Walking in the Cyclades Islands

Arrival at Santorini Airport and transfer to the port for your ferry to the Island of Naxos. The ferry to Naxos departs at 15:30, so you should plan to arrive before 1pm to allow time to transfer to the port.

You take a taxi or public bus to Chalki, located in the centre of the Tragea plain. Today you explore this fertile inner land of Naxos with olive groves and rich vegetation. There are some olive trees that are over a thousand years old! You walk on cobbled paths via the Venetian Fortress Ano Kastro to an ancient marble quarry where you find a 10m height statue of an unfinished Kouros from the 6th century BC! The walk ends in the nearby village Melanes from where you take a taxi or public bus back to the hotel.

Today is a shorter easier walk from Kynidaros to Eggares which can be started after a short transfer by bus or taxi. Eggares is a pretty village with a coupe of quaint churches and some ancient olive presses on view that actually date from the 19^th century.

Today’s walk starts from Filoti that you reach by taxi or public bus. From this village, built at the foothills of Mt. Zas, you start your walk to the summit of this legendary mountain. You may witness the cave in which according to the legend, Zeus, the father of all the gods, was nursed by an eagle. After your descend you optionally continue the walk to Apiranthos. From Apiranthos you may walk back via the saddle of Mt. Fanari to Filoti; a beautiful walk with breathtaking views!

You travel from Naxos to Santorini. The ferry usually departs around noon and arrives 3 hours later on Santorini. In the morning you may want to visit the Castle in Naxos town (Chora) and visit the museum here. Or you can relax on the sandy beach of Agios Georgios. You enter the submerged crater of this old volcano by ferry boat and this is an unforgettable experience. You will be impressed by the steep coloured cliffs and the whitewashed villages on top. It is said that the eruption, 3.600 years ago, ended the Minoan Civilization.

A transfer will take you to Perissa from where you start climbing via an old path to a windy saddle. This area is one of the very few places that exist from before the devastating volcanic eruption. You walk up to Ancient Thira, the capital of the island in Ancient and Roman times. The location is really fantastic! Then you descend via an old path to the quiet inner parts of the island. You walk through vineyards (Santorini produces top-class wines!) and passing picturesque villages. Through this landscape of volcanic ashes and along the black beach you walk back to Akrotiri village.

You travel by public bus to Fira, the capital of Santorini. Here you can explore the narrow alleys of this whitewashed town, built on the top of the volcanic cliffs. It houses a couple of interesting museums, such as the Museum of Prehistoric Thira and the Archaeological Museum. In the afternoon you make the famous walk from Fira to Oia. This walk allows you fabulous views of the lagoon and the spectacular cliffs with its massive drops. Most of the walk is via a really nice wide mule-path. From Oia, you will be picked up and get a transfer back to the hotel.

Depending on your flight departure today, you may have time to pay a visit to the archaeological site of Akrotiri or maybe just relax. You will have a transfer to the airport at the appropriate time.