The tiny Greek island where EVs take charge

The tiny, butterfly-shaped Greek island of Astypalea has all the ingredients for a relaxing vacation: myriad beaches with clear waters, great seafood and a castle perched above a traditional white town with winding alleys and views across the Aegean Sea.

It’s also less developed than its larger neighbors like Rhodes and Kos, and with a population of just 1,400, Astypalea made for a chilled holiday destination when I visited in June.

Some of the lanes in the island’s Chora — or capital — are so small that donkeys carry construction tools to hard-to-reach building sites, but the mode of transport most noticeable on Astypalea is a fleet of electric minibuses, part of a scheme called AstyBus — an unusual sight for the Greek islands.

It’s worth starting a trip to the island by visiting the remains of the 15th century Venetian castle high above the Chora, which was built on the site of other structures including from the Roman and Byzantine eras. From there I walked down towards the eight traditional, red-roofed windmills at the centre of the town, originally constructed to mill grain in the 13th and 14th centuries. At the bottom of the hill is the island’s small but fascinating Archaeological Museum, with artefacts from the pre-historic period to the Middle Ages.

To begin with, I used the bus to get from the bottom of the Chora to the top when it was too hot to walk up its winding streets, before exploring further.

My first stop was Maltezana, a winding 20-minute bus ride from the Chora, and Astypalea’s second-largest settlement. I disembarked a stop or two inland to look inside Agios Dimitros, a small church opposite Maltezana’s grocery store. While the church is painted in the traditional blue and white style on the outside, it is ornately-decorated inside, with bible scenes in blue and gold on its walls and ceiling.

A short walk from the church, a string of restaurants line a narrow beach. Its clear, shallow waters were pleasant to wade into after lazing under one of the scrubby trees on the sand.

Over the next few days I visited more beaches using the AstyBus: Schinonta, a quiet bay along from Maltezana, and tree-lined Livadi, which is just over the hill from the Chora, and has a few restaurants right on the beach.

The bus initiative is part of a grand plan to turn Astypalea into a “smart and sustainable island” — a partnership between the Greek government and Volkswagen. It claims to be a first of its kind initiative for the Greek islands, and aims to replace traditional combustion-engine vehicles with electric-powered cars, and support an overall shift to renewable energy.

Authorities want to keep the island unspoiled, putting the focus on sustainability and moderate development.