Greece -
A flight of Islands
Personal Blog - Greece - Beaches - Scenery - Relaxation
The Greek Islands contain some of the best scenery and views that any person’s eyes will see in their entire lifetime. It is no wonder that places like Santorini are on people’s bucket lists for aspirational trips and honeymoons, or that Mykonos is such a popular destination amongst the young and bustling crowd. Join us as we try to cover as much breadth on these islands as possible within a single week, discovering some underrated or hidden gems along the way!
Itinerary
- Exploring and Shopping in Oia, Santorini
- Blue Domes
- Oia Castle
- More Shopping Around in Oia
- Bus to Firas
- Massage
- Ferry to Milos
- Dinner at O! Hamos! Tavern
- Sarakiniko Beach
- Papafragas Caves
- Fyriplaka Beach
- Plaka Castle
- Ferry to Paros
- Walking and Shopping in Parikia
- Coastal walking promenade
- Dinner: Katy’s and Rudy’s Asian Cuisine
- Lefkes
- Naoussa
- Ferry to Mykonos
- Little Venice
- Hidden Beach!
- Ornos Beach
- Catamaran Sunset Tour
Santorini
The first stop on our tour of the Greek Islands is one of the most popular honeymoon destinations of the past decade. Santorini, and Oia in particular, is a compact village brimming with local shops stocked with traditional crafts, clothes, and other luxuries. You won’t be able to escape the Greek white and blue color scheme either, as nearly every building is cohesively painted to make the village itself a wonderful view. While Oia is not that big of a city if you exclude the many cliffside accommodations, we spent hours wandering in and out of stores and taking pictures of the magnificent views. And of course we had to take our obligatory pics at the famous blue domes! Be prepared to wait in a queue though, be patient with all the people passing by.
If you are looking to have a meal with a nice view, any of the restaurants will do you justice. It felt like there were too many to choose from, a common theme among the Greek islands. Must try dishes include Greek pork and Greek yogurt fruit salad!
Later that evening we attempted to watch the sunset at Oia Castle, but it seems like everyone has the same idea around this time. The crowd was insane, and it felt like the entire village had come to gather at one landmark. It’s recommended that you go early to snag the most optimal spot.
The next day, we went out very early in the morning in an attempt to reach Oia Castle for the sunrise. Although we didn’t make it in time, we did take some more excellent pics. Definitely recommended as there is almost nobody around at the hours of 9 and 10 AM. Then it was off towards Fira with a transfer bus between the two major cities of Santorini because we were going to board the ferry to our next island destination. However, the second bus that takes us from Fira to the actual harbor only comes in 2 hour intervals, so we decided to go get massages at a nearby parlor. Although we didn’t explore Fira much, I’m sure there are plenty of sights to experience among Fira’s many historical churches and museums.
Milos
Our journey to Milos was a rough one. Firstly, due to the high speed winds that were plaguing Milos, our ferry was delayed by nearly 2 hours. Second, once the ferry finally departed, we realized we were in for a rough journey. The Seajet, our vessel of choice due to it having the fastest travel time, is a boat that does not handle extremely strong currents very well. The seasickness was spreading rapidly as attendants rushed to fulfill puke bag requests. Overall, probably should have chosen a longer and more stable journey, but it is unknown to us whether the Seashark can fare well under normal wind conditions. Other ferries from here on out were on larger boats and more stable winds.
Upon arriving in Milos, we highly recommend that you rent a car because this island’s attractions are quite spread out. It will also give you much more flexibility to come and go to any place whenever you please. Our AirBnB host had recommended O! Hamos! Tavern, the food was delicious and it was a great way to unwind and end the day.
Our main day on Milos felt like the ideal island road trip. We first made our way to Sarakiniko, and it is as stunning as the pictures have led you to believe. It is not a joke when others describe it as being on the surface of the moon. Even though the strong winds were causing huge crashes of water against the rocks and hair to fly in all sorts of directions, it is still a place to spend many hours marveling at the beauty of it all.
Our second stop was Papafragas Caves. We only observed the narrow formation from above, but nonetheless it was a magnificent view. A short walk towards the sea showcased the deep blue waters crashing against the canyon below.
After experiencing the big natural wonders, it was time to relax on a comfy lounge chair while sipping tasty drinks at the beach club at Fyriplaka Beach, near the very south of the island. Beach chair rentals were €20 for the day, not bad considering the peacefulness gained from a smaller crowd. The chairs were right up against the shoreline, water was very clear, and not too many people overall. Parking may be a bit of a pain as it is off a narrow road but is manageable.
Our final Milos activity was catching the sunset at Plaka Castle. This involved a fairly short 25-minute uphill hike where you can catch glimpses of stray cats and varying altitudes of cliffside views. The actual hike itself was about 10 minutes but the designated parking location on that day made the journey a bit longer. The castle offered a glorious view as the sun rays slowly set down on the city of Plaka.
Paros
Upon arriving on the island of Paros (and doing our standard rental car + AirBnB procedure), we immediately went out to explore the harbor town of Parikia. The town’s inner narrow walkways lined with numerous boutique shops felt like a more grounded version of Santorini. Each shop would sell a specific craft such as sandals, dresses, bags, and some other knick-knacks. If you enjoy window shopping to any degree, Pairkia is absolutely perfect for it. Within these walkways, you can spot these trees containing beautiful magenta-colored petals that serve as the most iconic symbol for this island, also making for excellent photography. Upon exiting the inner shopping area, we were met with a beautiful coastline that reminded me of my hometown of Santa Barbara. We enjoyed an ice cream to complement the beach view and headed out to find a dinner spot. After 7pm, the road to the east of Paros ferry harbor is completely closed off to automobiles. As we walked along this road and enjoyed the sunset, we came across Katy’s and Rudy’s Asian Cuisine at the end of the walkway. This beachside restaurant was a great way to enjoy incredible dishes from many different Asian cuisines (Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, among others) all at the same time! It was the perfect way to end our first day in Paros, and we felt ready and rested to tackle the next day of adventure.
Our two destinations of the day were the ancient Cycladic village of Lefkes and Paros’ other major harbor town, Naoussa. After walking past the parking area and the more commercial gift shops and cafés, you reach the entrance to Lefkes and its classic Greek white buildings. The village and its calm atmosphere was quite cute in comparison to Parikia. Shops were smaller, walkways were narrower, and the most frequent sounds were either birds chirping or the camera clicks of tourists capturing the subtle beauty of Lefkes. In fact, Lefkes is a Greek traveler’s photography paradise.
After a 20-minute drive from Lefkes, we arrived at Naoussa. The maze-like white-walled shopping area is back and also excellent. We ended up succumbing to purchasing a slick Rains backpack and pair of beachy-pink Dior sunglasses here! We exited the shopping area right into the harbor, where there are many open-air cafés looking out to the sea, very reminiscent of Venice. One in particular called Linardo is Instagram-famous for its unique pink doors that match the magenta petals of Paros. For those who enjoy a little bit of traversal exploration, you can go along a short stone path towards the Castello Veneziano di Naousa – the Venetian castle of Naoussa. Initially used as a watchtower for enemy attacks in times of war, the preserved castle now serves as a historic reminder and tourist sight. Other parts of Naoussa deserve a lot of attention as well; restaurants and shops were meticulously decorated so cohesively that it felt the entire town was run by a single establishment. The glowing amber light of the sunset is absolutely gorgeous here and provides one of the best environments to enjoy cocktails and a hearty meal.
Mykonos
The island of Mykonos is best-known as the party island of the Cyclades. However, as we aren’t really the party type of people, we spent our first day wandering around Mykonos’ main town and Little Venice, named based on the source of inspiration by the merchants who constructed it. As expected, the availability of shopping outlets is staggering, and the location boasts a wide selection of bars and restaurants to choose from. The pathways along the water offer lovely romantic walks and magnificent views, and as nighttime falls, the lively music and energy causes the bar-hopping bug to begin to set in. Unfortunately for us, there were two bars that we had wanted to try out but we had not booked ahead to claim the best timings. The first is Negritas Bar, made famous on TikTok for the doorway towards the sunset. The other is 180° Sunset Bar, which provides a panoramic view of the entire city and the endless sea beyond. We will be making sure to book these far in advance for next time, and you should too! Later that evening we found a secluded beach near our AirBnB, which required a little bit of boulder hopping to reach. We spread out a beach towel and played UNO until the orange glow of the sun faded away.
Our first stop the following day was a beach club at Ornos Beach, about a 10-minute drive from our accomodation. Nearly all beach clubs will charge for a chair rental, so when we found one that offered the chair for free, we bit. However, they surprised us with a €50 minimum spend (each!!!) instead, so we ended up with a massive long island iced tea and strawberry daiquiri that seemed impossible to finish in the time we had. Lesson learned! Our evening was filled with a guided catamaran tour sunset experience that we found on AirBnB. The tour consisted of stops at Delos and Riniea Island, and although we stayed on the vessel the entire time, we were allowed at one point to swim around in the sapphire blue sea. It felt amazing to be out in the open and feel the sea breeze against my face.