Karpathos has many beautiful spots for us that love to take photos. Menetes is one of those magic, small villages where you can wander around and literally get lost. It might look like a very small village at first, but the little alleys are many so if you ever visit make sure to take your time to explore the different streets and alleys. If you are looking for great photo opportunities then this is one of the villages to visit.

A safe place to hide from the sea pirates

Menetes was built in the middle ages by people who were searching for a safer place to live, to guard from pirate attacks from the sea. The village is built on a steep mountain hill at an altitude of 350 meters. About 350 permanent inhabitants live here, but in the summer many more Greeks from America will spend their holidays staying in the village. Menetes has one of the most well-known churches in Karpathos, the Kimissi tis Theotokou which was built in the 19th century, but the Virgin Mary icon inside the church is much older and said to perform miracles.

After a day on the beach we enjoyed driving our scooter to Menetes. In the afternoon the village came alive and we watched the local people at the cafés having a coffee and baklava while engaging in conversation. .Men gather together (and boy do they have a lot to tell!) and no one seemed to take much notice of us as we walked around and snapped photos. It felt like time had stood still in Menetes and we could get a glimpse of the world before the days of Internet and mobile phones when people still enjoyed talking to their neighbours and friends. This mountain village has also kept its traditional houses with decorated flowered balconies that we explored in different alleys.

To go to Menetes from Pigadia is quite easy and the views from the village is beautiful. You will see curvy roads, mountains and the ocean below. But we enjoyed all the details and atmosphere of just walking around in the village to explore this photographer’s dream village. Below are some of our favourite pictures and moments. Enjoy!

Let us know if you enjoyed these photos and if you have been to Menetes, or maybe plan to visit? We would love to go back one day since Karpathos is one of our most memorable Greek islands.