Yacht Charter Itinerary Cycladic Islands, Lavrion to Lavrion

Written by Missy Johnston

Day 1: Join your yacht in Lavrion, which is 35 minutes by car from the Athens Airport and 45 minutes by car from Athens, unpack and relax as you begin your cruise to Kea, a 15-mile cruise. The exceptionally picturesque island of Kea lies 15 miles from the southeast coast of Attica. The mountain masses that are encountered in most of the Cyclades are broken up by small valleys sparsely planted with vines and fruit-trees that run right down to the sea, opening out into pretty little bays. Overnight.

Visit one of the island’s peaceful beaches at Pisses, Korissia, and Koundouros. Cruise to the western side of the island into Agios Nikolaos Bay and deep within it to the port of Korissia, which is considered to be one of the safest natural harbors in the Mediterranean.

Day 2: Cruise to Tinos, the “Holy Island of the Cyclades.” The island is the site of the Church of Evangelistria, which houses an icon of the Annunciation that draws thousands of Orthodox Christians on the feast day of August 15th.

There are plenty of good beaches, too, notably at Agios Fokas near the town, Kionia, Porto, Panormos Bay, Kolimbithra, Agios Sostis and Pahia Amos.

The lunar-type landscape at the spot known as ‘Volax’, with its peculiar boulders, is extremely unique and well worth a visit.

No one should leave the island without having purchased, or at least tasted, high-grade cheeses like “Kopanisti” and “Mitzithra”, which are made locally. In the late afternoon cruise to Mykonos to overnight.

Day 3: One of the most cosmopolitan of all the Greek islands, Mykonos, has an international reputation and quite justifiably attracts many tourists from all over the world. The capital Chora, with its colorful harbor in which little fishing boats nest happily side by side with luxury yachts, presents quite a different picture from that of the majority of Aegean island towns.

One of the most charming districts of Chora is Little Venice with the picturesque houses of the island’s sea captains, built right on the rocks lashed on by the sea. The mascot of the Island is a Pelican, called Petros, which can be seen trying to bite tourists at the port.

Mykonos nightlife is very busy, with bars and nightclubs staying open until dawn. Explore the shops in the Chora, perhaps enjoy one of the many beaches, and hit the town at night, even if just to enjoy a drink in a café to people watch.

Day 4: Leave early for Delos to arrive and tour before the heat of high noon. This is an excellent location to have a private guide, as the site is not well marked. Delos was the religious capital of the Ionians in 1,000 BC. Greek mythology recounts how Leto, one of Zeus’s lovers, gave birth to Apollo on Delos, god of physical beauty and the fine arts. By 454 BC the Athenians had overtaken the Ionians, forcing Delos to pay taxes and provide ships to Athens. Delos’ greatest period was in the third to fourth century BC, when the tiny island had a population of 20,000 and was the chief financial center and slave market in the Mediterranean. Foreigners from Rome, Syria and Egypt built homes and coexisted tolerantly, despite the variety of religious beliefs.

Visit the excavated ruins, such as the Avenue of the Lions, the theater, and many one and two-story houses with mosaic floors, like the House of the Trident. A flight of steps ascends the island’s summit, Mt. Kynthos, the birthplace of Apollo. As a visitor you can admire most of these finds wandering around Delos sanctum and visiting the island’s archaeological museum.

Head to the nearby uninhabited island of Rineia for a beach barbecue for lunch in a deserted anchorage. Enjoy swimming and water sports while your Chef creates a lovely lunch right on the beach. After lunch cruise to Paros to the village of Noussa, which rightly so can claim to be a very traditional Cycladic village, without the changes tourism might have made to neighboring islands. Be sure to explore Naoussa, and have a drink on the harbor side at a taverna in the secret little enclave of the harbor behind the main harbor.

Paros is the third largest of the Cyclades after Naxos and Andros and has developed into an important center of tourism in recent years. Gently rolling hills surround the center and southeast of the island, which is occupied by endless vineyards.

The Monastery of Katapyliani is located in a wooded park just up the road from the harbor. Its name means “Church of a Hundred Gates” and is one of the most important Christian monuments in Greece.

Paroikia (or Paros), the island’s capital and port, stands on the site of an ancient city. There is a picturesque and ruinous Venetian castle and the courtyards of the houses of the town – all of them painted white – are full of hanging pots of basil, jasmine and honeysuckle.

Among the beaches near Naoussa, special attention should be made of Kolibithres where huge rocks eroded into strange shapes reminding the visitor of sculptures embedded in the sand.

Day 5: Cruise to Ios, which is locally called Nios, is an island whose history goes back to prehistoric times. According to Herodotus, the “poet of poet’s”, the ‘godlike’ Homer was buried at Plakotos, in the north of the island and Pausanias tells us that there was an inscription at Delphi confirming the poet’s interment on Ios.

The sites of Ios include a Hellenistic tower and the remains of an ancient aqueduct at Agia Theodoti, traces of an ancient temple at Psathi, a ruinous Venetian castle at the spot known as Paleokastro, and the Hellenistic tower of Plakotos.

Exploring Chora means, first of all, walking. Set off from your yacht in the cool of morning, wear your most comfortable shoes and get ready to set off. One hour is enough for the ones who just want to have a look at this whitewashed village, perched on the slope of the hill between the port and Mylopotas. The more demanding ones will need the whole morning to discover the hidden beauty of Chora.

This island has superb beaches. Anchor off the long sandy beach of Kalamos, a natural reserve on the eastern coast of the island. It is usually very quiet and very often one has the chance to enjoy it alone. South of Kalamos lays the beach of Papa. Only a short way lays Manganari. These are four of the most beautiful beaches in the Aegean. In the afternoon, cruise to Santorini to overnight.

As you approach Santorini, it’s easy to imagine the cataclysm that gave birth to this astonishing Greek Island that has become such a popular tourist destination. Your yacht edges between bare islands of volcanic rock and the crescent shaped remains of the volcano. Santorini, with its sheer black cliffs rising 200 meters out of the sea, actually consists of three islands: Thira, Thirasia and Aspronisi.

Between Skala (the main port), at the base of the cliff, and Thera (the main town), a narrow path has been etched into the cliff-face in a series of zigzags. To the left of the path there are the prosaic lines of a cable car, the first hint of the island’s connection with the twentieth century and tourism. There are three ways to get from Skala to Thera – mule, foot or cable car. The most popular, is by mule.

Day 6: Explore Santorini, visiting Thira and Oia and be sure to visit the archeological site of Akrotiri. Besides the interesting architecture of the houses in Thera, it is worth visiting the two cathedrals (the Orthodox and the Catholic) and the Monastery of the Dominican nuns. The Catholic monastery of Panagia of Rodari, which was built in the area of Skaros where the medieval capital of the island used to lie surrounded by a strong fortress on the edge of a steep hill, and the Venetian building Gizi are worth a visit.

From the gulf of Thera boats can take you to Nea Kammeni. There you can see the volcano’s crater where hot air and sulphuric steam still rises. The land is warm and you should wear athletic shoes and have plenty of water. Hot springs exist at the nearby Palia Kammeni where the sea is bright blue.

Day 7: Cruise to Sifnos, a mountainous island with fertile valleys, beautiful beaches and several towns. It has a long history and has been inhabited since 3000 BC. Apollonia is the capital of Sifnos and is actually a collection of villages of which Apollonia is one.

The first inhabitants of Sifnos were the Kareans and the Phoenicians. The island was famous in ancient times for the wealth, which came from its gold and silver mines and the quarries of Sifnos stone. It enjoyed great prosperity in Classical times, as can be seen from its Treasury, dedicated to Apollo at Delphi. Kastro, (3 Km from Apollonia), Sifnos’ capital from the 14th to the 19th century, retains some of its medieval character. It is built on a rocky outcrop with an almost sheer drop to the sea on three sides. There are Venetian coats of arms and ancient wall fragments in some of the older dwellings. There is also a small Archaeological Museum, which exhibits a collection of Archaic and Hellenistic sculpture of ceramics to the Byzantine era. There are clean and attractive beaches all over the island. Platygialos is a large sheltered beach, Vathi is one of the most beautiful beaches in Greece with fine sand and Apokofto is a sandy beach with a rocky shelf near Chrysopigi.

Herronissos is another traditional fish village situated on the north part of the island. Herronissos is well known for the handmade ceramics, which are produced there.

As your vessel glides into the port of Livadi you’ll catch your first glimpse of the towering hills of Serifos flecked with the white, sugar-cube houses of Chora!

The curious rock formations resemble human figures, which call to mind the myth of Danae, Perseus and Medusa, as if these prehistoric inhabitants of the island had been turned to stone. Perseus, the mythological hero that killed the medusa, the terrible monster with a woman’s face and hair as serpents was born on this island.

The fortress-like monastery Moni Taxiarchon near the village of Galani, which houses some fine wall paintings and important books and manuscripts, is of special interest. Close to the monastery of Moni Taxiarchon, there is a small village on the north coast named Platis Gialos with Platis Gialos bay, which consists of about three rather small beaches. The village of Panagia commands a panoramic view of the whole island.

The greatest attraction of Serifos is its magnificent beaches. The beach of Psilli Ammos, which lies about 2 km to the east of Livadi, beckons with the softest and whitest sand.

Koutalas is a nice village with a beautiful bay and lovely beach, secluded from the winds. It is also the site of the old mine delivery cranes, rusted remnants of which are found on the left side.

Day 8: Leave early for the 25 mile cruise back to Lavrion from Serifos where you will disembark.