Cyclades Islands

The famous and fascinating Cyclades archipelago consists of a group of islands of various sizes scattered in the blue waters of the Aegean Sea southeast of Athens. Some of them are well known, such as Santorini and Mykonos, while others remain little known and less touristy but also, like Milos, almost disarmingly beautiful.

The name of this island complex derives from the Greek word cyclos, which means circle and identifies the position of the islands around Delos, the sacred island of Apollo. The Cyclades were the birthplace of one of the most important civilisations in the Mediterranean and many claim that these very lands hosted the mysterious city of Atlantis.

The beauty of these islands is unparalleled. Surrounded by the blue waters of the Aegean Sea and warmed by a clear sun, the towns are recognisable by the traditional architecture dominated by white houses with blue windows and doors, narrow alleys, small and countless domed chapels and the famous windmills.

The Cyclades Islands are famous for their beautiful sandy beaches, in fact these are the main attractions of the islands, and some of them are of volcanic origin and the colours of the coastline will enchant you!

The Cyclades Islands enjoy a Mediterranean climate that ensures mild winters and cool summers, thanks to the beneficial effects of the wind known as the meltemi.

How to get to the Cyclades

You can get to the Cyclades with one flight, two flights, a flight and a ferry or a ferry, a drive and another ferry. It depends on which island you choose and which way of travelling you prefer!

Flights to the Cyclades

The fastest and cheapest way to get to the Cyclades islands is obviously by plane. However, only a few islands have airports and not all airports in the Cyclades are served by direct flights, so one flight is often not enough.

Santorini and Mykonos are the easiest islands to reach because in the summer months they are served by low-cost flights departing from numerous cities; in the low season the number of flights decreases considerably but it is still possible to arrive by plane.

Paros has an airport but is not connected to the rest of Europe. In this case you have two options: you can take an international flight to get to Greece (Athens or Mykonos are the recommended airports) and from there reach your final destination by domestic flight or ferry.

Ferries to the Cyclades

If the island does not have an airport, the only option is to arrive by sea. The main port in mainland Greece from which ferry and hydrofoil routes to the Cyclades depart is Piraeus in Athens, but also check out the ferries departing from the port of Rafina, about 30 km from the centre.

Ferries to the larger Cyclades islands are very frequent: in the summer months you can count on several departures a day. The smaller islands, on the other hand, even in the peak months are served by no more than a couple of connections per week: if you choose one of these, plan your trip carefully. In both cases, reservations are indispensable if you are travelling during the peak season, even if you are travelling without an accompanying vehicle.

The duration of the sea crossing varies greatly depending on the port of departure and arrival, the type of vessel and the shipping company. As a guide only, it can be said that to reach Santorini, one of the most distant islands, by boat takes between five and nine hours from Piraeus; to Tinos, one of the closest, it takes only two hours.

Island hopping in the Cyclades

A popular travel option for tourists choosing Greece as their destination is island hopping, which consists of visiting more than one island in the course of a single holiday. The extensive network of maritime connections between the various islands makes this formula easy to organise and not even that expensive.

However, a minimum of planning is required to avoid spending a large part of the holiday on the ferry or waiting for the ship. The golden rule for island hopping in the Cyclades is to choose nearby islands or islands that are very famous and therefore served by several lines.

Santorini lends itself very well as a starting point for an island hopping holiday: from here the advice is to go to the neighbouring islands of Folegandros or Ios, but an increasingly popular choice is Milos.

For a completely different experience from Santorini, you can travel to the remote island of Anafi: in one holiday you will have the chance to see the two faces of tourism in the Cyclades, the glamour and crowds of the best known island and the tranquillity of a little-visited island. Unfortunately, it is not a holiday for everyone because Anafi is a small island and ferries are few, so you have to plan your holiday carefully, paying close attention to timetables.

Paros and Antiparos are another classic combination, as are Naxos and Paros or Mykonos and Koufonissi.

Of course, no one forbids you from adding more destinations to your Cyclades tour and seeing three or four islands instead of two, but be careful not to overdo it. Decide on the number of islands to include in your itinerary according to the time you have available and the ferry times (remember that there are not ferries to the smaller islands every day).