Skopelos is the greenest island in the Aegean. Dense pine forests run right down to the waterline, covering nearly the entire island and giving it a lush, almost un-Greek character. It sits in the northern Sporades, between Skiathos and Alonnisos, and while it gained international fame as the filming location for Mamma Mia in 2008, it has managed to stay quieter and less developed than its neighbors.
Skopelos Town, the main settlement, is one of the prettiest island capitals in Greece. Whitewashed houses with grey slate roofs cascade down a hillside to a crescent-shaped harbor, punctuated by over a hundred churches and chapels. The town is genuinely lived-in rather than preserved for tourists, with bakeries, small tavernas, and a handful of good bars along the waterfront. The tiny chapel of Agios Ioannis, perched on a dramatic rock pillar on the north coast, is the one you will recognize from the film.
The island's beaches tend to be pebbly rather than sandy, but the water is exceptionally clear. Kastani, Milia, and Panormos on the west coast are the most popular. The interior is worth exploring on foot or by scooter: old monasteries — above all the Monastery of Evangelistria — sit on forested hilltops, and the plum orchards that produce Skopelos's famous dried prunes are scattered through the valleys. Ferries connect the island to Volos and Thessaloniki on the mainland, and to Skiathos, which has the nearest airport.