Karystos

Karystos was laid out on a grid in the 1830s by a Bavarian engineer for the new Greek state, which gives it broad straight streets running down to a wide bay, unusual in a Greek provincial town. On the shore stands the Bourtzi, a squat thirteenth-century Venetian tower built of ancient marble blocks, and above the town the castle of Castello Rosso occupies a ridge with the mountain behind. The marble here is famous: cipollino, green-veined and prized by Rome, was quarried on the slopes of Ochi, and unfinished columns still lie in the ancient quarries where they cracked and were abandoned, some over ten metres long. The bay catches strong northerly winds, which makes it a windsurfing centre, and the mountain above holds the dragon houses and the Dimosari gorge.

What you actually see

• The Bourtzi - a Venetian tower of reused ancient marble on the shore.
• The cipollino quarries - abandoned Roman columns lying on the mountainside.
• Castello Rosso - the ruined castle on the ridge above the town.
• The bay - a long windy beach used by windsurfers.

When to go

Late spring and early autumn for walking on Ochi and swimming; summer brings wind that is welcome in the heat but tiring on the beach. Ferries from Rafina are the quickest approach from Athens.

Honest expectations

The town is pleasant but plain, with little of architectural note beyond the grid and the tower. The quarries require a rough drive and a walk. Wind is a constant, and some days it is genuinely strong.

Nearby

The Dragon Houses and Dimosari gorge lie above the town; Marmari and the ferry to Rafina are west.