9 days in the Cyclades

In the afternoon we make our way to the airport, because our flight to Athens leaves at 7 o'clock.

Arriving in Athens we are lucky and just catch the last metro from the airport (runs from 6:30 to 23:30 every 30 minutes). This saves us the trip by bus, from which the walk to our accommodation would have been a bit further. We get off at the Monastiraki stop and check into the Cecli Hotel a few minutes later. We chose this one because it is close to downtown and the Metro 3 coming from the airport. The hotel is very clean and our room was much larger than we know it from most hotels.

After a good night's sleep and breakfast at the hotel, we set off for the Acropolis. The entrance fee is normally 20€, but since we are both under 25 years old and students, the entrance is free. After about 15 minutes waiting in the ticket line, we overcome the last steps up the mountain. At the top we explore the impressive ruins and enjoy the impressive view of the surrounding Athens.

After exploring everything here we make our way to the 147 meter high Filopappou Hill. From here you have a perfect view on the Acropolis. From here we continue to the Ancient Agora. This was an assembly place in ancient Greece and was used for army, court and popular meetings of free citizens. The entrance fee to the Ancient Agora is 8€. Also here there are many ruins of ancient temples like the temple of Hephaistos to see. After about an hour we have finished exploring the Ancient Agora.

Hungry, we set out to find a restaurant for dinner. We stroll from Monastiraki Square a bit through the alleys to find a restaurant. Finally we decide for O Thanasis Kebab. We eat a Greek salad, fries and excellent Kebab.

Afterwards, we make our way to the hotel, as we have to get to the ferry quite early the next morning.

In the morning we make our way to the ferry to Amorgos. The ferry should be reserved in advance, Blue Star Ferries and SeaJets offer almost daily connections from Athens to Amorgos with speedboats. We have breakfast at the harbor before we start our 6-hour ride to Amorgos.

The ride is an experience in itself! It's a pity that you are only allowed on the outside deck of the speedboats for a short time before and after the boat. We arrive in the early afternoon and pick up our rental car, which we had reserved in advance at FM Rent a Car Amorgos. The employee was very nice and the Fiat Panda gave us the right feeling for the island. On the way to our accommodation we make a stop in Chora, the "capital" (212 inhabitants) of the island. We stroll a little through the alleys and enjoy the flair and tranquility that the city radiates!

Tip: In the "Ilios" at Loza Square you can get the key for the small chapel at the highest point of the city. From the chapel you have an impressive view of the surrounding island.

We drink another coke in the Ilios before we make our way to the accommodation in Aegali. Already the drive there through the winding mountain roads is very impressive and offers an incredible scenery!

Once there, we are very excited about our accommodation. From our balcony we look directly onto the sea and the bay of Aegali. After the long day we are finally looking forward to cooling off in the sea, for this we walk about 5 minutes down into the bay to the beach.
 

In the morning we go directly to the monastery Chozoviotissa. The monastery is said to have been founded at the beginning of the 9th century by monks from Palestine. From the parking lot we have to walk about 5-10 minutes. Already on the way we have a spectacular view of the cliff and the monastery, which seems to stick to the rock.

Upon arrival, we are greeted by a monk and many baby cats. There is a strict dress code in the monastery. Men and women in shorts and skimpy tops are not allowed in. For women, moreover, no pants are allowed, only long skirts. However, the monk at the entrance has some clothes that can be camouflaged over inappropriate clothing. Admission is free, but the monks are happy to receive a donation.

The narrow stairs and rooms inside the monastery are very impressive, as is the view through the tiny windows. In the monastery we are offered a free glass of water and a local likeur called Psimeni-Raki, which we can enjoy in the relaxation room of the monastery.

In the midday heat we want to cool down after the hike to the monastery, so we drive to the nearby beach Agia Anna to cool down. Afterwards we make our way to the shipwreck of Olympia. The ship ran aground on February 13, 1980 and is perfect for snorkeling as it lies in a shallow bay. With our snorkeling equipment we set off from the parking lot and walk about 5 minutes down into the bay. Apart from us, there is no one to be seen far and wide. We explore the shipwreck for some time and then lay down on the shore to dry off.

After we are dried we make our way to the nearby Kalotaritissa Beach, a white sandy beach in a small bay. At the small cafe we eat a salad and fries. We use the afternoon to take a swim and lie on the beach before we make our way back home via the spectacular roads of Amorgos.

In the morning we start directly to Vroutsis to hike from there to Ancient Arkesini. Ancient Arkesini was founded in the 900th century BC and was inhabited until the Middle Ages. The path goes gently downhill towards the beautifully situated church of Panagia Kastriani. From there we continue downhill to the ancient Arkesini. We first walk around the rocky outcrop where breathtaking views await us. Afterwards we take a break on the rocky outcrop before we start our way back.

Back at the car we drive to Mouros Beach to cool down. From the parking lot we have already seen the Mouros taverna, where we satisfy our hunger after swimming with a fantastic view.

Full and relaxed, we drive back to our accommodation and stop on the way in Tholaria, a mountain village above Aegali. We stroll a bit through the alleys before we start our way home. We have an aperitif in Κοραλι Εστιατόριο and watch the sunset. Afterwards we have an excellent dinner at Asteria.

Sad that we are already leaving tomorrow we make our way to the accommodation. Actually, we would have liked to stay longer here.

After breakfast we make our way to Katapola, from where our ferry departs. We drop off our rental car and explore the city a bit. Before the departure we have lunch at Mythos. Then it goes for us already on the ferry to Paros. In Parikia we first make our way to our accommodation.

Then we make our way to the city. We explore the city center a little bit before we have dinner in Yiannoulis Taverna.

Before we go home after the long day we sit on the shore and watch the sunset.

Today we rent a quad to explore Paros. After we have refueled our quad we make our way to Naoussa. There we have breakfast at Ragoussis Bakery. Strengthened we let ourselves drift through the winding city center of Naoussa. With the winding, white alleys, the city seems almost a bit like Mykonos, only with fewer tourists. To cool down, we head for the nearby beach of Santa Maria.

Refreshed, we make our way to the highest settlement on Paros Lefkes. We explore the mountain village a bit and have an ice cream.

Afterwards we make our way to the Butterflies Nature Reserve. On the way we see a sign to marble galleries. We follow the dirt road a few meters to a parking lot. We explore the area a bit, but the tunnels are all fenced in, so there is not much to see here.

At the Butterflies Nature Reserve we unfortunately have to realize that it is currently closed. Too bad, but the ride on the quad there has offered us nevertheless very beautiful views over the island.

From there we make our way back to Pariki to return our quad.

Today it goes for us to Antiparos. Yesterday, an employee of a gas station gave us the tip on Antiparos necessarily rent a quad and go to Monastiria beach.

We take the first ferry at 07:15 from Parikia and arrive there at about 7:45. The departure times of the ferry can be found here. Here we rent a quad at Aggelos Antiparos Rent A Car, Bike And Bicycle. The quads seem much higher quality and are also much more powerful than the ones on Paros. The employees are very nice, we have to prove our driving skills briefly, and then we're off.

Our first destination is the cave of Antiparos. The entrance fee of 3.50€ is worth every penny. We descend the 411 steps and admire the impressive stalagmites and stalactites.

After we have mastered the 411 steps back to the top we make our way to the Monastiria beach. On the way we buy some provisions for lunch. The dirt road to the beach is getting steeper and rougher and we are already worried whether we come back up the path with the quad. The sight of the bay from afar lets us but continue. Arrived down there a Fiat Panda parks - relieved that he creates it probably also back we sit down on the beach, bathe and eat lunch. We share the beach with two other people, but they sit with some distance at the other end of the bay. The quiet and solitude of the beach make it really special!

Recovered, we make our way back to Antiparos in the late afternoon. The way back is surprisingly easy with the quad! We return the quad and leave our bags still in the car rental to explore the town. We stroll through the beautiful alleys of Antiparos and eat another ice cream.

Then we pick up our bags and sit down in a bar right at the harbor to wait for the ferry.

Back in Paros, we return our bags to our accommodation and have dinner at Restaurant Hellas.

After we slept in we use the time to explore the downtown of Parikia and go swimming.

Around noon we rent a quad for the afternoon to go to Paros Park, a 800 hectare peninsula next to Naoussa. There we walk about 40 minutes to the at the end of the peninsula located lighthouse. The well signposted path reveals impressive views of the rugged coastline.

There arrived we enjoy something the view before we make ourselves again on the way back to the parking lot. On our way home then jumps us the chain of our quad. We manage to put the chain back on, but after a few kilometers the chain jumps again from the quad. We call the rental and are driven home by the friendly staff in the car.

Back in Pariki, we return our backpacks to our accommodation and have another cocktail at the Ephesus Restaurant before enjoying our last dinner on Paros at the Mythos Plaza Restaurant .

Today is unfortunately already the day of our departure. In the morning we make our way to the beach for one last swim on Paros. Then we check out and make our way to the port. We drink another coffee right at the port to bridge the waiting time until the departure of our delayed ferry.

Once in Athens, we check into our hotel and head into town for dinner. We stroll the streets a bit and finally decide on the Mamoz.

Sated, we make our way up Philopapposh Hill again to enjoy the view from there at night. From there we make our way home to the hotel.

Our plane leaves very early today, so we check out before breakfast and head straight to the airport.