete as early as the 2nd millennium BC. It was precisely this position at a maritime crossroads that gave rise, according to myth, to the island's special bond with Aphrodite: here, it is said, stood one of the oldest sanctuaries dedicated to the goddess in the entire Greek world, already mentioned by Herodotus. In historical times Kythera came under the influence of Sparta, which controlled the nearby Peloponnesian coast, while still retaining its own administrative autonomy.
Venetians, Ottomans and British rule
Like much of the Ionian Islands, Kythera was long contested between Venice and the Ottoman Empire: the Venetians built fortresses there and governed it intermittently from the 13th century onwards, leaving an architectural imprint still visible in its castles and place names. After the fall of the Republic of Venice, the island passed briefly under Russian and French influence, before joining, together with the other Ionian Islands, the 'United States of the Ionian Islands' under British protectorate from 1809. Only in 1864 was Kythera, along with its Ionian sisters, ceded to the Kingdom of Greece, completing a process of national unification that had lasted decades.
Chora and the Venetian Castle
The capital, Chora, climbs up a rocky headland overlooking the sea, dominated by the Venetian Kastro built in the 16th century to defend the island from Barbary pirate raids. The white and blue houses, more typical of Cycladic than Ionian aesthetics, cluster along alleys that suddenly open onto panoramic terraces overlooking the Gulf of Kapsali. Inside the castle walls there are still Byzantine churches and a small museum, while from the bastions the view stretches all the way to the coasts of the Peloponnese on the clearest days.
Kapsali, the double bay beneath the castle
At the foot of Chora lies Kapsali, the island's main tourist harbour: two twin bays separated by a small rocky headland, with clear water and a seafront lined with taverns that come alive especially on summer evenings. From here boats depart for the islet of Chytra, where legend says Aphrodite was born, and for the sea caves along the nearby coast. Kapsali offers the ideal compromise between comfort - restaurants, rentals, accommodation - and a still-natural landscape, not overrun by invasive tourist development.
Mylopotamos and the Fonissa waterfall
Inland, surrounded by plane trees and lush vegetation rare for the Greek islands, the village of Mylopotamos guards a small hidden treasure: the old watermills, now in ruins but still evocative, and a little further downhill the Fonissa waterfall, also called 'the mermaid', which plunges into a shaded natural pool perfect for a refreshing swim. Not far away lies the Agia Sofia cave, one of the largest on the island, with stalactites and a small Byzantine sanctuary carved into the rock at its entrance, open for seasonal guided visits.
Avlemonas, the fishing village
On the eastern coast, Avlemonas retains the atmosphere of a small fishing harbour, with low houses built around a naturally sheltered inlet. The remains of a small Venetian fortress watch over the harbour entrance, while the shallow turquoise waters of the bay make it one of the most photogenic stretches of coast on the island. The village, almost motionless out of season, fills in summer with visitors drawn by the fish restaurants set right on the water.
Paleochora, the ghost Byzantine city
Perched on a rocky spur high above a deep gorge, Paleochora - also known as Agios Dimitrios - was founded by the Byzantines precisely to hide the population from the eyes of the pirates infesting the Mediterranean. The town, which came to number dozens of churches, was razed to the ground in 1537 by the corsair Barbarossa, who deported the surviving inhabitants as slaves: since then the site has remained uninhabited, a fascinating cluster of ruins and remnants of Byzantine frescoes reachable only on foot, immersed in the silence of nature that has reclaimed the ancient walls.
Emigration and Australia's 'Big Kythera'
During the twentieth century, poor soil and isolation drove thousands of Kytherians to emigrate, above all to Australia, where they founded one of the country's largest and most influential Greek communities, concentrated in particular in Sydney. The bond is so strong that the islanders jokingly call Australia 'Big Kythera', while the home island remains 'Little Kythera' in the hearts of their descendants. Every summer many of them return for their holidays, bringing with them a double identity still felt in the surnames on shop signs and in the stories told by the village elders.
Potamos and Livadi, the inland centres
Away from the coast, Potamos is the island's main commercial centre, brought to life every Sunday morning by a market selling local produce and curiosities. Livadi, nestled in Kythera's most fertile valley near the airport, preserves the old stone bridge of Katouni, built by the British in the 19th century and considered the longest bridge of its kind in the Greek islands. These inland villages, less frequented by passing tourists, offer an authentic glimpse of daily island life.
Landscape, gorges and wild nature
Kythera's territory alternates between wind-swept plateaus and sudden green gorges, populated by pines, cypresses and centuries-old plane trees that make it resemble, in places, an Ionian landscape more than the arid terrain of its neighbouring islands. The coasts hide spectacular sea caves, including that of Agia Sofia and the inlets near Avlemonas, while the island's skies are an important refuge for Eleonora's falcon, which nests on the coastal cliffs. For trekking enthusiasts, marked trails link villages, gorges and waterfalls far from the traffic.
- Strolling through the alleys of Chora and climbing up to the Venetian Kastro at sunset
- Swimming in the double bay of Kapsali beneath the castle
- Walking to the Fonissa waterfall at Mylopotamos
- Exploring the silent ruins of the Byzantine city of Paleochora
- Dining on fish in the small harbour of Avlemonas
- Visiting the Agia Sofia cave with its small rock-cut sanctuary
- Crossing on foot the old bridge of Katouni near Livadi
When to go and how to experience the island
Kythera is best experienced by car, moving unhurriedly from one village to the next: the distances are not vast, but the mountain roads take time. Spring, between April and June, offers green landscapes and ideal temperatures for trekking to gorges and waterfalls; July and August bring the height of the beach season, with Kapsali and Avlemonas at their liveliest; autumn, up to October, keeps a mild climate and an even more rarefied atmosphere, perfect for those seeking a Greek island far from the crowds.
FAQ
Come si arriva a Citera?
Qual è il periodo migliore per visitarla?
Cosa vedere in un solo giorno?
Quanti giorni servono per visitare l'isola con calma?
Serve l'auto per muoversi sull'isola?
È adatta a chi viaggia con bambini?
Getting there
- Aeroporto Nazionale di Citera 'Alexandros Aristotelous Onassis' (KIT), presso Livadi, con voli da Atene
- Non collegata alla rete stradale continentale: si arriva in auto solo imbarcandola sui traghetti da Neapoli o Gythio nel Peloponneso.
- In alta stagione conviene prenotare in anticipo sia il traghetto (soprattutto se si porta l'auto) sia il volo, spesso limitato a pochi posti al giorno.
Perfect for
Paleochora e i castelli veneziani raccontano secoli di dominazioni e fughe dai pirati, in un paesaggio quasi immobile nel tempo.
Gole verdi, cascate nascoste e sentieri segnalati rendono Citera una meta perfetta per chi ama camminare lontano dalla folla.
Da Kapsali ad Avlemonas, calette turchesi e porticcioli di pescatori regalano un mare ancora genuino.
Il legame con la comunità greco-australiana rende l'isola un caso unico di identità doppia, tra Egeo e Pacifico.
Miele, formaggi di capra ed erbe selvatiche accompagnano una cucina semplice, legata ai prodotti dell'entroterra.
To see
