CC BY 3.0, Phso2, Wikimedia CommonsHike· Kea (Tzia)· Greece — Cyclades
Karthaia Ancient City Hike (Poles Bay)
37° 33.7′ N · 24° 19.8′ E
One of Kea's four ancient city-states, inhabited for about 1,300 years. On the terraces above Poles Bay stand the Doric temple of Pythian Apollo (c. 530 BC), the restored temple of Athena (c. 500 BC), a propylon and a 4th-century BC theatre for about 900 people.
Practical
From an anchor in Poles Bay it is a short scramble up from the beach. From inland, walk in on Kea Trail 6 (Stavroudaki, 2.3 km), Trail 7 (Chavouna, 1.7 km, sea-view descent) or Trail 5 (from Katomeria via Vathypotamos spring, 3.15 km); Wikipedia puts the walk at about an hour. The walls are over 2 km long. The Ministry of Culture restored the temples and theatre in 2002-2015, and the theatre was fully excavated in 2015 (880 seats per Destination Kea). There are no facilities, so bring water and sun cover. A Pentecost (Agiou Pnevmatos) feast is held at Karthaia. The coordinate is the temple of Athena on OpenStreetMap.
Best for
Hiking to temples on the hill above the anchorage
Nearby
- Poles Bay Anchorage (Kea)0.1 NM away
- To Kampi Taverna (Kampi)2.4 NM away
- Kavia Bay Anchorage (Kea)2.7 NM away
- Koundouros Bay Anchorage (Kea)2.7 NM away
- Koundouros Beach (Kea)2.8 NM away
- Koundouros Coves Snorkel (Kea)2.8 NM away
- Pisses Mini-Market (Kea)2.8 NM away
- Porto Koundouros Restaurant & Beach Bar2.8 NM away