7 days in Ikaria can, like any trip, become an opportunity for cultural immersion and give the traveler new experiences, knowledge and inspiration. 7 days in Ikaria can also become a superficial photographic safari, millions of pixels on an “iphone X” that will be lost with it, and a rumination of ready-made theories and prejudices about how to do and how not to do.

Can 7 days in Ikaria change your world? Was the French socialist Étienne Cabet inspired by a trip to Ikaria to write the socialist utopia “The journey to Ikaria” which created the 19th century political movement “icariancs“? Was the famous architect Le Corbusier inspired to build Notre-Dame du Haut and the Maison de la Culture Firminy after visiting the Theoktisti Church in Ikaria, during his trip to the Greek Cyclades?

We will never be able to answer the above questions definitively. But Anna’s experience, as recorded in her article in the Washington Post, says that contact with Ikaria through the lessons with us changed the way she sees things a little. So, 7 days in Ikaria with us may help you give your own answers to things that may concern you. We Ikarians live a long and good life and why? What is our relationship with nature? What is our relationship with the community and what is the local economy based on? How does all this change when the years change? These are questions (and not answers) from which one should begin their immersion in an “unknown” culture.

Theoktisti, 16th century, unknown Ikarian

What does “cultural immersion Ikaria” means?

This is a program with 7 experiential workshops, one each morning, from 9:30 to 13:30 that include traditional dance, basic Greek language lessons for absolute beginners, discussions, lectures and interviews with locals on various topics of local culture and history. It also includes activities such as hikes, cooking evenings, excursions and participation in one of the island’s festivals.

Our goal is for our visitor to critically engage with the local culture. The program is based on our experience teaching Greek as a foreign language in Ikaria since 1995. An experience that is well described in Anna’s 10+ years old article in the Washington Post:

The program includes:

  • Workshops
    • Dance
    • Greek language lessons
    • Discussions and lectures
  • Activities
    • Hiking
    • Cooking evenings
    • Sightseeing excursions
    • Visits to artisans
    • Participation in a panigiri
    • Mythology evenings

Workshops

Dance We learn with local teachers to dance traditional dances that the locals dance at festivals and celebrations of the island. It is not folklore, it is tradition.

Greek lessons An introduction to the basics of the Greek language. We learn to read and write in Greek, useful phrases and useful grammar / vocabulary to build our own short sentences.

Discussions, lectures and interviews with locals

Activities

Hiking. Only the natural environment and landscapes of Ikaria make a visit to the island a unique experience for the traveler. We will all walk together some short routes, depending on the physical condition of the group and we will encourage those of you who can walk alone on routes that require a good physical condition.

Cooking evenings: We will have at least one cooking evening, where we will all cook local recipes together and then try them!

Excursions – sights: Ikaria is a small and large island at the same time. The mountainous terrain makes the distance from village to village long. You need at least half an hour by car to get somewhere close. Longer routes take 1 hour or more. However, we will visit sights of the island, such as Theoktisti, the castle of Koskinas, Drakano, the hot springs in Therma, the archaeological museum, Seychelles beach and Manganitis, the Temple of Artemis in Na and the mountain settlements of Raches.

Visits to artisans: We visit wineries and artisans in the area for wine tasting and discussion with them.

Panigiria (Festivals): We participate in some of the famous panigiria of Ikaria and dance with the locals. In 2025 we will participate in the festivals: All Saints’ Day on June 15, Agios Fanourios on August 27, Agios Demetrios on October 26

Mythology evenings: We observe the stars in the clear sky of the guesthouse and talk about the ancient Greek myths hidden behind the names of the constellations.

Accommodation

Accommodation is in the rooms of our guesthouse. The guesthouse consists of 9 very simple 20m2 rooms with fantastic mountain and sea views. Each room has a private entrance, kitchenette and private bathroom. A shared kitchen – dining room and a reading room are at the disposal of our guests. On clear nights, our guests can still enjoy the galaxy and many stars in the sky.

Cost

1890€ / person in a private room. If you are traveling and sharing the room with a fellow traveler, there is a -10% (-189€) discount per person.

The cost covers the workshops, transportation, transfers to and from the airport and ports on Sunday, accommodation, breakfasts and lunches in the Center or in local taverns, along with alcohol. It does not cover dinner in local taverns and food / alcohol at festivals.

Note: Each one of the 7 days in this program are “intensive” and the program is made in a way to provide the most in a limited period of time. Many things happen every day that help someone with limited time to come into deeper contact with the island. If you have more time to stay with us, you can book accommodation at Ikarian Centre for a couple of weeks and participate in some of the activities we organize for our students, without participating in Greek lessons. Staying for a few weeks will cost you about the same (80 Euros / day). However excursions, lectures and other activities are not organized every day and many of them are held in Greek.

μαθήματα ελληνικών στην ελλάδα, θέα από τον ξενώνα
guesthouse14

Reservation

You can book for 2025 on the following dates (strictly for the whole week):

  • June 15-22,
  • August 24-31,
  • October 26 – November 2
simple accommodation / activities
Cultural immersion
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