Assos

Assos occupies a strip of land joining a wooded peninsula to the main island, with a small harbour on one side, a pebble beach on the other, and a scatter of pastel houses rebuilt after the 1953 earthquake around a square of plane trees. Above it, the Venetian fortress built from 1593 encloses the whole peninsula behind two kilometres of wall, one of the largest castles in the Ionian; a cobbled path climbs to the gate in about twenty-five minutes, and inside are ruined barracks, a church and pine woods, with views down both coasts. The approach road descends the cliff in tight hairpins, and the classic photograph of Assos is taken from the layby halfway down.

What you actually see

• The fortress walls - two kilometres of Venetian rampart around the peninsula.
• The isthmus village - pastel houses between harbour and beach.
• The hairpin road - the descent with the classic view over the village.
• The pine interior - woods and ruins inside the castle enclosure.

When to go

Late spring and September for the walk up to the castle in comfort and space in the village. August fills the tiny centre and parking becomes very difficult.

Honest expectations

Parking is severely limited, and in summer cars queue on the hairpins. The castle is a ruin with little interpretation and a steep, hot approach. The village has only a handful of tavernas.

Nearby

Myrtos beach lies south along the same coast; Fiskardo is at the island's northern tip.