The Alonissos of today was given this name during the first years after the liberation of Greece and is not identified with the Alonissos of the ancient. The island during antiquity was called Ikos, while the Alonissos of the ancient Greeks, was probably the neighbouring island of Kyra Panagia, to the North.

Arriving on Alonissos with the ferry or the hydrofoil, one disembarks in Patitiri. Patitiri was chosen to be the main Port because is a natural harbour.
It took its name from the old wine pressures ( Patitiria )that used to exists, from when Alonissos was a red wine produser island.
Patitiri became the main town of the island accomodating the facilities of life, today.  Someone can find lots of places to stay and taste our delicious sea food snacks.
Further to the North we meet the next two fishing villages, Rousoum-Yialo and Votsi, located at two charming bays, one after the other. Continuing to the North, one finds many wonderfull beaches to swim such as:Milia, Chrisi Milia, Tzortzi-Yialo, Lefto-Yialo e.t.c.
The visitor can reach the beaches either by land or by sea, using cars or small taxi-boats which do these tours.
Leaving Patitiri and taking the main road, leading West, after 3 km. you come to the old village of Alonissos. For those who love walking, there is the old donkey path, which takes you from the port to the old Alonissos within 30min.

In the area of Alonissos-N.sporades, have been established in 1992, the first National Marine Park of our country, that includes extensive islands and sea regions, of the broadness island complex of Alonissos, with particular natural, morphological and geographical characteristics.

The purpose of the National Marine Park of Alonissos-N.sporades mainly is:

• The protection, the maintaintion and management of nature and landscape, as a natural and valuable inheritance into extensive wasteland and Marine districts of North Sporades.
• The protection one of the most important and endangered specie, the Meditteranean seal or Monachus-Monachus, that unfortunately is at the top on the list with other species, which are threaten with disappearence in Europe and the entire world.
• The protection of other rare and threatened species of the Flora and Fauna of the island.
• The development of the area with the right use of the natural resources. The Park is not a shut area. It is an extensive, protectable area of a size of 2.200km about. The philosophy of the Park is the actual protection of the eco-system along with the growth of Alonissos, which is the only inhabitable island of the Park with out any violent intervensions.