Ios, Greece – Party Island

Posted by Taylor , Nov, 2008 @ 7:35 am

Ios, Greece is the most ridiculous place in the world. Ios (long ‘e’ at the beginning) is a small island that exists so college students from around the world can come and party. About 1800 people live on the island, but there are over 50 bars all located within walking distance of each other.

If you are taking a long trip, I recommend stopping over in Ios for a few days. One catch – you MUST stay at the “Far Out Beach Club”! The Beach Club is a campground/resort mix, where you can stay in a tent for 8 Euros (if you have your own tent, it is free), bungalows, or actual hotel rooms (you’ll need to shell out more Euros). The types of people that stay there are young party animals, and it is wonderful. Everyone is relaxed, and all about having a good time.

A typical schedule:

Wake up around 11am

Chug some water, eat some food

Go to the beach (or the pool), and maybe try to be active by swimming or wakeboarding
Play ping pong, start drinking
Eat, continue drinking
Convince non-Americans to play beer pong – don’t worry, Spiro, the bartender, is cool with it (you can thank me later)
Go out around 12AM (that is when the last bus into town leaves)
Come home the following day after 7 AM (my latest was 9AM)

Going Out

I have never had so much fun going out in my life. When the clock struck 12AM, about 12 of us would jump on the bus and head in to town. The party crew was comprised of Canadians, Americans, Australians, and maybe a couple of others. We would inevitably get split up, but for the first few bars it was always fun.

Different places are busy at different times. As you walk around, college-aged students will entice you with a free shot or a free drink. If the place is dead, they will usually tell you where to go, and when to come back to their bar (if the boss is not around). If you can’t figure it out – just follow the crowd. People are everywhere!

Some of the night clubs don’t open until 4 or 5 am, so if you are a dancer, prepared to go all night. I am not a huge fan of clubbing, but I sure loved it in Ios. One night I went to a dance club after a day at the beach, and I was still wearing flip-flops, a backwards hat, swim trunks, and an inside-out t-shirt. In Ios, this was more than OK.

If you get hungry, there are dozens of little shops. My favorites were the places with baked goods, and the kebab joints. So freakin’ good.

On your way home, treat yourself to a bottle of water and a sunrise walk on the beach!

Tags: Greece, Ios, travel