Monolithos Castle, Monolithos, Greece

Outside the Monolithos village is the medieval castle, built on top of a 100m rock. It was built in 1480 by the Knights of Saint John to protect the island from attacks. In fact, this castle was never conquered. The Castle of Monolithos is widely ruined today but it offers great views of the sea and the two islets opposite to it. Inside the castle, there is a small working chapel dedicated to Agios Panteleimon (Saint Pantaleon).

Access to the castle is by a staircase cut into the rock. The steps, whilst not particularly steep, are quite slippery simply due to the numbers of visitors wearing them away. On the climb up to the top, you are likely to see hundreds, if not thousands, of small piles of rocks from 3–10 in number. These piles are left there by the visitors as a form of a memento.

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User Reviews

Chris 04 (3 years ago)
Breathtaking views from the castle onto the sea and the surrounding Forrest. Not too much left from the castles but the views are definitely making up for it. Recommend going here in the afternoon/sunset. Definitely worth a visit.

Damjan Pjević (3 years ago)
Monolithos Castle was built in the 15th century. It was built to protect the island, to stand tall and to overlook the surrounding area. Today only the ruins remain. It is very close to Monolithos and it should take no more than 5 minutes to climb to the top. The road to the castle might be a bit narrow but nothing to worry about. The ruins aren't much to look at, but the spot is ideal for sunsets and cheesy sunset photos.

Mark Benjamin (3 years ago)
Have to take some steps to reach the castle (takes like 5 mins). The view from up there is breathtaking. The castle up there isn’t much to see. There is a little chapel which is cool to visit. Down at the hill is a little restaurant serving drinks. No fee for entering the castle.

Maria Christina (3 years ago)
Tiny castle with a great view. ?‍♀️ It is what it is... So why not the 5 stars. If it's on your way, it's a worthy 10 minutes stop.

Maren Pauli (3 years ago)
A very beautiful castle (or what's left of it) with an amazing view. It is quite a trip to get there though, and you need a good car. We had the cheapest category of rental car, it still did the job, but some passages were quite tricky. Experienced drivers will be fine. The castle offers a great scenery, the area is not big though. Maybe also visit the beach down there!

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Roman Moško

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