Visiting the Cyclades in 10 days: what to see and do

We explored the Cyclades for 10 days, travelling exclusively on foot and by public transport. Join us on a journey in pictures through some of these islands' must-see places!

Santorini, the picture-postcard island

To make the most of our 10-day journey around the Cyclades, we choose to fly directly into Santorini Airport. The landing is spectacular: it feels as though we are about to end up with our feet in the water!

As we arrive late, we take the bus straight to our accommodation in Thira and have a Greek salad before trying to fall asleep amid the lively Saturday-night atmosphere.

On our first day, we visit Thira (or Fira), the island’s capital, its famous clifftop promenade and the Museum of Prehistoric Thera. It is a wonderful introduction before we head off to explore the Akrotiri site in the afternoon. All the surviving frescoes from this famous site have been recovered, restored and displayed on the museum’s lower floor. The site itself is still impressive, and the walkways make it easy to explore the ruins.

Thira Archaeological Museum and the Akrotiri archaeological site © Cécile Hénard

Afterwards, we make the most of being in the south of the island by going for a swim at Red Beach: black sand, red cliffs and turquoise sea make it a true picture-postcard setting. We round off the day in style with moussaka at a restaurant overlooking the caldera as the sun sets.

Red Beach - Santorini © Cécile Hénard

Milos, the volcanic island

After a ferry crossing, we arrive on Milos, the island of colours, to continue our 10-day trip through the Cyclades. As soon as we arrive, we drop our bags at the hotel and go for a swim in Adamas Bay. Following our host’s advice, we discover Zygos, a restaurant serving delicious food and run by a lovely family, whose traditional dishes bring us back every evening! The next day, we treat ourselves to a wonderful boat trip around the southern part of the island to discover its geological wonders and do some snorkelling in the former pirate hideout of Kleftiko.

Kleftiko - Milos © Cécile Hénard

In the afternoon, we swap our flippers for hiking boots and set off north from Adamas. We cross sun-parched landscapes dotted with olive trees and blue-and-white houses before discovering the colourful boat garages in Mandrakia harbour.

Mandrakia - Milos © Cécile Hénard

We extend our walk to the spectacular site of Sarakiniko to admire its sculpted rocks before taking a dip and returning by bus.

Sarakiniko - Milos © Cécile Hénard

On our third day on the island, we make a short return trip to Papafragas, feeling a little disappointed that we cannot climb down into the cove, before heading to Plaka, the island’s capital. We fall in love with this little village, its winding cobbled lanes and its tiny archaeological museum. We head back down to the coast to visit the fishing village of Klima, passing the amphitheatre, the catacombs and the site where the Venus de Milo was discovered.

Replica of the Venus de Milo - Milos © Cécile Hénard

We continue our walk north through ochre landscapes to reach Plathienia beach, glad of the chance to take a dip in the turquoise water. We then hurry back up so we don’t miss the sunset from the Kastro of Plaka. A stunning viewpoint overlooking the whole island.

Kastro - Milos © Cécile Hénard

Sifnos, the island for hikers

We are very sad to leave Milos, but the boat crossing to Sifnos is beautiful, and we are delighted to find ourselves among higher hills again. Our hotel is in the fjord-like bay of Kamares. Everything is quieter here, with no mass tourism. Most of the people we meet are hikers who, like us, have come to explore the paved, well-marked paths that criss-cross the island.

Kamares beach - Sifnos © Cécile Hénard

On our first day, we explore the island’s east coast. Starting from Artemonas, we head down towards the little village of Kastro via the monastery of Panagia tis Poulatis. Stunning views of the cliffs.

Walking on Sifnos © Cécile Hénard

After a walk along Kastro’s ramparts, we continue through the olive groves to the village of Faros to try some more Greek specialities. From there, we head to the large beach at Platis Gialos, passing through Apokofto and the beautiful monastery of Chryssopighi.

Chryssopighi Monastery - Sifnos © Cécile Hénard

We return by bus, exhausted but delighted, our eyes still shining with wonder. The next day, we decide to head to Cheronissos in the north of the island. This little fishing harbour feels like the end of the world. We explore the wild countryside around it on foot.

Cheronissos - Sifnos © Cécile Hénard

On our last day on the island, we take what turns out to be our favourite walk of our stay in Greece, climbing from Apollonia to the monastery of Profitis Ilias. The maze of whitewashed lanes soon gives way to paved paths and a steep climb that is well worth the effort. The views are spectacular, taking in the island and many of the surrounding Cyclades.

Apollonia - Sifnos © Cécile Hénard

Profitis Ilias Monastery - Sifnos © Cécile Hénard

We take the ferry again, heading for the island of Paros via Serifos, which has us dreaming of another future trip to the Cyclades!

Paros, an island of many facets

Paros is the island that surprises us most during these 10 days in the Cyclades. Arriving at the bustling, lively port of Parikia brings us firmly back to reality after the tranquillity of Sifnos. Tourists and locals alike stroll along the seafront promenade, trying to avoid the huge nets that fishermen are repairing as they sit on benches or buckets. We decide to begin exploring the island with a hike along the “Byzantine Route”. We take the bus to Lefkes and, after visiting the village and its church, head downhill, following the signs. The Byzantine Route links Lefkes to Prodromos along a path that is still paved, crossing stone bridges dating from that period. In places, the landscape is still scarred by the fires of 2021.

Byzantine Route - Paros © Cécile Hénard

When we arrive in Prodromos, we explore the village a little and find a lovely café where we snack on a few meze dishes in the company of very affectionate cats. Following advice from locals, we continue to Marpissa. This little village is certainly one of our favourite places in the Cyclades! We never tire of wandering through its narrow streets.

Marpissa - Paros © Cécile Hénard

Logaras - Paros © Cécile Hénard

To round off the walk beautifully, we continue to Logaras for a swim and a rest beneath the tamarisk trees. On the bus back, we decide to stop in Naoussa, the fishing port that has become Greece’s Saint-Tropez. The place has its charm, with its little boats, walls decorated with large murals and octopuses drying in the sun. The only drawback is that every square metre of the harbour is taken up by a bar or restaurant table, making it difficult to find a way through!

Octopuses in Naoussa - Paros © Cécile Hénard

Naoussa harbour - Paros © Cécile Hénard

We prefer to return to Parikia for the evening, where the atmosphere feels more local and welcoming. The next day, we return to Lefkes (the starting point for most of the island’s walks), but this time we head south towards the fortified monastery of Agii Theodori.

Agii Theodori walk - Paros © Cécile Hénard

This walk is more strenuous than yesterday’s, but also takes us through wilder countryside. We meet 2 or 3 walkers at most. We cross impressive landscapes with beautiful views of the island and its surroundings. Olive groves stretch across the hills all the way to the sea. We find ourselves back amid the bustle when we arrive in Aliki for what has now become our customary swim at the end of a walk. On our last day on the island, we explore the part of ancient Parikia whose remains blend seamlessly into the present-day town. We take the ferry one last time to return to Santorini in the late afternoon.

Parikia - Paros © Cécile Hénard

Santorini, the return

We couldn’t visit Santorini without walking the iconic trail between Thira and Oia! After following the clifftop path up to the top of the Firostefani neighbourhood, we leave the shops and restaurants behind and enter an area of luxury hotels.

Firostefani - Santorini © Cécile Hénard

The landscape of white houses is dotted with turquoise-blue splashes from each room’s private pool. The trail then continues through an uninhabited stretch, offering magnificent views of the caldera. After passing a little orange church with a blue roof, we reach Oia, which we try to explore as best we can, threading our way through the crowds of tourists who have arrived on cruise ships. This is indeed where we can enjoy the island’s most beautiful views, and that is no secret to anyone!

Oia - Santorini © Cécile Hénard

We head back to buy our last souvenirs and finish our 10-day journey around the Cyclades with an excellent meal at a restaurant in the Firostefani neighbourhood (Aktaion) and a night-time stroll along the clifftop path.

Firostefani at night - Santorini © Cécile Hénard

Fancy spending 10 days in the Cyclades yourself?

Grand Angle offers 2 options if you would like to explore the Cyclades on foot for 10 days:

If you would like to explore further, Sifnos, Milos, Kimolos and Serifos each offer a different mix of villages, beaches and walking trails.

Need more inspiration? Discover all our trips in the Cyclades, lasting from 8 to 14 days, from classic itineraries to a catamaran cruise or our dedicated family holiday.