Cyclades Greek Islands: Mykonos, Santorini, Naxos and Paros

July 31, 2024 6 min read.

The Cyclades are renowned for their beaches and white villages that seem printed on the cliffs, from which you can see extraordinary views. The most famous is Fira, which can be seen on a trip to Santorini. For its part, Mykonos is an established beach destination, but less popular islands, such as Naxos and Paros, also have good beaches. The trip packages to Greek islands are packed in June, July, and August, and these islands, generally arid, they are covered in a beautiful blanket of flowers in spring. The identity of the Cyclades is very diverse: some, like Santorini, are peaceful, while others, like Mykonos, experience the night intensely. At the same time, the Cyclades offer the richness of their history, which is attested to by the ruins of Delos. For their part, Mykonos and Santorini have international airports, and Paros and Naxos receive only domestic flights.

Mykonos

On a trip to Mykonos, you can know this arid and rugged island. Mykonos is one of the smallest of the Cyclades, but one of its most popular. Only 16 kilometers long and 11 kilometers wide, its two highest peaks do not reach 360 meters above sea level. According to an ancient myth, the rocks scattered throughout its arid landscape are the solidified remains of the giants killed by Heracles. Despite its desert appearance, Mykonos became one of the Aegean islands' most famous (and expensive). Tourists from around the world come to it, attracted by its sandy beaches and the bars and restaurants that crowd the port, also called Mykonos. The whitewashed streets of this island, the cubic houses, and the churches with their blue or light blue touch of the doors or domes constitute the stereotype of classical Cycladic architecture. Mykonos's fame lies in its beaches since, particularly, it is not a green island. The best of them are on the southern coast of the island. Platýs Gialós, 3.5 km south of the city, is the quintessential family beach, with water sports and a long stretch of sand. Those who want to get a full-body tan can head to the famous nudist beaches. The first is Páraga, or Agía Anna, a quiet corner with a good tavern. The next is Paradise, with camping, discotheque, and water sports. Eliá, also a nudist, fills up in high season. If you like going out at night, they are unmissable places on a trip to Mykonos. Kástro, the oldest part of the city, is above the port area. The excellent Ethnographic Museum, one of the best in Greece, was built on a section of the old castle wall; Housed in an elegant sea captain's mansion, it houses a valuable collection of ancient and modern Mykonian ceramics, embroidery, and textiles. One of the most striking pieces is the genuine Pétros pelican, now stuffed, which was the island's mascot for 29 years. The Vónis mill, from the 16th century, was restored and in operation; It was one of the 30 windmills that the island's families used to grind corn.

Santorini

According to the Greeks, Santorini is the most fantastic island in the Aegean. Also called Théra (which was the main one of the Doric colonies, founded in the 9th century BC), it is a picturesque island crowned by the white villages of the cities Fira and Ea, with their narrow streets and stairs that climb along the hillside. A trip to Santorini is ideal for enjoying nature, lazing around, and being entertained by the great tourist and commercial activity that develops there. Santorini is the southernmost of the Greek Cyclades islands and the crescent-shaped rim of an ancient submerged volcano that erupted around 1500 BC. The splendid views of the caldera alone would be worth it if it didn't also have archaeological museums, magnificent excavations, radiant white towns, ancient palaces, and monasteries. The city Fira, the capital of the island, is located, with its typical buildings, on a cliff from which it overlooks the bay and has a magnificent panorama of the volcano, especially at sunset. A trip to Santorini is unique, and even more so knowing that there has been much speculation about the possible identification of this island with the mythical Atlantis, mentioned in Egyptian papyri and which, thousands of years ago, Plato dealt with. But the matter remains the subject of discussion.

Naxos

This island stands out for its great sweetness and tranquility. According to its tourists, the first impression that is perceived when getting off the ship is of abundance, prosperity, and serenity. This island is the greenest and most fertile of the Cyclades, with its potato fields, livestock farms, cheese industries, and fruit and olive trees in the pyramidal shadow of Mount Zas (998 meters), it is practically self-sufficient. Inhabited for 5,000 years, the island offers visitors memorable landscapes – steep ravines, hidden valleys, long sandy beaches – and towns ranging from a Cretan stronghold in the mountains to its capital, on the seashore, which strongly evokes its past. Venetian. Cora is its capital, notable for its white houses on a hill crowned by the only surviving tower of a Venetian castle. At the end of the port stands the most famous monument of Naxos: the Portara. This is a massive cover that leads nowhere.

Paros

Paros lacks the distinction of Mykonos and has fewer top-class hotels, but when the season is at its peak it usually receives many visitors who did not find accommodation on other more touristy islands. Its prices are lower and its golden sand beaches attract visitors. Although it is a quiet island, the ports of Parecia and Nausa offer an active nightlife. Along the pier, heading east, you can find a long row of bars, fast food restaurants, and cafes, mostly owned by Athenians who come to Paros in the summer to take advantage of the tourism. The shopping area and the best places to eat are in the interior of Parecia, where it is easy to get lost in the maze of narrow, cobbled streets that cut perpendicularly between the streets of the quiet residential areas. Here tourist culture did not integrate as naturally as in Mykonos and Santorini. You should not miss two important monuments in Parecia very close to each other: the church of Our Lady of the Hundred Portals and the Archaeological Museum.

Explore the Greek Islands