Skopelos earns its reputation the old-fashioned way: dense pine forest meeting clear water, a working harbour town that hasn't been remodelled for tour buses, and beaches that still feel like a discovery rather than a queue. It's busier than Alonissos and quieter than Skiathos, which for many travellers is exactly the right balance.

The scenery is genuinely different

Most Greek islands trade in white rock and blue sea. Skopelos adds a third colour: green. Pine trees reach almost to the waterline at beaches like Kastani and Limnonari, and the hillsides above Glossa and Skopelos Town are thick with olive groves, almond trees and wild plum. The contrast between deep green forest and turquoise shallows is the single most photographed thing on the island, and it photographs that way because it's actually like that, not because of a filter.

Chora has kept its character

Skopelos Town, locally called Chora, climbs from the harbour to a 13th-century Venetian kastro in tiers of whitewashed houses, blue and red tile roofs, and more than a hundred small churches tucked into the lanes. It's a working town with a fish market, a bus station and locals doing their shopping, not a backdrop. Evenings on the harbourfront, with tavernas spilling onto the quay and fishing boats rocking at anchor, are reason enough to base a trip here.

It's the real Mamma Mia island

When people picture the film's fictional island of Kalokairi, they're usually picturing Skopelos. Kastani beach, Agios Ioannis Kastri chapel, and Cape Amarantos are real, visitable places, not studio sets, and visiting them costs nothing beyond getting there. The film also explains why an island this beautiful still feels under-visited by international standards: it has no airport, so it has never had the volume that an airport brings.

Practical reasons it works for a first Greek island trip

Skopelos pairs naturally with Skiathos (for the airport) and Alonissos (for a quieter day trip and Europe's largest marine park). The distances on the island are small, the coastal road is good, and the food leans toward unfussy, ingredient-driven Greek cooking rather than tourist menus.

• Pine forest reaching the shoreline at most of the popular beaches
• Skopelos Town retains a lived-in, non-touristy old quarter
• Real Mamma Mia! filming locations, freely visitable
• Easy onward connections to Skiathos and Alonissos for island hopping