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Drakano Tower on Ikaria Island is one of the best preserved military watchtowers in Greece. The tower was built in the 4th century BC during Alexander the Great’s reign. This post will take you on a hike to the tower and you will discover all you need to know about this beautiful historic site.

After the tower, we also went to see the ancient Saint George church and Saint George beach. We chose to hike to all of these places. But, it is possible to drive to the Drakano tower on a passenger car.

Starting from Faros Village, Ikaria Greece

We started our hike from the village of Faros. The hike from Faros is about a 5-mile loop with moderate elevation gain.

The hike itself is not difficult at all. When we were on Ikaria in early May, there were almost no tourists. Only locals passed us by from time to time. The village of Faros was very quiet and beautiful. On the way to the tower, we passed by an Airbnb called Drakano Rooms. Drakano Rooms has a very picturesque location with high angle overlook on Faros and Icarian sea.

As we climbed the road along Drakano rooms, we encountered stunning views of the Aegean islands and Icarian sea. From here, you can see the islands of Samos and Fournoi. Samos is famous for its mount Kerkis with height of over 4,600 feet above the sea level.

The entire island is covered in wild herbs. Honeybees were very busy collecting nectar. Ikarian honey is known for its healthy properties that promote longevity.

We tried it there and it had a very intense, but delicious flavor. If you’d like to try Ikarian raw honey, take a look at Klio’s online store. Klio brings authentic Ikarian honey and Greek wild herbal teas to US customers.

Hiking to Italian Fortress on Ikaria, Greece

After traversing the main dirt road, we came to a junction. Here, you have two options. You can keep right on the main road straight to the Drakano tower. Or you can go keep left and check out the ruins of the Italian fortress from World War II.

Once we reached the fortress at the top, we took one of the footpaths to get to the Drakano tower. Of course, we opted for the path to the Italian fortress. The views there were worth every second of it.

Wildflowers were in full bloom at that time. The landscape on Ikaria is very open with very little trees. The main flora on the island consists of shrubs and some trees at Randi, or Ratis, forest.

We tried to look up information about this World War 2 Italian fortress. But, there is almost no information in English. The outpost is in a dilapidated state with no roof.

You can see that these buildings were constructed from rocks sourced on Ikaria. Later, they were reinforced with concrete. We also came across this bunker that was semi-flooded with rainwater.

Then, a short walk uphill, there were other ruins that looked more ancient to us. Again, we could not find any information on any of these buildings.

Walking from Italian Fortress to Drakano Tower

After walking around these ruins, we continued down to the Drakano tower. There were many footpaths going that way. Google maps does not show them. But, they are visible when you enable the terrain view.

The path from the Italian fortress to Drakano tower faces the northern side. For this reason, it was very windy. But, there were no people and it was very peaceful. Going down that hill was one of the best parts of the hike.

These small trails leading to Drakano tower are walkable. However, there are many of spiky plants that we tried to stay away from as best we could. As you hike, there can be several junctions here and there. We kept to the right and still got to the Drakano site.

Exploring Drakano Tower of Ikaria, Greece

When we arrived there, we saw the hours of operations. The site is open every day from 9am to 3:30pm, except for Thursday. The entrance is free.

The Drakano tower is made of 44-foot limestone blocks. At its heyday, Ancient Greeks used the Drakano tower to track ships between Ikaria and Samos. There was a town called Drakanon, where the military garrison stationed.

The town of Drakanon was the cult site of Dionysos, the Greek God of wine. Ikaria was very well-known for its prized wine production during Hellenistic times.

The feeling is surreal when you enter the tower itself. We could only imagine how ancient Greeks used it to guard the islands.

Ancient Town of Drakanon

Besides the tower, there are many other fortification ruins to explore. Excavations are still being underway there at this ancient town of Drakanon. There was also an altar base from the early Classical period found there. The altar was dedicated to Ilithyia, the Greek goddess of childbirth and midwifery.

Walking among these ruins, we could feel as if we were transported to that era. The absence of people, along with the serene nature, breeze and rocks brought this strong historical awareness. You can visit Ikaria and see and feel it for yourself.

Ikaria remains under the tourist radar. There is very little information on the internet about its historical sites. For this reason, we explored the island on-the-go. And, we actually enjoyed it as we saw it as an adventure instead of a thoroughly planned trip.

Saint George Church of Ikaria, Greece

After exploring the Drakano site, we continued on a path leading to the Saint George church. The path starts right outside of the entrance to the Drakano site. You will see red arrows painted on rocks directing you to the church.

The path was a bit treacherous at first in a few spots with the soil and rocks sliding. But, it was not bad at all afterwards. On the way to the church, we got rewarded again with beautiful views of the Icarian sea.

Finally, we arrived to the Saint George church. Almost all the small churches on Ikaria are not locked. Anyone can enter and take a look inside.

The church is very small with a low narrow entrance. It is as if you need to bow before God to enter the church.

Saint George Beach of Ikaria, Greece

After we exited the church, we went further down the path to look at Saint George beach. Again, there was not a single soul at that time of the year.

Saint George beach is rugged, rocky and wild. The water was a little cold, as it was early May. We waded around in the water and wished we had water shoes with us. The rocks were very slippery there. But, the water was so crystal clear.

You could see several feet to the bottom. We also found a random boat buoy washed ashore.

Further Reading

Final Takeaways

We have hiked many places on Ikaria island. But, the hike from Faros to the Italian fortress, Drakano tower along with the Saint George church and beach remains our most memorable one. If you happen to visit Ikaria one day, take this walk. It is so peaceful and quiet. Only nature is around you, especially off-season.