Alyki is a breath-taking peninsula leading out steeply into the sea and forming two beautiful coves on the south-east coast of the island. The settlement of Alyki has a history which can be traced back, uninterrupted, to the 7th century B.C.

Alyki translates literally as “the salt pans” (throughout the salt marshes), but this strikingly beautiful small fishing hamlet is world renowned for its antiquities and for the beautifully preserved and well presented demonstrations of how quarrying and shipping the local Thassian marble was undertaken during ancient times.

The ancient quarry is located on the most southeastern point of the Cape itself. Nearby there are two temples which are located inside the holy rocks Northeast of the cove, carved into the rocks themselves - where the faithful placed their votive offerings. Between these two points, the quarry and the temples, there is a natural stretch of high ground which was used in the 12th century before Christ as a transportation and commercial centre. It enabled the transport of marble and marble products by sea, and it functioned throughout the Greek, Roman and Byzantine empires, right up until the seventh century A.D. when the raids and the invasions from the North began.

As an interesting side note, Christianity in Thassos began when Paul the Apostle travelled from Troada in Asia Minor to Kavala - which was a part of the Roman Empire until the fourth century A.D. – which became an integral part of the Byzantine empire when it was established in 323 A.D. Megalos Konstantinos came to the throne of the Eastern Empire.

On the highest spot, there are the remnants of two palaeo-Christian basilicas of the 5th century that where places that welcomed the worshipers until the pre-Christian years. In the sanctum many sailors had been frequent visitors because they had been travelling to the island in order to transfer marble. The sailors used to engrave on the stepping-stones the names of their beloved ones and theirs, too. During the 7th century B.C., at the eastern coast a sanctum was founded dedicated to the god Apollo. In 1896 a well preserved Kouros was discovered and since then it is exhibited in the museum of Istanbul.

There are actually two beaches with the same name Alyki. The first one is tranquil cove Alyki, as opposed to the other one, with more waves which we will call windy cove Alyki. Tranquil cove is narrow, sandy beach with unreal turquoise color of water. This is the most visited beach and only one with the guests from April till the end of October.