Sail all day or party all night, the Cyclades islands will always reward the daring and the lavish. Mykonos and Paros are only the beginning!
It is considered one of the best sailing vacation destinations worldwide, where a sailor can face very nice winds or very challenging winds (Meltemi) normally during mid July to August.
All Cycladic Islands share some distinctive features, such as the renowned Cycladic architecture, narrow cobblestone alleyways, fascinating archaeological, historical, religious and natural sights, quaint seaside and mountain villages and endless beaches. Each island though has several specific characteristics that make it stand out from the rest, making the islands absolutely unique, each in its own way.
The Cyclades are the quintessential Greek islands
Rocky outcrops accented with dazzling white buildings offset by bright blue church domes, all showered in radiant light and fringed with golden beaches lapped by aquamarine seas.
Best known for their history, art, and civilization which dates back to the Bronze Age, the islands offer a stunning variety of scenic shores, unpsoiled beaches, local handicrafts, entertaiment, and diving.
The Cycladic Islands will satisfy all types of visitors by offering both stimulating, energetic holidays, or quiet, relaxed vacations. Whether you are vacationing as a family, a group of friends, a couple or alone, you will definitely find your ideal holiday destination among the Cyclades.
The Cyclades islands are forming a ring of around the ancient island of Delos with its ancient ruins and temples, next to the cosmopolitan island of Mykonos. The islands of Cyclades include Syros, Naxos, Sifnos, Serifos, Paros, Ios, Santorini with its volcano and amazing sun sets and of course the small islands south of Naxos Schinousa, Donousa, Heraklia and Koufonisia a truly beautiful archipelago.
These islands lend themselves to the people who are a little bit more adventurous and want to sail a little bit further.
Most of the Cycladic islands are between 15 and 25 miles apart.
During July and August when the wind blows it can get very strong and it is possible for it to last for a few days, so it is a good idea to be a little bit more flexible with your time and itinerary and maybe change direction or just find a nice area and explore the beaches and Tavernas.
Cyclades islands is an ideal sailing destination offering over 20 islands all within easy reach with countless bays to anchor in all within very easy reach, so even if you are not the most experienced or adventurous of sailors you can fill every day with something new.
Paros, located in the center of the Cyclades islands, is the best starting and finishing charter base. The island has regular ferry links to both Pireaus and the port of Rafina, and also a regular flight connection with the Athens airport. Therefore, if you are amining to visit the Cyclades, why not start and / or finish you sailing vacation at Paros island.
GREECE is a unique place to choose for your summer holidays.
Choose a section on the map to navigate
The Greek islands are an ideal place for summer holidays and the best way to explore them is to rent a charter a sailing boat in Greece.
Greece's Island Groups
Greece's roughly 6,000 islands and islets (227 of which are inhabited) are scattered far and wide across the eastern Mediterranean. Most are in the Aegean Sea (south and east of mainland Greece), while a few are in the Ionian Sea (west of the mainland). The islands are divided into distinct clusters:
The Ionian Islands, are Greece's northwest gateway to the Adriatic and the rest of Europe — they've had more foreign invaders and rulers than anywhere else in the country. The main island is Corfu (Kerkyra in Greek), with a bustling, architecturally eclectic main town and a lush, green islandscape dotted with attractions and beaches.
The Saronic Gulf Islands ( Argosaronikos ), conveniently wedged between the Peloponnese and Athens, ooze lots of island charm and give you a chance to get away from it all without actually going very far. Hydra, my favorite, is in this group.
The Sporades Islands, due east of Athens, are dominated by the giant Evia island, which is attached to the mainland by a bridge. Thickly forested and less touristed by international visitors, the Sporades are a popular and handy weekend getaway for Athenians.
The Cycladic Islands (or simply Cyclades ) — a bit farther south, between Athens and Crete — are the prototypical "Greek islands," boasting chalk-white houses with colorful windowsills and doorways; rocky, sun-parched landscapes; delightful beaches; old-fashioned white windmills topped with tufts of grass like unkempt hair; and an almost overwhelming crush of international visitors. Mykonos and Santorini are the two best and most famous of the Cyclades. Near Mykonos is the archaeological site of Delos (one of the most important locales of the ancient world).
The Dodecanese Islands, at the sunny, southeastern end of the Greek lands, are more rustic and less developed than the Cyclades. Their proximity to Turkey and historic ties to Venice give them a hybrid Turkish-Venetian flavor (though the population is mostly ethnic Greek, these islands merged with Greece only after World War II). Rhodes, with an appealing and very real-feeling Old Town, is the biggest of these islands.
The North Aegean Islands, relatively untrampled and remote-feeling, lie roughly between Turkey and Thessaloniki (at the northern end of mainland Greece). The southernmost of these, Samos, is a particularly handy springboard for Turkey, as it's very close to the Turkish port city of Kusadas? (near the remarkable ancient site of Ephesus).
Crete is Greece's biggest island and practically a mini-state of its own (in fact, from 1897 to 1913 it was an autonomous state within the Ottoman Empire). While many of Greece's smaller islands merit a day or two of fun in the sun, Crete could occupy even a busy traveler for a week or more. Historically, Crete was home to the Minoans — the earliest advanced European civilization, peaking around 1950 B.C., centuries before "the ancient Greeks" of Athens. While Crete's modern main city, Iraklio, is drab and uninviting, the rest of the island offers an engaging diversity of attractions: Minoan ruins, scenic mountains, enticing beaches, characteristic rustic villages, and dramatic caves and gorges (including the famous Samaria Gorge).
Even if you are having no sailing experience we can offer you a sailing yacht with a captain.
Experienced sailors can enjoy the strong winds in the Aegean Sea, while others might choose the mild winds and safer bays of Argosaronicos Gulf, Sporades islands or the Ionian Sea. In few words, sailing in Greece can offer all the pleasure a sailor might seek in summer holidays.
