Planning a trip to the Cyclades

The Cyclades is a cluster of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. They include Santorini, Naxos, Paros, Mykonos and Milos. This gorgeous archipeligo boasts brilliant blue waters, cobbled streets,bright bourgainvillae and the warm Greek spirit. if you’re looking for a Greek island getaway then look no further than the Cyclades. I have written blog posts on Santorini, Naxos and Paros for you to use in planning your trip. Check them out.

Getting there

Santorini, Naxos, Paros and Mykonos all have airports. You can fly in using Aegean airlines or EasyJet (if you book using this link I get a small commission with no extra cost to you).  All island flights go via Athens. So your international flight will take you to Athens before you catch a domestic flight to the islands. I would recommend flying in to your first island and from there onwards catching the ferry between the islands. The ferries will be much quicker than flying and you’ll spend a few hours cruising across the Aegean Sea. You can book your ferry tickets here.

Where to stay

Check out Hotel Dina for a spot in town or Paros Agnanti Resort for somewhere with a view.

Getting around

You can mostly get around on the local bus.

What to do in Paros

Visit the port town

Take a bus to the little fishing village of Naoussa

Take a boat trip to Anti-Paros. We didn’t have time to do this but it looked amazing!

 

Paros

Paros aka the place where our relaxation levels were taken to the next level. Shortly after arriving at our apartment in the bay of Livadia it was clear that we were going to have the most amazing stay. Walking out onto our balcony we were faced with a 180 degree sea view and could look down at the waves gently lapping against the sand a few meters below us.  Location: ten out of ten!

That evening we went to the local restaurant just a stone’s throw away at the edge of the sea. Sitting under candlelight, sipping on iced white wine and looking out at the calm ocean we were consumed by happiness.

The next few days composed of rolling out onto the beach after a late lie in, swimming in the perfect warm waters, relaxing on pebble shores, exploring rock pools and just relaxing.

We visited the port town filled with quaint whitewashed alleys, leather sandal shops and windmills which at sunset dripped with golden light. Chasing windmills.

On one of the days we took a bus to the little fishing village of Naoussa.

We walked along the docks of this incredibly cute little town. The morning was alive with the energy of fishermen and old men reeling in and gutting their daily catch. There were rods on boats sporting rows of curly and suction-padded octopi fresh from the sea. We, of course, had to dine on seafood that day and so shared a delicious platter filled with sardines, anchovies, octopus, tuna, dorado, swordfish and white bait.

I was unfortunately pretty sick with flu for the duration of our stay in Paros but I still had a beautifully relaxed time on another stunning Greek island.

Planning a trip to Greece? Check out my other blogs on Santorini, Naxos, Athens and Crete.