The island was named after Saint Eustratius, who existed on the island in the ninth century as an outcast, on the grounds that he was contradicted to the skeptical strategies of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Armenian. His grave is still being honored by the island’s inhabitants. Furthermore, Áyios Evstratios is included in the European Union's Natura 2000 network of nature protected areas, being the first Greek green island.
On the 4th of June 2009, at a two-day worldwide gathering in Athens on "Environmental Change and Challenges for the Future Generations" under the support of UNESCO, Greece's Development Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said that Áyios Evstratios would soon turn into the nation's first "green" island, totally controlled by renewable vitality sources (RES). In this respect the occupants depend on the sun oriented and the winds allow to them to move around the island on bikes and in electric cars. It is believed that the island of Áyios Evstratios could serve as a global model for 100% reliance on renewable vitality sources, most definitely warranting a close visit upon your tour in the reverberating land of the Gods.
The town and the port of Áyios Evstratios are placed in the northwestern part of the island. The town is fairly new, as the occupants needed to move in another settlement because of the earthquake of 1968. Here you can find a spectacular beach, a couple of simple taverns and rooms for rent, modest but charming in their own specific way. Visitors are also known for settling their tents on the beach, for a return to the simple life.
The island has brilliant shorelines (Agios Dimitrios, Lidario, Frangou, Trypiti Alonitsi), most at Western introduction, which ensures astonishing sunsets, which are bound to leave you breathless. Its hills and valleys are brimming with oaks, vibrating their way along the coast. Áyios Evstratios has ferry connections with Lesbos, Samothrace, Áyios Kostandinos and Kavala (on the mainland).
Within the island there are no real roads and buses, causing you to enjoy it by foot, experiencing its beauty in great detail.
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