A volcanic island in the western Cyclades with the most varied coastline in Greece: the white pumice moonscape of Sarakiniko, the sea caves of Kleftiko reached only by boat, the painted boathouses (syrmata) of Klima and Mandrakia, Plaka on its hill, and the catacombs where the Venus de Milo was found nearby. Seventy-odd beaches; a car or quad and a boat day are the way to see them. SeaJets from Piraeus in about 3 hours in season, slower ferries all year, and short flights from Athens. A summer island: most hotels and boats close from November to March.
Highlights
- Sarakiniko's white rocks at sunrise
- Boat trip to the Kleftiko sea caves
- Klima's coloured boathouses
- Sunset from Plaka castle
- Firopotamos swim
- Papafragas sea cave
Things to do
- Boat day round the island to KleftikoMorning · 7h
- Sarakiniko at sunrise and a swimMorning · 2h 30m
- Klima, Mandrakia and Firopotamos villagesAfternoon · 3h
- Sunset from Plaka's castleEvening · 2h
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: May – June, September – October
Worth knowing
Meltemi Winds: Ferries Cancelled
The meltemi, a strong north wind, blows for days at a time in July and August (force 6-8). The high-speed boats are cancelled first, and sometimes the port authority stops every sailing. Leave a spare day before your flight home, prefer the big conventional ferries on windy days, and pick the sheltered south-facing beaches.
- Orthodox Easter (Pascha) — Greece's biggest festival: candlelit Good Friday processions, the midnight Resurrection service on Saturday with fireworks and church bells, and lamb roasts on Sunday. Corfu's is the most famous, with clay pots thrown from balconies on Holy Saturday morning. Greeks travel home, so ferries, flights and hotels fill, and shops, museums and sites close or shorten hours from Good Friday to Easter Monday. Book well ahead.
- Dekapentavgoustos (the Assumption) — The feast of the Virgin Mary and the peak of the Greek summer holiday: village festivals (panigiria) with music and food the night before, a great pilgrimage to Paros' Church of a Hundred Doors, and every ferry and island room full in the week around it. Athens empties and many of its shops close.