Day 1: Mykonos

Mykonos is everything you might expect from this tiny yet infamous island. In the day-time, the brilliant white winding alley ways lined with turquoise railings and fuchsia bougainvillea make for a picture-perfect setting. When the evening comes and the fashionistas and party-goers hit the town, it can be a whole different story! With our limited time in the Cyclades, we opted to spend just 24 hours on the island – for us this was the perfect amount of time to fully explore the area before moving on to islands which (in our opinion) have a bit more to offer.

We arrived in the early evening and headed straight into the bustling centre. For your first meal we highly recommend opting for one of the many local tavernas scattered throughout the streets which offer mouth-watering souvlaki and gyros – deliciously soft pittas stuffed with smoky meat, onions, tomatoes and – best of all – chips. We opted for Souvlaki Story which had a lovely al fresco setting, and even better gyros.

Grab a cocktail at the trendy Little Venice by the waterside (try Bao’s Cocktail Bar) and admire the iconic Mykonos windmills as the water laps at your feet. Finish up with a drink at one of the many bars lining the town which make for a perfect people-watching spot – which, as the night goes on, can become quite the spectacle!

Day 2: Mykonos & Paros

The next day, rise early whilst the crowds from the night before are still in bed – the morning was our favourite time on the island as we had the pretty streets all to ourselves without a single Instagrammer in sight! Stop off for brunch at one of the town’s many little creperies (we loved Yummy). Once you have explored the streets and cute shops in the small town, head for some classic snaps at the windmills on the hill.

Next, catch the ferry heading for Paros at the new port.

Paros, which we knew the least about, ended up being our favourite island on the trip. The largest of the three islands in this itinerary, Paros is beautiful and easily explored, offering cute fishing towns, hilltop villages, sandy coves and water sports. We found that the island in general felt noticeably more relaxed and laid-back than other islands, possibly as it less well known than the likes of Mykonos and Santorini and so attracts a slightly different crowd.

Spend the first day exploring Naoussa, which is where we chose to base ourselves. Naoussa is an idyllic fishing town, featuring a tiny harbour dotted with multicoloured fishing boats and tavernas lining the waterfront. Behind this you will find the stylish old town with its cobbled pathways, boutique shops and swathe of fabulous restaurants. If you are looking to cool off after exploring the town, the nearby Piperi beach around the corner from the town is nothing special but is a quiet beach with beautifully clear water to take a quick dip in.

Once the evening arrives, “golden hour” is the best time to enjoy a pre-dinner drink at the harbour-side before heading into town for a traditional Greek feast (the seafood is, unsurprisingly, excellent). See our blog on Where to Eat and Drink in Paros to help you decide on where to fill up!

Day 3: Paros

This is the day to start exploring more of what the island has to offer – we highly recommend renting a car for this.

Head to Kolimbithres beach, this is a tiny cove with turquoise waters surrounded by unique rock formations. Kolimbithres makes for a popular spot and is a very small area, so we recommend heading here in the morning to avoid the crowds in the afternoon.

Next, drive to Lefkes, a stunning and unpretentious hilltop village with panoramic views across the island. Spend a couple of hours getting lost in the gorgeous streets and dipping into the shops selling jewellery, crafts and artwork.

Grab an ice coffee and baklava at Kafeneio I Oraia Plateia (see Where to Eat and Drink in Paros for more information).

Follow signs down towards the Byzantine trail – a walking path that leads to Prodromos. If you’re feeling energetic, you can head even further to the next town of Marpissa as well. With just a couple of steep pathways, this is a fairly simple, well signposted walk that takes no more than an hour (though allow more time for picture-taking) and offers lovely views towards the sea and back up to the white buildings of Lefkes perched on the hillside. Before you embark on this hike be sure to check the bus schedule so that you can catch the once-hourly bus from Prodromos back up to Lefkes. On your return, reward yourself with a late lunch in the village (try Lefkiano). After a full-on day, head back to relax by the pool or beach before going out for dinner nearby.

Day 4: Paros

Spend the day on a boat trip around Paros – there are a couple of companies that offer a similar itinerary taking you and up to 20 other people to the best swimming spots and coves around the island that can only be accessed by boat. Though we had initially planned to rent our own boat, this was a much cheaper and hassle-free alternative way to see the island from the sea.

We opted for Rofos boat trips, who were super helpful and friendly and even provided fruit and tasty snacks along the way. Alternatively, there are boat trips that will take you on a similar tour around Antiparos, a tiny island to the west of Paros. Top tip: whichever boat trip you opt for, be sure to call ahead and check the weather conditions, as the strong Meltemi wind which blows across all the Cyclades can affect whether a trip will go ahead.

Spend your final evening sipping on cocktails on the terrace at Sommaripa Consulate in Naoussa overlooking the bustling little harbour.

Finally, drive to Parikia where you will catch the ferry to Santorini. Leave enough time to take a look around the port town. Though we had limited time to explore Parikia, we found it to be a pleasant town with pretty streets and a few good food options, though with slightly less of the charm of Naoussa.

(Note: if you have more time, book a windsurfing lesson at either Golden Beach or Santa Maria – Paros is known for its excellent wind conditions and there are a number of water sports centres offering reasonable prices for lessons and rental. Like the boat trips, make sure to check the weather conditions with the centres before booking, as lessons cannot go ahead on particularly windy days.)

Day 5: Santorini

Santorini is regarded as the gem of the Cyclades islands, with its postcard perfect towns and its striking blue domes falling into the sea. The island is considerably different to the rest of the Cyclades due to its volcanic nature. Its volatile geographical past is something which is perhaps slightly overlooked by many who come here, but this was once the stage of one of the world’s largest volcanic eruptions in 1600 BC. Santorini’s recognisable and almost semi-circular shape makes up half of the great caldera left behind. The neighbouring island of Thirassia completes the caldera with the islands of Nea Kameni and Palaia Kameni in the centre where the volcano used to be.

The main towns of Oia and Fira are extremely popular travel destinations and Oia especially is probably one of the most photographed towns in the world. If you’re considering visiting in the summer months, think again. It’s not worth competing with the entire world for a photo in front of a blue dome. Make sure to visit either side of the peak months for a more pleasant and affordable experience. This will also make finding accommodation much easier (see Where to Stay in Santorini).

We only spent two full days (with a half day either side) in Santorini (based in Fira) and we think this was enough. If you’re visiting other Greek islands as part of your itinerary such as Naxos or Paros we would recommend leaving more time for them, as there are plenty more things to do there and we preferred their more laid-back vibe.

We arrived on the ferry from Paros in the afternoon. This gave us enough time to get a taxi up to Fira where we based ourselves (see Where to Stay in Santorini), drop our bags at the hotel, and set off to explore Fira before sunset.

Make sure to book dinner or a drink with a view around sunset so that you don’t have to contend with the crowds lining up along the street trying to capture the sun lighting up the town. The terrace at Nektar Lounge is a fabulous spot for this.

Day 6: Santorini

Walk from Fira to Imerovigli, a stunning walk through the three towns of Fira, Firostefani and Imerovigli. The walk isn’t very far and if you walked with your head down and your camera firmly in your pocket, you could do it in less than 45 minutes. But the views across each of the three towns perched on the edge of the caldera are so picturesque you will find yourself stopping at every corner to admire them through your camera lens. The walk is well paved and is pretty much straight on all the way, so there is almost no chance of taking a wrong turn. Some people find the view of Oia from Imerovigli so enticing that they continue on for another 3 hours to Oia. This next section of the walk is slightly less pretty, so we decided that Imerovigli was far enough.

In the afternoon, take a sunset cruise around the caldera with one of the many cruise operators. You can choose a cruise with 16-20 other people, or a more intimate affair with a maximum capacity of 8. We would recommend paying slightly more for the latter. Most operators visit the same spots, the red beach, white beach and the hot springs, with opportunities to swim at each one. We opted for Angel Sailing which offered a slightly different itinerary to avoid all the crowds, as all the boats tend to anchor up at the same spots at the same time. Depending on the cruise, the dinner on the boat will range from snacky food through to a full blown sea food barbecue.

Day 7: Santorini

Spend the final day of the trip exploring Oia, filling up the remainder of your camera’s memory with snap after snap of the beautiful town and its stunning caldera setting. If you get there early enough you can see most of the town’s perfect photo spots without too many tourists in your way. If you’re sluggish to get there, you’ll likely find yourself in a queue for the rest of the day. The prime spots for photo taking include the view from the crumbling Byzantine Castle and the view of the three blue domes. There isn’t much space for photographing the latter, so even on the quietest of days you may have to be patient and wait your turn.

If you’re finding the competition for space too intense in the afternoon, head down the stairs to the colourful Ammoudi bay where you can enjoy the strong Meltemi winds off the sea. There is a path which winds itself round the base of the cliff to an excellent swimming spot. There is a small island opposite where you can jump off a platform – probably a jump of at least 6 or 7 metres – into the clear and extremely deep sea beneath. Once you’ve cooled off, head back to Ammoudi for a cool drink in one of the seafood tavernas right on the sea front (give Sunset bar a go). This should give you the energy you need to climb more than 280 stairs back up into the town.

The final showdown is at sunset – this is what so many have come for. If you want a seat in one of the photo locations mentioned earlier, you’ll need to get there an hour before sunset is due. Sunset was at 8.04pm when we visited, and we took the last spot on the front row of the castle at 6.45pm. For the next hour hordes of tourists arrived vying for position to take the famous Oia sunset photo. Getting there well before sunset sounds pretty arduous, but it is a marvelous view and the sunset really is special, so we didn’t mind spending an hour admiring it, with a beer in hand.

DAY 8: DEPART

Enjoy one last morning in the lovely Santorini before heading home from the nearby Santorini airport.

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