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Naxos
Another
overlooked gem in the Aegean, Naxos is big,
green and may have the best beaches in Greece.
It's close to the popular islands of Mykonos,
Ios, Paros and Santorini with frequent ferry
connections. Lively harbor town with
restaurants, cafes, clubs and shops. Rent a
car and see the whole island. Beautiful
valleys that are like paradise if you enjoy
walking, particularly the area known as
Tragaia. The best beach they say is at Plaka
with other nice ones at Agios Prokopios, Agia
Anna, Mikri Vigla, and Kastraki, any of which
would be the prized beach on any other island.
The fishing village of Apollon is a popular
location for day trips, with good seafood
restaurants and a giant unfinished statue of
the God Apollo laying in the ancient marble
quarries since 600bc. The ferry trip is about
7 hours from Athens and stops in Paros and
there can be five or more a day in the summer,
fewer in the winter. Summer highspeeds take
around three hours to get here. There are
daily connections to Mykonos, Ios and
Santorini. There are also less frequent
connections to Crete, the Dodekanese, Ikaria,
Samos, Amorgos, the small Cyclades islands,
Skiathos, Crete and Thessaloniki.
See my
Naxos Guide at
www.greektravel.com/greekislands/naxos
For hotel bookings and rates and island hopping itineraries visit
www.fantasytravelofgreece.com
or
Aegean Thesaurus Travel
For
more descriptions and photos of hotels see
www.hotelsofgreece.com/cyclades or search Booking.com
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Paros
Grand
Central Station of Aegean ferry system, many
boats stop here and Paros (along with Naxos)
is a good island to include on your itinerary
since you can easly get to Mykonos,
Ios and Santorini. Town is full of
foreigners, many who live here and there are
plenty of cool bars. The tiny idealic fishing
village of
Naousa
is so
crowded in August that you have to stand in
line to walk past the cafes that surround the
port so come in June or early or July, or even
better in September. The beaches of Paros
though popular are also quite nice. Paros is
known for its windsurfing. The beach
at Parosporos (or is it Porosparos) has
incredible body-surfing when the wind is
coming from the north (I think). Paros is a
very popular island and people who visit are
pretty happy there.
The ferry
trip is about 6 hours from Athens and
continues on to Naxos and Santorini. There are
several daily connections to Mykonos, Ios and
Santorini in the summer. There are also less
frequent connections to Crete, the Dodekanese,
Ikaria, Samos, Amorgos, the small Cyclades
islands, Skiathos, Crete and Thessaloniki.
There are also Hydrofoils, Catamans, sea-jets
and other strange and speedy craft that stop
at just about every island around. The travel
agencies in the port list the daily boats and
this is about the only accurate way to keep
track of them all.
See my Guide to the Island of Paros
at
www.greektravel.com/greekislands/paros
For programs that
include Paros with or without other islands
see
www.fantasytravelofgreece.com
and see their Island
Hopping section.
For
bookings you can also contact
Aegean Thesaurus Travel
or
Dolphin
Hellas Travel
For hotel
descriptions and rates visit
www.hotelsofgreece.com or search Booking.com
Antiparos
has nice
beaches and cafes and is more relaxed then
Paros. There is also the gigantic Cave of
Antiparos which is the most popular site on
the island. There are ferries connecting the
two islands leaving every half hour or so from
the town of Pounta, plus excursion boats that
leave every morning from Parikia.
Summer of 2004 brought many celebraties to
Antiparos including Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks so
who knows what the future holds for this small island. See my guide for Antiparos at www.greektravel.com/greekislands/antiparos
For Hotels and transportation visit
Aegean Thesaurus at:
www.greecetravel.com/aegean
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Santorini
Visually
spectacular.
Thira is touristy, Oia is a little quieter but
the island is the most popular in
Greece and for good reason. The daytime action
is at the beaches, Perissa and Kamari. Good
Raki and domatokeftedes (fried tomato-balls) are culinary favorites.
Ruins of Ancient Thira are worth the trip if
you are unimpressed by the most spectacular
sunsets on this planet. Most people want to
stay in the beautiful hotels overlooking the
caldera but if you have children you will
sleep a lot easier a few meters inland rather then on the edge of a 1000
foot cliff and save money as well. Great nightlife, excellent
beaches, spectacular scenary and romance make
this one of the world's top destinations for
honeymooners and weddings too. The ferry ride from Pireaus
is about 8 hours with stops along the way at
Paros, Naxos and Ios and sometimes Sifnos. The highspeeds only take about 5 hours.
Daily connections to Mykonos and Crete and other Cyclades in the summer by Highspeeds. There are less frequent ferry connections
to Crete, Thessaloniki, Kos, Rhodes, Karpathos,
Milos, Folegandros, Kassos and Halki. There is
also an international airport. They say this is the one essential island. They may be right if this will be your only trip to Greece though I spent several happy summers in Greece before my first trip to Santorini. Santorini is a very commerical island and with that in mind I am going to shamelessly promote some tours and programs that I believe are among the best you will find anywhere...
Honeymooners!
Before you commit to
anything (besides each other of course) take a
peak at Fantasy Travel's Honeymoon Programs. Santorini is also the island that everyone wants
to get married on since it is one
of the most beautiful and romantic places in
the world.
To learn about Greek weddings see my wedding pages or See Fantasy Travel's Wedding Programs. Happily married but want to do something special in a special place? Check out Fantasy's Renewal of Vows page
Keep in mind that because of the popularity of Santorini, the hotels with caldera view that have received endless praise on sites like Tripadvisor, can charge astronomical rates. Lesser known hotels that may be just as good can cost half as much. The
Volcano View Villas on the
Cliffs of Santorini, with 3 swimming pools and
a view so spectacular you may never leave the
premises. This is a lot of hotel for the price. Also have a look at the new Petit Palace, also on the caldera, with private pools and the Caldera's Liliam Villas. But the smartest thing to
do is ask a Greek travel agent to find you the best caldera view hotel for the money.
The
Ether
Traditional Houses
are in the
village of Oia which is a little quieter. If you are looking for an affordable house to rent on a weekly basis check out the selection at www.greecetravel.com/villas
Far from the Maddening Crowd: In response to the travelers who worry about recent demonstrations in Athens, Fantasy Travel and I have put together a 10-Day Athens-Mykonos-Santorini package which includes a tour of Athens and all transfers and ferry tickets. The package starts at 790 euros per person. What makes it unique is for the Athens part of the trip you will
be staying at the beach and commuting to the important archaeological sites of Athens by taxi or 30 minutes by bus or coastal tram. For more information see www.fantasytravelofgreece.com/farfromcrowds.html
I recommend Fantasy Travel's program The Pursuit of Pleasure which is 12 Days and 11 nights in Athens, Mykonos and Santorini including hotels, ferries, transfers, tours, admission to archaeological sites and breakfast starting at 940 euros per person. These are in good centrally located hotels in Athens and the islands. You can't beat
this price for these hotels and this itinerary.
How about a 13 day program that features 3 nights each in Mykonos, Santorini and Athens plus a Greek Island/Turkey cruise? Check this out... you get on the cruise in Mykonos and get off in Santorini. For those who want to go on a cruise but also want to spend more time on an island than a cruise usually allows this is the answer. See Fantasy
Travel's Smart 7
If you want to combine Santorini with other islands I suggest using my Create-an-itinerary form
Visit
my Santorini page at
www.greektravel.com/greekislands/santorini
For hotel
descriptions, bookings and rates
visit and
programs that include Santorini visit
Fantasy Travel or Dolphin Hellas or to work
with a small local Travel agency specializing
in Santorini, Sifnos and the Cyclades
visit
Aegean Thesaurus Travel
(especially if you want to combine Santorini with a less touristy island like Sifnos which many people do).
For more hotels on
Santorini with reviews and photos see
www.hotelsofgreece.com/cyclades or search Booking.com
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Sifnos
Visually
attractive and still Greek. For the thirty and
older crowd, single or married with children.
Apollonia, in the center of the island, has
fun nightlife. Great beaches all around the
island. Fantastic food and wine. My favorite island
for almost 30 years. Port of Kamares is nice
combination of beach, restaurants and a few
bars all within walking distance. The newly
rennovated
Stavros Hotel is great place to stay with
a view of the beach and harbor from your
balcony. The cleanest port in the entire
Aegean. Houses and villas for rent all over
the island.
Pension Morpheas is a small family run hotel on the beach and it is a bargain. Vathi is
quiet with excellent food at Manolis Taverna.
Kamares is one of the best beaches in Greece
for families because it is a long sheltered
bay that is very shallow so you don't have to
worry if you turn your head for a few moments
while your child is playing in the sand (and
you are sitting in the Kima Cafe a
few feet
away.) People who visit Sifnos come back year
after year. My Sifnos Guide was the first
website I ever made and it is still one of my
favorites.
There are
daily ferries doing the 5 hour trip from
Pireaus and there are daily connctions with
Serifos, Kythnos and Milos.During the summer
there are daily or almost daily connections to
Santorini, and in good years to Paros,
Naxos, Mykonos, Ios, and Syros by Highspeed.
There is also a daily or almost daily
highspeed that gets you from Pireaus to Sifnos
in just over two hours.
Visit
my Sifnos page
at
www.greektravel.com/sifnos (It is one of my best sites because I go here often)
Aegean
Thesaurus Travel Agency
What began as the island's only travel agency has
now become one of the most respected and
reliable full-service agencies in the
Cyclades. Not only can they arrange your trip
and accommodations in Sifnos but they can take
care of your hotel needs in Athens and on any
of the Greek islands. They can also
do weddings on Sifnos. For Info on
accomodations go to their webpage
at www.greecetravel.com/aegean
For my
suggested itinerary that includes Sifnos and
Santorini see
www.greecetravel.com/tours
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Serifos
Less wealthy neighbor of Sifnos. Relatively undeveloped
outside of main port. Really beautiful beaches. Like
Sifnos, Milos, and Kythnos, for older
travelers though they have an excellent campground at Livadakia near the port. I finally went there summer of 2006 and loved it and have returned since. I stayed at the Hotel Maistrali right in the port. Great location and very friendly owner by the name of Babis Bobolis whose passion happens to be Serifos and can give you directions to some of the best beaches in the Cyclades. Their main village on a mountain overlooking the bay is one of the most spectacular villages in the Cyclades. Serifos
is about 4 hours from
Athens by ferry and there are daily
connections to Sifnos, Milos and Kythnos.
See my Serifos page at www.greektravel.com/greekislands/serifos
To meet Babis Bobolis and stay at the Hotel Maistrali see www.hotelsofgreece.com/cyclades/serifos/maistrali
For bookings contact Aegean Thesaurus
Travel
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Sikinos
Not ready
for Prime-time.That's more then enough reason
to go there. Very little tourism, it is an
island of mostly fishermen and farmers. There
are rooms to rent in the twin villages of
Kastro and Chora situated in the mountains and
in the quiet port town of Alopronoia.
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Syros
A
working class island and the most unique in the Cyclades since it is the capital. Hermoupolis has a century old ship yard servicing ocean going
freighters and tankers, right in the harbor.
Beautiful town, more like a small city. Two or
three of the best restaurants in Greece. Extremely
nice beaches too. I am convinced that the town of
Hermopoulis, will one day be a popular
destination in the off-season. The reason is the
architecture. In the late 1800's the town was the
main port for Greece and is full of old buildings,
churches and mansions that have now been restored.
It has cobblestone streets and great cafes. If you
love old buildings and good food, come here. Great
old hotel called the
Hotel Hermes right on the waterfront. Ask for
a room with a balcony and you will never want to
leave. There is a pebble beach right in the back yard and
the port in the front. It is also a few steps from
the excellent Yaninea
taverna-psistaria.
There are
daily ferries from Pireaus and the trip is about 4
hours or 2 hours by highspeed. There are daily
connections to Tinos and Mykonos and a ferry which
originates here goes to all the Cyclades islands
doing a different route every day. There are also
Flying Dolphins and a High-speed ferry from
Rafina. The ferry fast Aeolis
Express of the NEL Lines is your best bet to get
here quickly and comfortably though the Hellas
Flying Dolphins are good too. The Blue Star are
somewhere between a ferry and a highspeed.
For hotels on
Syros see
www.hotelsofgreece.com or search Booking.com
For reliable travel agencies that book Syros contact Aegean Thesaurus
Travel or
Dolphin Hellas or Fantasy Travel
Take a
look at my Syros web page at
www.greektravel.com/greekislands/syros
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Tinos
Beautiful
island close to Mykonos with excellent
beaches, traditional villages, beautiful
landscape and a rich history. Perhaps the most
spiritual island of all, the wonder-working
icon in the church of the Panagia
Evangalestria attracts people from all over
Greece in need of a miracle and around the
15th of August the island is packed with
pilgrims, as is every boat going to Mykonos
that stops here. Hotels are so full that
people sleep on the streets. But except for
the two weeks around that date, Tinos is generally a quiet island and is not only worth a
visit, you could spend your entire holiday
here and be quite satisfied. (And if you crave
a little action, Mykonos is 15 minutes a way
by highspeed ferry.)
There are
daily ferries from Pireaus, about 4 hours away
and also Rafina. Daily connections to Andros,
Syros and Mykonos.
Don't stay in Tinos town. Go to the area of Ag Ioannis Porto on the eastern tip of the island an area of small farms, summer homes and a smatering of hotels and fish tavernas. We stayed at the Porto Raphael Apartments and it would be hard to imagine a better run, friendlier, clean, well located place to stay, right above the beach. See www.hotelsofgreece.com/cyclades/tinos/porto-raphael
For more hotels or rooms in Tinos see
www.hotelsofgreece.com
or
contact
Aegean Thesaurus Travel
or Dolphin Hellas or search Booking.com
Be sure to visit my website for Tinos at www.greektravel.com/greekislands/tinos
Little Cyclades
There are actually about a dozen baby Cyclades, but only four are inhabited in our times: Donoússa, Páno Koufoníssi, Skhinoússa, and Irakliá. They are strikingly different from one another, each with their particular clientele – though none now rank as undiscovered, and all of them, given limited accommodation, are no-go areas from mid-July to September 1 unless you have a rooms reservation – or are happy to camp out. Athens agencies are unlikely
to be able
to help with advance lodging reservations, except on Páno Koufoníssi and Skhnioússa which have some luxury complexes. Páno Koufoníssi also has the best beaches, with Donoússa not far behind; Irakliá has the best walking, with again Donoússa running second. Accommodation can be on the cheap side, but dining out is definitely not – little islands do not mean little prices. While all four have a bank ATM apiece, best not rely on these but come equipped with plenty of cash.
For more on these islands see Marc Dubin's Guide to the Little Cyclades
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Many of these islands can be included in an isand-hopping itinerary in the summer. It gets harder in the off-season though. If you know which islands you want to visit try using the Create-an-Itinerary page and you can find out what is possible and also how much it will cost.
If you are a budget traveler and you think you are too poor to go through a travel agent think again and see this page: www.greecetravel.com/budget-travel
I recommend Fantasy Travel's program The Pursuit of Pleasure which is 12 Days and 11 nights in Athens, Mykonos and Santorini including hotels, ferries, transfers, tours, admission to archaeological sites and breakfast starting at 940 euros per person. These are in good centrally located hotels in Athens and the islands. You can't beat
this price for these hotels and this itinerary.
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Like Santorini, a volcanic island with spectacular rock
formations and hot springs. Bikes or car
useful if not essential. This is a beautiful
island with fantastic beaches like
Paliochori, Hivadolimni and the tiny cove of Sarakiniko, one of the most interesting places to swim on earth. The village of Pollonia has great swimming, restaurants and you
can take a boat to the island of Kimilos. The
main village of Plaka is made up of the cubic
white houses which the Cyclades are known for.
The island is rich with archeological sites
including Christian catacombs, a roman
ampitheatre, venetian castles and museums.
Those of you who took art history should
recall that the famous
Expensive,
decadent, and fun for gays, staight people and
familes too, an island that was created to look good in postcards and photos posted on Facebook. Intense nightlife with clubs that
never stop and some of the finest restaurants and hotels in Greece, this is a true jet-setters island though not out of the affordability realm of normal travelers. For a little culture there are trips to
the uninhabited ancient island of
