Greece
I had an amazing week with two close friends, Tom & Eila, exploring Syros and Mykonos. I can’t wait to get back to Greece to explore more of the islands and mainland. Syros and Mykonos are so different, Syros being the quieter more local style island and Mykonos being the world celebrated Greek party island. I really enjoyed both for what they are and can’t wait to get back to see more!
I flew into Mykonos from London, unfortunately my flight was delayed by about 20 minutes causing me to miss the morning ferry to Syros. There are only two ferries a day to Syros so I had to wait in a café for 6 or so hours until the afternoon ferry, lucky some other travellers missed the ferry to so we had a fun day together. The ferries are quiet large though it can get pretty windy around the Greek islands so make sure you take some sea sick tablets if you are not the best on the high seas, there were some sea sick travellers on both my ferry trips between Syros and Mykonos so be prepared!
Syros
Syros, most people have not heard of this little island as it doesn’t have the profile of the other Greek islands. Syros is the island where the locals go rather than tourists and I was really fortunate that my friends have a house there. Eila has been going to Syros since she was a kid with her family and her brother now lives out there with his family running a few small businesses including a great winery called Ousyra Wines (https://www.ousyrawinery.com/). Despite arriving late in the evening there was still plenty of restaurants open for us to grab dinner and have a fun night in the main town square of Syros. It is really nice to hike up the hill behind the main town to explore all the small alley ways to find hidden local restaurants and cafes. Perfect for the sunset and evening fun!
We stayed close to Phoinikas boat harbour and Eila’s family have a perfect island size boat to get out to the bays that you cannot access by foot. We often spent days out on the boat hopping between bays snorkelling and diving off the rocks into the clear water.
The beaches are were very calm with very few waves or currents though I can imagine the surf can get a little rough during a storm or on windy days. Some of the great spots we explored were:
Knowing how to ride a moped makes getting around Syros so much easier. Being a low key island the roads aren’t too busy which makes it easy and fun to get around. A lot of the roads are pretty basic and worn, some change from tarmac to dirt roads so be careful. The locals can be a little crazy on the roads as well so just let them past.
As my friend’s family had a place we were staying a little further out of the main town though it was nice to be away from all the touristy places and be right near some stunning beaches, as described above. My friend’s place was perfect for the middle of summer in Syros as it is bloody hot. We did some great day hikes across the island to.
Mykonos
Tom and Eila headed back to London and I had a few extra days in Mykonos to explore which was great fun. It is such a fun island and perfect for tourists. I stayed in the Platis Gialos area which was perfect location to relax on the beach and close enough to the party scene. I stayed in a nice little Airbnb apartment 5 min walk to the beach which was ideal. Narayan’s Beach is just stunning with so many great nice restaurants along the beach or places to relax and go for a swim, the water is just beautiful. Narayan’s Beach is very family orientated so if you want to get away for some beach parties or more lively atmosphere it is only a short walk away to Paraga Beach.
There is so much to do on Mykonos and it caters for all styles of beach escapes. From boat parties, boat cruises, day/night walking tours, scuba diving, quad bike tours, surfing lessons, beach parties, beautiful beaches to relax and safe to swim for kids or people who aren’t confident swimmers.
Paraga Beach
Paraga Beach is known for its beach parties and great atmosphere. The beach is stunning, classical tropical island look that we all love. If you wanna beach party you have to get along to:
Mykonos town:
It is such a fun place to explore. So many great little alley ways to wonder around and get lost in. Just be careful you may not be able to find your way out! It was a short bus trip over to the old town from Platis Gialos and the buses run frequently and most of the night. It was also easy to get a cab back later at night if you wanted to stay late.
I can’t wait to get back to Greece to explore more of the islands and the mainland. I know this was just a short trip and only got to experience two islands though it was a great way to see two very different Greek Islands.