Greece
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
1,630km²
Area
408km
Coastline
968m
Highest point
Lepetymnos
83,800
People
23°C
Warmest sea
August
8km
To the mainland
When to go to Lesbos
Best for the beach from July to September.
The sea is warmest in August (23 °C) and coolest in February (15 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from June to September.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea
Lesbos is an island in Greece. It covers 1,630 km², with 408 km of coastline. Its highest point, Lepetymnos, rises to 968 m. About 83,800 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 8 km away.
Getting there
- Mytilene International Airport (MJT)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at MJT airport (Mytilene)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesMytilini - Chios, Thessaloniki - Lesvos (Mytilene), Mytilini - Ayvalik, Lesvos (Mytilene) - Chios
- 8 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Septemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Lesbos.
- 147beachesFikiotripa, Kanóni Beach, Petalidi and 144 more
- 46viewpointsOlympos, Panoramic view to Molyvos, Kremastis Bridge and 43 more
- 12lighthousesLeuchtturm FYKIOTRYPA, Leuchtturm Sykaminias and 10 more
- 10ferry terminalsMytilene, Plomari, new Port of Sigri and 7 more
- 20marinasPort of Sikaminea, Kavaki, Passenger port and 17 more
- 4named peaksOlympos, Vigla, Prophetis Elias and 1 more
- 12waterfallsPesa Falls, Manktsa, Klapados Waterfall and 9 more
- 21castles and fortsPaliopyrgos of Vrisa, Tower of Lisvorio, Tower of Ambeliko and 18 more
- 111ruins and archaeological sitesTemple Dionysia, Roman aqueduct, Chapel of Saint Alexander and 108 more
- 3campsitesRoma camp, Molivos Camping (CLOSED)
- 260hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 590restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Lesbos in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Lesbos, each with its own numbers.
9beaches and covesCoastya
4mountainsPeakyas
1waterfallCascadyas
Highest point
968m
Lepetymnos
according to Peakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
23.5°C
Agkáli Palaióloutros
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
9 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Agkáli Palaióloutroscove23.5°C
- Agkáli Agíou Sávvacove23.5°C
- Agkáli Ágios Isídoroscove23.5°C
- Ormos Akhlaticove23.5°C
- Agkáli Tálantoscove23.5°C
- Agkáli Kopélacove23.5°C
- Agkáli Paliócove23.0°C
- Ormískos Vinétocove23.2°C
1 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
1 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Man Katsa waterfall
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 212 m above the sea. 55 % of it is below 200 m.
- 18 %0–50 m
- 37 %50–200 m
- 38 %200–500 m
- 7 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
50 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Mytilene28,322 people
- Kalloní7,762 people
- Plomári4,852 people
- Polichnítos3,438 people
- Pétra3,029 people
- Loutrópoli Thermís2,772 people
- Agía Paraskeví2,230 people
- Mantamádos2,070 people
- Agiásos2,001 people
- Míthymna1,933 people
- Pappádos1,534 people
- Skópelos1,530 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 12 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 23 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 13 |
| Night low (°C) | 8 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Sea (°C) | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 17 |
| Rain (mm) | 118 | 94 | 58 | 47 | 25 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 20 | 53 | 76 | 111 |
| Wet days | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| Sun h/day | 3.5 | 4.4 | 6.3 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 12.7 | 11.6 | 9.3 | 6.8 | 5.0 | 3.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 22 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 22 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.7 | +0.1 | −0.2 | +0.1 | +0.9 | +1.9 | +1.0 | +0.9 |
| 2021 | +2.1 | +1.8 | +1.2 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +1.2 | +0.2 | −0.6 | ±0.0 | +0.4 |
| 2022 | +0.9 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | −0.4 | −1.2 | +0.3 | +0.9 | −0.7 | −1.0 | +0.7 |
| 2023 | +1.6 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.7 | −0.2 | −0.6 | +1.2 | +1.8 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +2.2 | +2.3 |
| 2024 | +2.1 | +0.8 | +1.4 | +1.5 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +1.5 | +1.9 | +1.4 | +0.2 | +1.1 |
| 2025 | +1.2 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | −0.3 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +1.4 | +1.8 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Turkey
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q128087) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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