Destinations > Europe > Greece > Greece
Destination:
Greece
The Islands
topSailing the Greek Isles
My husband and I sailed the Cyclades in 2002. It was an amazing trip and we knew we wanted to come back and share the experience with the kids. The winds had a different idea. After three days, our captain turned the boat to the Peloponnesian coast to take shelter. He also set up a marvelous alternate itinerary, phoning ahead for harbors, a car and all we would need for a memorable trip.
On our second family trip, we were once again headed for the Cyclades, but when the captain heard we had already been there twice, he suggested the Ionian Sea instead. So on the spur of the moment, we changed our plans and set a course for the Ionian Islands.
topItinerary 1
Sailing the Cyclades
Approximate cruise time is 2.5 hours. The boat will anchor in Fikiada Bay on the small, mountainous island of Kýthnos, where you can enjoy a late afternoon swim. Dinner is onboard or at Ostria.
Kýthnos
Tourist Information Office
+30 (228) 103 2250
Thermal spa and hot springs with high iron content at Loutra. The capital city of Chóra is replete with churches.
Ostria Restaurant - Grill
Merihas, Kýthnos
+30 (228) 103 2263
This is the first restaurant seen when disembarking at the port of Merihas.
Approximate cruise time is 3 hours. Delos is a tiny, uninhabited island with a vast archeological site. Legend has it that Apollo and Artemis were born there. After a tour of Delos, you will cruise to Mýkonos, one of the most cosmopolitan of all the Greek islands. Beaches, touring and shopping abound. Dinner is on the boat under the Greek stars or you may prefer to eat at La Maison de Catherine in Mýkonos Town.
Delos
1 mile SW of Mýkonos Town, Mýkonos
+30 (228) 902 2259
Tue-Sun 8:30am-3pm
Closed Mon
Closed Jan 1, Mar 25, Good Fri (Orthodox) until 12pm, Easter Sun & Mon (Orthodox), May 1, Dec 25-26
Highlights include the Sanctuary of Apollo, the Lion Terrace, the Sanctuary of Dionysos, the House of Dioscourides and Cleopatra and the Theatre Quarter.
Mýkonos
Tourist Information Office
Harbourfront, Mýkonos Town
+30 (228) 902 2201
Mýkonos Town
Highlights include the Archaeological Museum, the Folk Museum, Panagia Paraportiani, Little Venice, the Maritime Museum of the Aegean, Lena's House and the Municipal Art Gallery. Platýs Gialós, 2 miles South of Mýkonos Town, is the main family beach on the island. The rest are famous nude and/or gay beaches.
La Maison de Catherine (French)
Ayios Gerasimos, Mýkonos Town
+30 (228) 902 2169
Reservations required
Approximate cruise time is 1.3 hours. The third largest Cycladic island, Páros is famous for white marble. You will spend the afternoon swimming at Náousa Bay, where a half-submerged ruin of a Venetian castle serves as a unique breakwater in the harbor. Náousa is an upscale, cosmopolitan resort town centrally located near most of the island's cafes, tavernas and bars. A popular pirate boat battle is reenacted in the harbor every Aug. 23. You can dine at one of the small, traditional ouzerí tavernas or onboard your yacht.
Páros
Tourist Information Office (located behind the windmill)
Paroikiá
+30 (228) 405 24772
Paroikia
A port and resort town 7 miles SW of Náousa.
Highlights include Greece's oldest church in continuous use and a major Byzantine monument Ekatontapylianí (Church of a Hundred Doors).
Approximate cruise time of 2 hours. The beaches of Koufoníssi are great for swimming. The island is divided into two by a 200-meter strait. The upper, populated island is one of the smallest in the Cyclades and can be circumnavigated in one morning. The tavernas are stocked with locally caught fish.
Approximate cruise time is 3 hours. The views approaching the island of Santoríni, called the Queen of the Cyclades, feature sheer, striated cliffs and white cubist villages. The island was formed by volcanic eruption, and the crater still exists in the middle of the island's bay. Santoríni is believed to be among the possible sites for the lost kingdom of Atlantis. The main town of Firá boasts whitewashed houses, red-black cliffs and winding streets. The trip up to the town from the tiny port of Skála Firón below is via donkeys or a cable car. For dinner, you will be driven to Oía, a charming town on the north side of the island. Famous for spectacular sunsets, Oía offers a variety of restaurants with excellent views. Cars are forbidden here. Legend has it that the town is haunted and is home to vampires.
Santoríni
Tourist Information Office
Firá
+30 (228) 602 2231
Firá
Agios Minás
Agiou Miná, Firá
Famous blue-domed church with white bell tower visible along the terraced cliffs.
Archaelogical Museum
Opposite cable car
+30 (228) 602 2217
Tue-Sun 8:30am-3pm
Closed Jan 1, Mar 25, Good Fri (Orthodox) until 12pm, Easter Sun & Mon (Orthodox), May 1, Dec 25-26
Shopping
In summer many shops stay open until after midnight.
Ancient Thirá
7 miles SW of Firá
Tue-Sun 8:30am-2:30pm
Closed Jan 1, Mar 25, Good Fri (Orthodox) until 12pm, Easter Sun & Mon (Orthodox), May 1, Dec 25-26
Ruins from 3rd-4th century BC
Akrotíri
7 miles SW of Firá
Key archaeological site
Approximate cruise time is 3 hours. Mílos is called the island of 100 beaches. The beachfront is lined with dramatic rock formations, caves and arches formed by volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago. Some of the most impressive stretches of sand can only be accessed from the sea. The port of Adámas is a favorite of Athenian cognoscenti. Two sandy beaches hem in the meandering waterfront and open up to cafes, tavernas and shops. You may choose to visit Pláka, a town known for its panoramic views, museums and tavernas. Apollonía is a picturesque harbor, adjacent to a tree-fringed, sandy bay.
Mílos
Tourist Information Office
Harbourfront, Adámas
+30 (228) 702 2445
Beaches
Langáda Beach, West of Adámas, is popular with families.
Chivadolímni Beach lies South of Adámas along the Bay of Mílos.
Pláka
On a cliff top, 2.5 miles above the port of Adámas.
Archaeological Museum
Main Square, Pláka
+30 (228) 702 1620
Tue-Sun
Closed May 1
Plaster copy of Venus de Milo, found on Mílos. Neolithic artifacts from as early as 3,500 BC.
Approximate cruise time is 4 hours. After lounging on the beach in Mílos, you will cruise to Hydra, one of the most exclusive resorts in Greece. Traditional architecture that is protected by law, red-tiled houses and narrow cobblestone alleys make Hydra Town a picturesque jewel in the Sea of Crete. Motorized vehicles are banned, and donkey caravans do all the hauling on steep stair streets.
Breakfast onboard the boat while cruising back to Athens.
topItinerary 2
Sailing the Cyclades & Peloponnesian Coast
Approximate time is 2.5 hours. The boat will anchor in Fikiada Bay on the small, mountainous island of Kýthnos, where you can enjoy a late afternoon swim. Dinner is onboard or at Ostria.
Kýthnos
Tourist Information Office
+30 (228) 103 2250
Thermal spa and hot springs with high iron content at Loutra. The capital city of Chóra is replete with churches.
Ostria Restaurant - Grill
Merihas, Kýthnos
+30 (228) 103 2263
This is the first restaurant seen when disembarking at the port of Merihas.
Approximate cruise time is 3 hours. Delos is a tiny, uninhabited island with a vast archeological site. Legend has it that Apollo and Artemis were born there. After a tour of Delos, you will cruise to Mýkonos, one of the most cosmopolitan of all the Greek islands. Beaches, touring and shopping abound. Dinner is on the boat under the Greek stars or you may prefer to eat at La Maison de Catherine in Mýkonos Town.
Delos
1 mile SW of Mýkonos Town, Mýkonos
+30 (228) 902 2259
Tue-Sun 8:30am-3pm
Closed Mon
Closed Jan 1, Mar 25, Good Fri (Orthodox) until 12pm, Easter Sun & Mon (Orthodox), May 1, Dec 25-26
Highlights include the Sanctuary of Apollo, the Lion Terrace, the Sanctuary of Dionysos, the House of Dioscourides and Cleopatra and the Theatre Quarter.
Mýkonos
Tourist Information Office
Harbourfront, Mýkonos Town
+30 (228) 902 2201
Mýkonos Town
Highlights include the Archaeological Museum, the Folk Museum, Panagia Paraportiani, Little Venice, the Maritime Museum of the Aegean, Lena's House and the Municipal Art Gallery. Platýs Gialós, 2 miles S of Mýkonos Town, is the main family beach on the island. The rest are famous nude and/or gay beaches.
La Maison de Catherine (French)
Ayios Gerasimos, Mýkonos Town
+30 (228) 902 2169
Reservations required.
Approximate cruise time, 7 hours
Due to a forecast of high winds in the Cyclades, our captain turned the boat to the protected shores of the Peloponnesian Coast. He called ahead to rent a car, driver and secure berths at several islands.
Monemvasía
Peloponnese
Tourism Office: +30 (273) 206 1777
Fortified Byzantine seaport town dubbed "The Gibraltar of Greece" because it is built on two levels atop a rock looming 1,150 ft. above the sea. 16th-century walls – 2,953 ft. long and up to 98 ft. high – surround the city. Much of the parapet can be walked.
Agia Sofia
13th century church. Only intact remnant of upper town.
Archaeological Museum
+30 (273) 206 1403
May-Oct Tue-Sun 8:30am-4pm; Nov-May Tue-Sun 8:30am-3pm
Closed Mon.
Closed Jan 1, Mar 25, Good Fri (Orthodox), Easter Sun (Orthodox), May 1, Dec 25-26
Housed in a former Turkish mosque, built in the 16th century.
Drive to Areópolis
Pýrgos Diroú Caves and Museum
7 miles S of Areópolis
+30 (273) 305 2222
Open daily Apr-Oct, 8:30am-5:30pm, Nov-Mar Tue-Thu 8:30am-3pm (hours change frequently - call ahead)
Take a 30-minute punt ride on underground stream that passes through Glyfáda cavern with overhanging stalactites. Kids loved this.
Neolithic Museum of Diroú
+30 (273) 305 2233
Open daily 8:30am-3pm (hours change frequently - call ahead)
Displays of artifacts found in the caves.
Drive back to Monemvasía
Approximate cruise time is 3 hours
Spétses is the most popular of all the Saronic Islands. It has a lovely harbor, and wonderful swimming beaches. And with no cars allowed, it has kept its charm. A partially paved track runs around the entire island for walking, biking or mopeds.
Approximate cruise time is 1.5 hours
Hydra is one of the most exclusive resorts in Greece. Traditional architecture that is protected by law, red-tiled houses and narrow cobblestone alleys make Hydra Town a picturesque jewel in the Sea of Crete. Motorized vehicles are banned, and donkey caravans do all the hauling on steep stair streets.
Approximate cruise time is 1.5 hours
Póros is in fact two islands joined by a causeway. Of interest is an 18th monastery as well as the ruins of a 6th century Temple of Poseidon.
Breakfast onboard the boat while cruising back to Athens
topItinerary 3
Sailing the Ionian Islands
Approximate cruise time is 4.5 hours. You will depart Piraeus around 5pm. On your journey, you’ll pass through the locks of Corinth Canal, which ranks in importance with the Panama and Suez canals.
The boat will anchor in Galaxidi, an historic fishing village on the Corinthian Gulf. You’ll arrive at Galaxidi around 9:30 pm. Dinner onboard while cruising.
Approximate cruise time is 4.5 hours. Ithaki is a small, tranquil island, the mythical home of Odysseus. A number of hiking trails offering panoramic ocean views crisscross the island, starting from the main town of Vathy, and you can also search out several of the locations from Homer’s “Odyssey.”
After a stop at lovely, isolated Gidaki Beach, you will cruise to the picturesque seaside village of Kioni and anchor at its tiny harbor. Kioni is an official “traditional settlement” and must follow strict planning rules, which keep it charming and undeveloped. Dinner onboard or in one of Kioni’s waterfront tavernas.
Approximate cruise time is 3 hours. On the way, you’ll stop for a swim at Porto Katsiki on Lefkada Island. This exceptionally beautiful beach is considered one of the finest in Europe.
Continue on to Antipaxi, a diminutive but gorgeous islet known for the clarity of its water. The boat will anchor at Vrika Beach. Dinner onboard the yacht.
Approximate cruise time is 1 hour. Paxi is a lovely and serene small island with three charming harbor towns and a few scattered villages. On its west coast, sheer, 650-foot cliffs rise from the sea, dotted with caves and grottos.
The boat will anchor in Lakka, a picturesque town filled with Venetian-style buildings. Dinner onboard the yacht or in one of Lakka’s tavernas.
Approximate cruise time 5.25 hrs. On the way, you’ll round the southern tip of Lefkada Island. Lefkada was a peninsula before the Corinthians built a canal across the isthmus in the 8th century BC. Though a causeway now connects the island to the mainland, Lefkada remains appealingly traditional. Its west coast features some extraordinary sandy beaches, while lively Lefkada Town offers a number of small museums and a 14th-century Venetian fortress.
Before docking for the afternoon, you’ll make a stop at Papanikolis Cave, on the lush islet of Meganisi. This large karst cave was named after the Greek submarine "Papanikolis" which hid here during World War II, emerging to attack enemy ships. The interior is filled with columns and stalactites.
Harbor overnight at Skorpios, a private island owned by the Onassis family. Though the island is closed to the public, yachts are allowed to anchor and you may swim ashore to the beach. Dinner onboard the yacht.
Approximate cruise time 2.5 hours. Stop in Vathy on Ithaki for refueling, then cruise to Keffalonia. This is the largest of the Ionian islands, with a rich, varied landscape. Though many of its buildings were destroyed in the 1953 earthquake, a number of ancient castles and monasteries remain, particularly around the town of Sami. Those interested in archaeology or natural history might want to visit the excellent museums in Argostoli, the island's capital.
The boat will anchor in Fiskardo. This charming town is a significant sailing port, popular with celebrities, but still very laid-back and family-friendly. You’ll find a number of upscale restaurants (reservations required), and shops specializing in jeweled sandals. Dinner at Apagio.
Fiscardo Chandlers
Sailing shop
+30 (267) 404 1045
Porto di Guiscardo
Traditional and handmade gifts
+30 (267) 404 1159
Apagio
Quayside taverna
+30 (267) 404 1260
Approximate cruise time 4.5 hours. On the way, you’ll explore the Blue Caves at the northern tip of Zakynthos Island. With their luminous turquoise waters, these caves are deservedly famous, surpassing Capri’s Blue Grotto in their beauty.
Cruise to Keri Beach, in Laganas Bay on the southern coast of the island. This bay is known for the loggerhead sea turtles who come ashore here to lay their eggs. The boat will anchor at Keri Beach. Dinner onboard the yacht.
In the morning, you’ll cruise to Navagio (Shipwreck Beach) one of the most famous beaches in Greece, with a backdrop of dazzling, 820-foot-high cliffs. The beach, which can only be reached by boat, was named for a ship that crashed here some 20 years ago – the ruins of the boat (probably a tobacco smuggler) are still there on the sand.
Next, you’ll cruise to Eratini, a picturesque fishing village in Corinth Bay (approximate cruise time 5 hrs). The boat will anchor in Eratini. Dinner onboard the yacht or in the village.
Approximate cruise time 4.25 hours. You’ll pass through Corinth Canal before ending your voyage at Marina Zeas, Piraeus.
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