Top 8 historical sites in Lesvos

Lesvos is a large island with beautiful villages, gorgeous beaches, delicious cuisine and numerous options for sightseeing. If you love the long history and rich culture of Greece, you will find in Lesvos many amazing historical sites and museums to stroll around and spend great moments.

Medieval Castle in Mytilene

Mytilene is the capital of Lesvos and a town with strong medieval and neoclassical character. The medieval castle of Mytilene is considered as one of the best-preserved castles in Eastern Mediterranean. The Old Town of Mytilene under the castle has vivid nightlife and many interesting museums.

Petrified forest

The Petrified Forest, which is located 12 km from Sigri, is a place, where trees have been turned into stone in a procedure called petrification. Millions of years ago, the volcanic ash of the island covered the trees of this forest creating a rare natural phenomenon, which has been declared as Protected Natural Monument. The landscape is lunar, and you will be impressed by the fact that you can see trees made from stone and not from wood! At the entrance of the forest, you can visit the Fossil Museum, where you learn about the evolution of plants in earth from the prehistoric times till today.

Ancient Theatre

On the northern side of Mytilene, you can visit the ancient theatre of Lesvos, one of the largest Hellenistic theatres in Greece. The theatre was built around the 3rd century B.C. with capacity of 15,000 spectators. It is an impressive theatre, which however has not been entirely excavated yet.

Roman Aqueduct

On the western side of Moria, 6 km from Mytilene, is located the Roman Aqueduct, one of the most important technical accomplishments of the late Roman times (2th-3rd century A.D.). The impressive aqueduct with the arches used springs, underground channels and gravity to carry water in various villages in Lesvos, and today it is one of the most worthwhile sites to discover on the island.

Monastery of Ipsilou

15 km from Eressos, is located the Byzantine monastery of Agios Ioannis Theologos at the highest peak of Mt. Ordimnos. It is the oldest monastery of Lesvos, built in the 12th century A.D. The monastery looks like a castle, and inside, you can admire many significant Byzantine icons, holy vessels and interesting manuscripts.

Mosques

In beautiful and traditional town of Mytilene, what impresses the visitor is the multicultural character of the city, which combines West and East elements due to the history of the island. Imposing stand the two mosques. Valide mosque was built in 1615, while Yeni mosque, the largest mosque of the island, is an important historical site of the 19th century.

Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological Museum in Mytilene is an interesting museum to learn about the history of the civilisations in northern Aegean and admire findings from the Neolithic to the Roman Times, such as prehistoric items, parts of ancient temples, jewellery and coins.

Museum of Olive Oil Production

In Papados Village in Yera and at the village of Agia Paraskevi, is located the Museum of Olive Oil Production, which is housed in an old communal olive press. There, you will see the olive oil production and the technological development over time that has led to the production of high quality olive oil, which is the natural product of Greece.