After a number of years wanting to go to Lemnos the logistics and costs finally worked in my favor.
Took Sky Express with excellent arrival/departure times and lower cost than Aegean/Olympic.
Rental car was waiting for me at the airport and I headed to Myrina where I was based for 9 days on a back street in a Airbnb studio in a Greek neighborhood but just a short walk to the waterfront and main street for shopping.
Myrina is the largest town on the island and is very nice with two harbors. The main one (Old Harbor) is the center with a good selection of shops, markets and tavernas.
The Main Street is lined with numerous businesses but closes early afternoon and then starts to open up early evening. However, if you continue to the far end of the street more shops and restaurants stay open and is more lively.
Nice back streets in the main town and just a short walk outside of town where most people live and do their shopping is worth wandering also.
The other harbor from the Venetian/Ottoman period is very pretty with wide streets and sidewalks along the waterfront. Nice sandy beaches, landscaped parks and lovely Neoclassical buildings in very good condition. Plus there are numerous archeological/historic sites and museums. There is a good selection of restaurants.
Beaches are north and south of Myrina town with the better ones south.
There are many lovely villages all over the island and a number of them look like they haven't changed in years. The ones in the west of the island are built on the sides of hills and most of the buildings are made of stone. There are narrow streets, views and the condition of the buildings range from needing a lot of help to beautifully restored.
Most of the villages aren’t geared to large scale tourism with just a few options for services but are nice to wander around in.
Like most villages in Greece there is usually a place to park outside of town and I don’t recommend driving into these villages unless you like getting lost and stuck in a dead end with a difficult way to turn around and end up backing out!
The landscape of the island is one of its best features ranging from low mountains to surprisingly flat areas especially in the east. Coast line is varied and beautifully scenic.
Lots of agricultural areas and numerous farms with large flocks of sheep and other livestock are located in the east of the island.
There are some of the prettiest beaches I’ve seen in Greece, three superb archeological sites, and the scenery, views, and vistas are outstanding.
I hiked up to Panagia Kakaviotissa and it’s an outstanding hike with views everywhere. A bit steep and rocky in places and takes about 20 minutes. The church is unique as there is no man made roof but instead a large rock overhang as its roof.
The archeological sites of Poliochni, Theater of Ifestia, and Temple of Kabeiri are outstanding and definitely a must. Don’t overlook the Fortress in Myrina or the Sand Dunes of Gomati, the only desert in Greece and possibly all of Europe.
There are salt lakes that attract water birds and a large lake you can mistake for the Aegean!
So many things to do, see and experience on the island and it’s impossible to mention everything I did but for me Lemnos is one of Greece’s nicest island, not geared toward tourism and a joy to travel to.
One of the best features of Lemnos is the scenery. If nothing else just go to see one of the prettiest islands I’ve been to in Greece!
Lemnos has some of the most courteous, kindest and gracious people I’ve met on my trips to Greece and made my stay there memorable!
This report is based on the second half of April and activity gets busier during the summer months but from everything I’ve seen and heard doesn’t get over run with tourists which are mostly Greeks.