Itinerary Athens –
Cyclades – Athens ( 2 weeks )
Day
1 Athens – Cape Sounion
Embarkation at 17.00 p.m.
Departure 18.00 hrs to Cape Sounion
Arrival at 21.00 hrs
Taverna on the beach
Though only at 3 hours sailing from Piraeus, you
will discover that the anchorage of Cape Sounion is surprisingly savage.
You can enjoy the first evening of your holidays
watching the sunset, while you are having an ouzo at the one and only small
taverna on the beach.
Overlooking the anchorage stands the beautiful
temple of Poseidon.
Day
2 Cape Sounion – Kythnos (Loutra)
Loutra is a small, sheltered bay on the
north-east coast of Kythnos.
There is a nice taverna ashore.
Day
3 Loutra – Syros (Finikas)
Finikas is a large bay, well protected from the
wind, on the south-west coast of Syros.
The originally small quay has been enlarged recently. Mooring line with stern against quay.
Plenty of tavernas ashore.
Those who prefer it more savage can sail to the
well sheltered bay of Grammata, on the north-west Syros (37°
Day
4 Syros – Mykonos
The most famous island of the Cyclades.
Find a place to anchor in the port, which is
located west of the town. As soon as you have taken care of your boat, you can
start discovering the narrow streets of Mykonos.
.
Mykonos might be overcrowded especially in August , but her charm is always appealing
Day
5 Mykonos – Delos – Naxos
In ancient times Delos used to be the religious and sacred centre of the Cyclades.
The island is one of the most important
archaeological sites in Greece. Famous is the much –photographed Terrace of the Lions.
According to legend, Leto gave birth to the twins Apollo and
Artemis by the Sacred Lake ( dry since it was drained
in 1925 to prevent malarial mosquitoes breeding ).
This is a site you should absolutely visit.
Overnight stays on Delos are forbidden, but you
can sail to Rhinia (
You can also spend the night at Paros or
Day
6 Naxos
– Skinoussa
Situated in the heart of the Little Cyclades,
Skinoussa is a combination of all sceneries in the Aegean. A well protected small harbour, a few tavernas right
on the seaside and a white washed village a few minutes up the hill.
Though this is a small island, you will
enjoy impressive views of both sea and land.
Day
7 Skinoussa – Amorgos
Amorgos rises savagely and steep from the sea.
Famous from the movie « Big Blue » that
has been shot on the island, conspicuous tourism has not been able to get a
foothold on Amorgos.
Take some time out and go and visit the
extraordinary monastery embedded in a huge cliff on the south of the island.
Day
8 Amorgos – Santorini
Santorini is famous all over the world and
you will be more than overwhelmed as you enter the huge crater on your yacht.
Santorini is not an easy island for
sailing-boats, but you will find a mooring below the
You will have to climb up the steps to Oia, there are no cable cars like in
But you will be rewarded by the breath-taking
views over the island and the much quieter village than tourist-frenzied Thira.
Day
9 Santorini – Ios
On the way to Ios port, you will enjoy
swimming in the turquoise waters of Manganari beach in the south of the island.
The long white sanded beach is well protected from the trade winds.
Once you have dropped anchor in the harbour
and taken care of your yacht , you will climb up the
hill to one of the most beautiful villages in the
Day
10 Ios – Sifnos
Sifnos captures a preponderate position in the
Western Cyclades.
First of all because of the natural beauty of the landscapes,
and secondly because of the purity of the construction forms.
In order to appreciate and feel the island
, you should not hesitate to explore the multitude of old paths, that have woven a web all over the
island, and lead to chapels and monasteries built on a hill or in a small
valley.
Not to be missed is a promenade to the monastery of Prophet Ilias
on the culminating point of the island
680m (duration of walk about 1 ½ hours ).
What strikes you immediately on Sifnos are the landscapes and terraced valleys that are cleaved by low
walls.
They are built in layers of slate stone and are covered with sandstones
that are placed oblique on top.
Each parcel of land has been marked out like this and can be
approached by snaking paths that wriggle between the slate walls. The terraced
valleys and hillsides ‘’sculpted’’ with slate walls, which are master
pieces of art, give a geometric aspect to the landscape.
The rural constructions have largely contributed to the
beauty of the island. A good example are the remarkable dovecotes, which you
can see almost everywhere on the island. They are like tiny palaces built in
square or rectangular form,
The ground floor is used as a storage place for tools,etc. In the upper part of the construction are subtle
openings decorated with symbols of trees, wagon wheels, triangles, and sun symbols from where the pigeons enter into
the dovecotes.
Day
11 Sifnos – Serifos
Seen from
the sea Chora is an eye-cathching village from the start : a scribble of
white houses crowning a high and rocky peak, overlooking the magnificent bay of
Livadi.
Walk up
the steps into the fabulous Chora that lead to the charming main square,
watched over by the imposing neoclassical town hall and the cathedral of Saint
Athanasios dating from the 18th century.
From the
square, narrow alleys and more steps lead ever upwards to the remnants of the
ruined 15th century Venetian Kastro ; an eagle’s nest if ever there was
one. There are two chapels from where you have an extraordinary panoramic view.
Located
inside of the Kastro you will see houses that are built on two-three levels. This
in contrast with the tiny houses that are in general consisted of one piece and
you will encounter elsewhere.
At the entrance of the village, in the quarter of the Windmills the square is
flanked by cafés and it is the favourite meeting-point of the islanders.
Enjoy a pleasant walk and follow the ancient steps that lead down to Livadi , though they are fragmented by the snaking road that
links the two villages.
Day
12 Serifos
– Poros
Poros lies curled up against the Peloponnese with
only a few hundred meters of water between. It is made up of two islands,
Kalavria and Sferia. They are connected by a narrow isthmus, cut by a canal for
small boats and spanned by a road bridge.
You can moor along the quay that surrounds Poros
town’s waterfront completely or anchor in of the numerous small bays of the
island.
In Poros
you should take your time and walk around, sit down and order an ice coffee
(pronounced as frappèèè ) or enjoy a good meal with
some ouzo, grilled fish and a traditional Greek salad …
You will
have the opportunity to make beautiful photos of moments of every day life,
details an ordinary, rushed tourist never gets to see.
Day
13 Poros – Aegina
The closest island to Athens, yet it has a
surprisingly peaceful country side covered with pistachio trees.
Aegina is Greece’s premier producer of pistachio
nuts.
Some carriages are waiting for customers along
the port and there are many café terraces by the waterfront where you can enjoy
an ouzo in the evening.
If you prefer a more cozy place, you can stop for
the night in the small port of Perdika, a relaxing fishing village with some
tavernas along the seafront.
Day
14 Aegina – Athens
In the morning you can visit the temple of
Aphaia, overlooking the bay of Agia Marina on the east coast.
This
impressive temple stands on a pine-covered hill with views over the Saronic
Gulf and it is said to be even more beautiful than the Parthenon.
It consisted of 32 magnificent columns, from
which nowadays only 24 are intact. The temple is not
very large in proportion, but you will be impressed by its beauty and ‘artistic
grandeur’.
The
magnificent sight of this subleme sanctuary will not fail to lift your spirits,
as you walk away and turn around for the last time by the road.
Sail across the Saronic Gulf direction Kalamaki.
You can
take the tramway (by the exit of the port) and spend the evening in Plaka in
the centre of Athens.
Day
15 Disembarkation at
If you have enough time before your departure, you can leave your luggage with the supervisor of the base and go and explore Athens.