Agios Ioannis Kastri

The chapel of Agios Ioannis stands on a near-vertical rock rising from the sea on Skopelos's north coast, joined to the shore by a saddle and reached by roughly a hundred steps cut and built into the rock face. It is a working chapel, small and whitewashed, and the climb ends on a terrace with the Aegean on three sides; couples marry here, and the feast of Saint John on 29 August brings islanders up the steps. The site became internationally famous in 2008 as the wedding chapel in the film Mamma Mia, and now receives a steady stream of visitors who arrive by hire car or on tours from the port, though the scenes were partly filmed elsewhere and the rock has no facilities. Below, a small beach sits at the foot of the approach.

What you actually see

• The rock chapel - a small white church on a sea-girt pinnacle.
• The cut steps - about a hundred steps up the rock face.
• The terrace view - the north coast of Skopelos and open sea.
• The beach below - a small cove at the base of the rock.

When to go

Late afternoon for light and fewer tour groups; midday in summer brings the buses and the heat on unshaded steps. The chapel closes for weddings and services.

Honest expectations

The steps are steep with a handrail on only part of the route and are genuinely exposed in wind. There are no toilets, no cafe and limited parking. The chapel interior is tiny and often locked. The film association draws crowds disproportionate to what is there.

Nearby

Glossa village and Loutraki port lie west; Skopelos Town is forty minutes by road.