Molyvos is the tourist capital of Lesvos but don't let that scare you away. It is Greek Island tourism at its best with all of the good qualities and few of the bad and attracts visitors who are sensitive to culture and tradition but are still there to have a good time.

Molyvos, Lesvos, GreeceMithymna, or Molyvos as it was called during the middle ages, is truly an amazing town. When you pass through Petra and follow the coastal road you really are unprepared for the dramatic first view you get when you come around that last bend. Luckily there is a place to pull off where you can take it all in, rather then sneak glances and endanger your family and everyone else on the road. The town is situated on a small mountain topped by the dramatic Castle of Mithymna, built by the Byzantines and renovated by the Gattelusis, who were from Genoa and were ceded the island when Francesco Gattelusi married the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor John Paliologos. The original castle which this one replaced, was conquered by none other then Achilles during the Trojan war. (The ruins of the ancient city of Troy are right across the narrow straits between Molyvos and Turkey). There are still ancient ruins scattered around the town including impressive polygonal walls and a few giant holes where archaeologists have begun their slow work after some poor person discovered them while renovating their home.The town of Molyvos itself is built of stone houses and shops which surround the castle and follow the coast to one of the most scenic harbors in Greece. As one enters the village there is certainly a lot of tourist activity, at least more then anywhere else on the island, (yet nowhere near Cycladic proportions). But rather then terrifying teens on motorbikes, these are a more sophisticated breed, some of them actually carrying books of Greek Mythology and histories of the island. I think one of the things I like about Molyvos is that the tourists are interesting. You can sit down with one and have a decent conversation at breakfast. You can get drunk with one and actually learn something because unlike places like Mykonos, Ios and Santorini which people hear about by word of mouth or from their local travel agent, to know about Molyvos, you have to at least know how to read. Many of these tourists not only know how to read but they devour literature on the island and return year after year, some of them eventually buying a house and settling here and even becoming writers.There is a stone beach and a small park in Molyvos down by what used to be the village Olive Oil factory but what is now the Olive Press Hotel, one of the most interesting hotels on the island. Living in America or any modern industrialized country it might be hard to conceive of turning a factory into a hotel. But the Olive Press is a simple, large stone building, broken up into different rooms with a beautiful courtyard garden, pool, and a very nice restaurant right on the water. The beach is small stones but once you get out a few feet this gives way to soft sand and there are few beaches that have the view you get when you turn around and face the land. It is a view of the town and castle so beautiful that you will risk the possible destruction of your camera in order to get a photo. (I didn't risk it). There are a few cafe-bars and restaurants in this part of the village. Unfortunately a garbage truck hit my rental car while I was asleep one night. Because of this experience I should warn you that it is not a great idea to park on the small streets of Molyvos. There is a parking lot outside the village that is within easy walking distance from most of the hotels and another lot above the harbor which may require more courage than you have to get in and out of because the road is so steep. So I suggest you leave your car on the lot outside the village and get your exercise walking to the harbor. If you keep walking away from the village the Hotel Delfini sits on a very nice sandy beach, one of the best beaches on the island actually. In Greece you can't own the beach which means even when a hotel sits on the beach, anyone can swim there.

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