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Cyclades Travel Guide Cyclades travel, particularly Island hopping, around this group of islands can be a really fun and exciting challenge, without the necessity for masses of detailed plans being made in advance of your journey.
Of course, you need to know what's available, and it is for this reason I have included the 'ferry connections' schedule in this part of the site. The information provides you with sufficient to enable you to develop a 'broad-stroke' plan, without having to worry about the detail at your early stages of preparation. Large high-speed ferry boats and catamarans are a regular feature on the Cyclades' routes, especially during the late spring to early summer holiday periods. Their travel times usually reduce your time on board by fifty percent compared to those of regular ferries. With Sky Express you fly from Athens to Santorinin and drop off at Mykonos However, because of the increased speeds of the smaller fast ferries, it means you will normally have to travel in something which feels like a bus or an aircraft, with regimented seat allocations; the absence of deck space; the limited view and the possibility of sea-sickness, the result of rough seas and the inescapable company of fellow sufferers. The benefit of the regular ferries, in my opinion, is that prices are usually less, and you have a little more time to wander freely, in the sunshine, on the open decks of the upper levels. To me, that's what hopping the islands is all about. The slower ferries also tend to roll less when there's a swell. Also, you will quite often be 'visited' by the dolphins and it's much easier getting to see and photograph them from an open-deck at lower speeds.
The central Cyclades islands of Ios, Naxos, Paros and Santorini are the most visited and as such, have the best ferry links to the mainland, usually to Piraeus. The Northern Cyclades islands of Andros, Mykonos,Tinos and Santorini have excellent connections with the mainland. The mainland port for Andros is Rafina, but it's possible to reach Andros from Piraeus by catching a ferry to Syros, Tinos or Mykonos and connecting from there.
Lavrio is the mainland departure port for ferries serving Kea, from where connections south to the other western Cyclades are not good. Kythnos has a reasonable number of connections to Piraeus and good connections south to other islands. Milos, Serifos and Sifnos have seen greatly improved ferry connections with Piraeus in recent years. Folegandros and Sikinos have less frequent connections with the mainland. The eastern Cyclades travel islands of Anafi, Amorgos, Iraklia, Schinousa, Kaoufonisia and Donousa are the least visited and have the fewest ferry links with the mainland. However, for the foreseeable future Blue Star Ferries is running a regular service to Amorgos, Iraklia, Schinousa, Koufonisia and Donousa. These islands also have a daily service in summer to and from Naxos. Anafi is best reached by way of santorini. It's important when planning your island hopping to bear in mind the pattern of ferry routes; however, Paros is the ferry hub of the Cyclades and connections between different groups are usually possible via this port. My table above provides an overview of high-season ferry services to the the Cyclades from the mainland and Crete of course. The times and information relates to the slower, more traditional ferries. HOW DO YOU GET AROUND ON YOUR CYCLADES TRAVEL HOLIDAY For information on Cyclades travel around the islands, take a look at each of the island entries on the site. The Cyclades islands are exposed to the summer meltemi, a stong north-easterly wind which is quite fierce. Whilst it can be warm, it is very capable of arriving with a severe blast, and it often plays havoc with shipping, and that includes ferry schedules (especially the smaller ferries that ply the Smaller Cyclades travel routes and the smaller hydrofoils). Keep this in mind if you are on a tight schedule, especially if you are coming to the end of your holiday. Missing your flight home could be a very expensive mistake. Well, that's a little information that I hope will be useful to you, and I wish you happiness in your Greek travels, and who knows, we may bump into each at some time - who knows where or when!
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