Pigadia, or Karpathos, the capital of the island and the main port is built on the site of the ancient city of Potidaion or Poseidon.
Remains of the ancient city survive on a hill in the east part of the harbour. A small open-air museum houses a significant number of archaeological finds. There is a monumental rock-cut tomb known as the cave of Poseidon at Myli.
The beautiful village of Menetes 8km southeast of Karpathos town has well-kept houses and gardens and a strong musical tradition. Sites worths the visit in the village are the archaeological collection, the church of the Kimisis Theotokou and the small Byzantine churches of Ayios Mamas and Ayios Adonis in which there are some interesting wall paintings. As the road continues to the southeast, we come to Arkasa, built on the sight of an ancient city with the same name in a very impressive setting.
On one side is a small peninsula with the acropolis and on the other a series of rocks that continue to the nearby settlement of Phiniki.
In this area, the ruins of the Early Christian basilica can be found.
At Paleocastro, which enjoys the superb view, there are some interesting remains that date from various periods from antiquity to Venetian times and the Turkish domination.
To the northwest of the town is the village of Aperi, a head-village with some fine houses and gardens, which was formerly the capital of the island.
On top of the hill above the village is Koraki, the acropolis of ancient Karpathos. The remains of an ancient sanctuary have been found in this area.
The road continues to Othos, a mountain village famous for its traditional celebrations and festivals. The small museum here has a reconstruction of a traditional Karpathiote house.
The traditional mountain almost inaccessible village of Olympos has an astounding view of the sea, authentic vernacular architecture, cobbled alleys, windmills, and preserved tradition and customs. Every house here is like a museum with interior decoration in the old traditional style.
Many women here still wear folk costumes and engage in traditional activities while the inhabitants keep alive the local dialect in which many ancient Doric elements are preserved. There is a notable church of Panayia built in the 16th century. The village is 63km away from the capital and the easiest way to reach it is by caique from Diaphane. It is connected by road with Mesokhori too.
Diaphane is the second largest harbor on the island and has plenty of fish, good seafood restaurants, and pebble beaches. From here and also from the tiny harbour of Tristomo there is a caique service to the uninhabited island of Saria.
How to get there:
There are flights from Karpathos to Athens, Rhodes, Kasos and Sitela in Crete. The airport is 18km away from Karpathos town. The island is connected with Piraeus by ferry There are also ferry services from Karpathos town and Diaphani to many of the Dodecanese islands, Cyclades and also to Crete.