It’s not just shimmering beaches backed by lush pine woods, pebble coves, and Aegean seafood tavernas that await on this jewel of the Northern Sporades islands. There’s also some pretty happening nightlife in Skiathos Town. It’s the perfect option for those who want to add a little energy and spice to their trip to the Greek isles; those that don’t want to spend Skiathos hols all lazing on Paralia Megali Ammos and the soft sands of Koukounaries (though that doesn’t sound too bad at all!).
If that’s you, then you’ve come to the right place. This guide will run through seven of the best-known bars and clubs in the area. It will showcase the crème-de-la-crème of the nightlife in Skiathos Town to help you seek out the places that offer the best dancing, the top cocktails, the finest sunset views – you get the idea.
Remember that Skiathos is primarily a tourist hub. It’s a very different place in the middle of the summer season to the middle of the winter. If you’re eager to dance the Zorba and glug some ouzo, we’d recommend jetting in between May and September. That’s when the nightlife in Skiathos Town is really in full flow, though things can sometimes carry on until October.
Danny & Zoe’s Blind Dog – Live Music Bar
True to the more intimate style of Skiathos, Danny & Zoe’s Blind Dog skips the pumping DJ booths and dancefloors for live sets of music most days of the week (look – the clue’s in the name: Live Music Bar). We’d say that the venue is actually up there with the top two live-music spots on the island (the other being Totem, but more on that later…).
You can hardly miss Danny & Zoe’s. It pops up right on the main walking alley of Papadiamanti, which is essentially the closest thing that the nightlife in Skiathos Town has to a proper strip. Between the groups of souvenir stalls and olive-oil outlets, you’ll see it thanks to the haze of the neon lights through the windows and the pub-style hanger with a canine drawn on.
Once in, the style flits to a sort of Chicagoan speakeasy circa 1930, only with a twist of the rustic Greek cottage about it. There are guitars hanging on the walls and dim pinkish lights illuminating the bar space. It’s all very cool, and even cooler when the bands start later in the evening (usually between 9pm and 10pm).
Tesla Cocktail Bar Skiathos
Foaming martini sours, coffee bean-topped whisky drinks, mango-infused fruit concoctions, sharp lemon margaritas – there’s all sorts on offer on the exceptionally creative cocktail menu at Tesla. But then that’s precisely what you would expect of a place named after the Serbian-US inventor and eccentric Nikola Tesla and pioneer of AC current, right? Right.
We’ll make it simple – this is the best place to go for mixed drinks in the town. Other spots do decent G&Ts and mojitos and whatnot, but Tesla is an out-and-out mixer’s paradise that would make London proud. It’s staffed by a troupe of cocktail-mad mixologists who know every little thing there is to know about just about every tipple that’s ever been. They’re even happy to serve up in-house creations – like the CBD-infused cannabis cocktails, for example!
Vibe wise, Tesla gets plaudits for getting the music volume just right and being downright quirky to boot. Exposed-stone walls and draped ceilings mingle with strange electrical devices and lightbulb installations in a nod to the mad-scientist namesake. There’s also a stage inside that regularly hosts live-music acts on weekends and throughout the week in the main season.
De Facto
De Facto is one of the leading LGBTQ+ options on the line up in Skiathos Town. It’s a fun-filled venue with a prime location just a few steps off the harborside. You can easily notice it thanks to the rainbow-tinted signage and the glimmering fairy lights that adorn the entranceway. It’s a welcoming hello to a very welcoming bar.
Inside is small but colorful. The usual Greek Cycladic features of whitewashed walls and stone floors have been spruced up with disco balls, framed images of muscular torsos, and even the occasional addition of drag wear. Rainbow flags flutter overhead and pave the way to the bar space, which is a symphony of uber-cool neon lights.
Parties have been known to go on late in De Facto but really it’s all about the good ambience that rules from the early evening onwards here. An eclectic bunch of gay and non-gay but gay-friendly patrons flow in and out on their way between the other main bars in Skiathos Town and the tavernas that beckon nearby. They chat and drink and come and go, offering somewhere that’s always lively and always open.
Totem
Forget the bass-heavy dancefloors that most revelers come to places like Kavos and Malia in search of. Totem is more your alt-rock bar with a twist of folksy vibes to it. It bills itself as a live-music venue, and that’s certainly the truth – there are nightly shows of local Skiathos bands and the occasional appearance of international touring acts alike.
At its heart, Totem is an intimate, chatty, and approachable place. The music policy is distinctly eclectic. One night you could be watching an accomplished guitarist shred the frets with a homage to heavy metal greats Slayer. The next you might catch a reggae-tribute four piece that keep the grooves slow and funky. It’s a real roll of the dice.
You can grab seating both inside and out. If you go for the former, keep the eyes peeled for the Mojave-themed murals that are scrawled across the walls. There’s an affordable drinks menu that includes glasses of prosecco and even local ouzo for about €6 ($7.10, but watch out – it’s potent stuff). The cocktails here can also get positively fancy, while there’s international beer, all ready to be served when the bands start at 9pm.
Apotheke Club
Apotheke Club is right on the times with its bohemian-cool interiors of rattan-woven lightshades, whitewashed walls, and minimalist wood seating. The style is just one reason that the spot has risen and risen to become one of the must-visit nightclubs in Skiathos Town in recent years. Another is surely the central location – Apotheke Club is pretty much smack bang in the heart of the island capital, just a few steps from the main walking strip of Papadiamanti.
And then you have the music. In-house DJ Akis P is the master of the decks. He can boast a pedigree that’s certainly not to be sniffed at, with previous experience in big-name venues in the Greek capital of Athens, and the legendary Kahlua Club of Skiathos itself on the CV. Tunes run the gamut from chart EDM to house to electro classics, but the real highlight is the deep knowledge of Greek national techno and dance that’s evident in the changer.
You might notice that Apotheke Club draws a very local crowd. That’s as down to the music policy as much as the vibe, which clearly doesn’t cow tow to the whims of international partygoers out of the UK, Germany, or Australia. That all makes for a better atmosphere in our opinion, with lots of potential for meeting and mingling with the island’s own year-round inhabitants.
Old Port House Bar
The Old Port House Bar has the feel of a long-forgotten smuggler’s hideaway. It’s marked out by a swinging sign that overhangs a narrow alleyway just a single street back from where the sailboats and fishing skiffs cluster between the jetties of Skiathos marina. You can almost smell the salt in the air, which is just about the perfect introduction for the vibes inside…
Expect an interior of low, timber tables all squashed together between rough-hewn stone walls painted in blazing white. Glasses dangle from over the bar, while vintage movie and travel posters dot the alcoves. For hotter days, there’s also some seating out front, tucked under the balconies or stringing down the cobbled sidewalks that lead into the heart of the town.
Old Port House Bar is a regular fav for pre-dinner drinks. That’s mainly down to the attractive happy-hour deals on large Mythos draught beer (a local Greek beer). However, you’ll also find beer guzzlers of all stripes here, drawn by the presence of international labels on tap, and even a rare and refreshing Guinness IPA flowing through the pipes.
Goldfish
Goldfish marks the start of the main Papadiamanti alleyway that carves right through the heart of the port. At the very least, that makes it the perfect place to start your nights out, as virtually all of the hotspots for nightlife in Skiathos Town will be within walking distance, no matter if you’re after all-night shindigs at Apotheke or live music at Danny & Zoe’s Blind Dog.
But before you set off on a pub crawl, be sure to settle in the stepped patio terrace. It’s a lovely place to recline with a cocktail as the balmy Greek evening sets in. There are clusters of beanbags and shaded trellis tables, while the whole front of the venue opens to offer views across the marina and the bobbing yachts. Lovely.
Mixed drinks and beers reign supreme and you’ll often find some pretty enticing happy-hour deals at Goldfish to get stuck into between 6pm and 8pm. The place gets busy when the boat trips and water taxis return to port in the evening and stays lively until roughly around midnight. The menu also has a couple of snacks in the form of seafood sandwiches and veg baguettes for when you get peckish.
Does Skiathos Town have good nightlife?
Skiathos Town boasts a fantastic nightlife scene. We won’t say that it’s as pumping as some places in Greece because it’s not. But there are certainly clubs that are open all night long in the summer months, along with a whole range of very vibrant, open-air bars, either by the beach or in the heart of the town center itself.
Where in Skiathos Town is the nightlife?
The nightlife in Skiathos Town is actually all over the place. You’ll need to head to the beaches just outside of town to find some of the sand-side bars with happy-hour deals at sunset. For others, you can simply hit the Papadiamanti walking street or go to the coves and marina area when it starts getting dark. No venue on this list should be too hard to find, though.
Is there a strip in Skiathos Town?
There’s no proper nightlife strip in Skiathos Town like you get in other Greek party towns like Kavos or Malia. However, there is a central drag starting at the port. It’s known as Papadiamanti, is completely pedestrianized, and hosts all of the liveliest music places, clubs, eateries, and shot bars. It’s a great place to begin your evening.
