They are believed to be some of the most beautiful islands in the world and are a very attractive tourist destination! Beautiful sandy beaches; architecture in blue and white; traditional lifestyle of the local people; exotic folk music; warm and hospitable people and infinite landscapes can turn your trip into a real lifetime experience.
Andros Island
It is one of the biggest islands there, situated in the Northern part of the Cyclades. As soon as you step foot on the island, you’ll be fascinated by the gorgeous massive ridges, separated by crystal clear rivers. The boundless plains are covered with olive-trees, figs, oranges and lemon trees. There are beautiful streams all over the island, which are a great addition to the picturesque landscape we tried to describe for you. In terms of cultural heritage, you can visit the Archaeological museum , which is a great mixture of the Byzantium, Hellenic, Romanian, Classical and the so-called Geometric period. Also, on the Andros Island you can visit the Museum of Modern Art and the Maritime Museum. There are cultural events during the whole year. As a whole, the island has a very well-developed tourist infrastructure. More and more people tend to choose it as a holiday destination because of its natural beauties, picturesque villages, historical monuments and the balneo mineral springs.
Iraklia Island
This is the fifth largest island in the Cyclades. It is situated in the Western part of the island group, around 18 miles south of Naxos. It differs from the rest of the Cyclades Islands. Iraklia Island is surrounded by six beaches and the sea water is clean and shallow – perfectly suitable for spending a quiet day swimming and enjoying the magnificent views. The most visited site on the island is the Agios Ioannis cave. It is the largest one in the Cyclades and is filled with a rich decoration of stalactites. Inside of it you can see the “cave milk” (a rare, semi-liquid material, generating the stalagmites). The cave is located about half an hour walking from the beach.
Before deciding to spend your next vacation there, though, you should know that on the island there are no banks; no camping; no petrol; no buses or taxis and there is only one doctor’s office with one doctor working in it.
Naxos Island
With its deep waters, this magnificent island is a paradise for all lovers of water activities. The beaches are very attractive, some of them are sandy, others are rocky. But they all are peaceful and almost never crowded. On the west coast of the island, in a small, but very picturesque village of Agios Prokopios, you will find one of the most beautiful beaches, not only in Naxos but in whole Europe. It is over a mile long and its bright sand and clear waters will make you feel like the Caribbean. Another very beautiful beach is the one in the Agia Anna village, which is located south of Agios Prokopios. South of Agia Anna is also Plaka Beach. Despite the large influx of tourists and the fact that Naxos is a very attractive tourist destination, you will not find any large resorts and high-rise hotels. Instead of that you can be offered an accommodation in one of the small family hotels, where meeting and serving guests has turned into a family tradition. This is one of the reasons why Greece is one of the most preferred holiday destinations.