The other Cyclades
Giving Mykonos and Santorini the swerve
Last year Greece had more foreign visitors than it has ever had in its history, with over 32.7 million visitors. This broke the previous record in pre-pandemic 2019. So far, figures show Greece likely to exceed this in 2024.
Which is good news for the economy but not necessarily for visitors in the popular places. We only recently wrote about the new timed ticketing arrangements at the Acropolis, to try to do a little crowd control there: Just the Ticket.
The Cyclades
The Cyclades is one of the most popular groups of islands to visit, including as it does those honeypots of Mykonos and Santorini. Both of them are also popular with cruise ships as well as holidaymakers from around the world, which adds to the crowding during the days when the cruise ships are in port.
The Other Cyclades
But hey, there are over 200 islands in the Cyclades! OK, well, some of those are little more than rocks, depends how you define an island, but there’s way more than just the main two. In fact there are about thirty main islands, and we’ve got pages for twenty of those on Greece Travel Secrets, so maybe give one of those a try this year. Some of the most appealing include (alphabetically):
Amorgos
Amorgos offers rugged mountain scenery, great for hiking, and though it does have some lovely beaches those are not its main attraction. It draws people who like doing things, and who appreciate its rich history. It doesn’t have an airport, either, so maybe fly to Naxos, Mykonos or Santorini, and take a ferry.
Ios
Ios is only small but has a reputation for great nightlife, so is very different from Amorgos. It has no airport so fly to Santorini and take the hour-long ferry.
Milos
Milos is where the Venus de Milo was found, though it was made with marble from nearby Paros (see below). It has several good museums, and good beaches too. It has an airport so you can fly there from Athens.
Naxos
Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades and surprisingly green and fertile. It has lots of beaches and though it’s pretty popular, even in August you’ll find quiet beaches that you can have virtually to yourself. Because it’s big it’s also good for hiking, and you can get there by plane from Athens.
Paros
Paros was famed for the quality of its marble, and it’s a very fertile island, with vineyards. Because of this, it’s never needed to try to attract tourists as much as other islands, so is a little quieter. You can fly there from Athens in 45 minutes.
Syros
Though it’s much smaller than Naxos, Syros is actually the administrative centre of the Cyclades. It’s more barren and rocky than many of the Cyclades (not all Greek islands alike, which is why we love them), and a place to think about if you don’t like rubbing shoulders with too many other visitors. There are regular flights from Athens.
So here are half a dozen Cyclades islands to think about, if you don’t want to get caught up in the crowds of Mykonos and Santorini. If you visit any of them, let us know as we love hearing about other people’s experiences in Greece. There’s no other country quite like it.
Till next time
Mike and Donna
"Overtourism" is a very real thing. Thanks for the alternative suggestions. Interesting that the Venus de Milo marble came from Paros.