Athens & The Enchanting Cyclades

This combined holiday (oft cancelled during Covid) gave us a real opportunity, our first, to experience Greece. Inntravel obligingly accommodated our requests to drop a night at Kardimili so we could book our own overnight at Ancient Corinth (highly recommended) on the return journey. We also had an extra night at Athens and dropped Serifos from the itinerary altogether. The Tour took us through varied landscapes on roads which were in far better condition than in the UK. Garages are frequent (no self-service, English spoken) and we encountered no parking charges, although there are tolls on motorways (pay with notes as well as coins and cards). The driving instructions were exemplary and we never got lost, despite some very minor roads. We did find the first drive from the airport to Mystras rather tiring and would suggest considering an overnight stop if you land any later than 13.00. We couldn’t really describe this as a ‘slow’ holiday - far too much to see and do. The memories will stay with us for a long time. Lots of wild flowers everywhere, and an abundance of enchanting corners in town and country. An excellent range of archaeological sites, and very quiet (apart from the Acropolis in Athens); most are so extensive that the odd tour group is easy to avoid. We recommend taking a download of the Rough Guide or similar; Olympia had already run out of guides in English in April! Tiryns has no information boards and without a guide is something of an enigma. The various archaeological museums are all worth a visit and the quality and variety of finds is absolutely mind-boggling! Generally excellent accommodation (wonderful views from the room at Mystras, Vardia at Kardamili, Amfitriti at Napflio and Petali Village at Apollonia; great breakfasts at several, including both Mystras and Olympia where there is an emphasis on using local produce - The Europa even keeps its own bees!). We felt the breakfast at Napflio was rather average and the room was small with little storage but the welcome was warm and the location wonderful. We had a mixture of meals out, and fending for ourselves from local shops and bakeries.  Greek portions are large, even the starters. We eventually settled on four items between the two of us from the Appetiser section of the menu, which with bread was a generous meal. Our favourite restaurants were “Greek Stories” Makrygianni 19-21, Athens (near Acropolis Museum), “Tselementos” and “Drakakis” in Apollonia on Sifnos, and Kanoni in Monemvasia. We coincided with Greek Orthodox Easter which added a different dimension. The clashing bells across Napflio on Good Friday, joining in the Good Friday procession and the lighting of candles as midnight came on Holy Saturday was something we were so glad we experienced. Hotel Vardia at Kardamili was also beautifully decorated as were many shop windows. However, check for reduced opening hours.

With regard to the Cyclades holiday, we really enjoyed Athens which was probably a bit quieter than usual following the Easter weekend. With the extra day we were able to fit in the National Garden and Filopappou Hill for wonderful views across the city. We also visited the National Archaeological Museum and the Byzantine and Christian Museum using the fast, clean and cheap metro system which we would wholeheartedly recommend. Don’t let your first experience of it from the airport (special fares and crowds with luggage!) put you off. We do have some reservations. The ferries formed a significant extra cost, and choosing to take the boat (much cheaper) instead of the hydrofoil wasn’t an option for us, as the timings weren’t appropriate. The ferries are also much like planes in that you are expected to remain in your seat except when at the bar or toilets; we’d pictured strolling on deck and looking at the views. Buses don’t really become frequent until the second half of May, and the availability of taxis is limited by the arrival of ferries, when taxis are needed at the ports. We felt Inntravel should have given more guidance on this. (We are mystified as to why they don’t offer Hotel Petali Village on Sifnos on their website when it is in their information pack which is sent out prior to departure. We only found out about it from a review, switched at very short notice and are so glad we did as all the walks begin from Apollonia.) If you are able to work around these issues, May is an excellent time to enjoy the flowers and the blossoming trees before the landscape dries out. It was never too hot and very quiet everywhere; the only disadvantage being that some of the cafes and restaurants were still closed. The walk to Sarakiniko on Milos didn’t work well as the route details are outdated, but the circular walk to Plaka with its many points of interest is not to be missed. The little museum in Holy Trinity church at Adamas on Milos is fascinating, and the custodian very willing to answer any questions, no matter how basic,  about the art and also the Greek Orthodox faith.

Lastly, a mention must be made about the friendliness and helpfulness of the Greek people, at our accommodation and more widely in cafes, shops and museums. They accommodated our needs and requests with politeness and good humour, and are one of their country’s great assets.

Overall, the holiday was lovely. The islands were beautiful (in fact I would have liked another night on each one!). The islanders were so friendly and helpful that we were made to feel very welcome on each one. We were near the sea and swimming at each island site. The food was very good and the local wine delicious everywhere. I wish that I had known what my hotel room was like in Athens to give me the opportunity to upgrade or ask to be in the nearby sister hotel. The walking was excellent: do not underestimate the grades of walks and always wear good walking boots!! The terrain can be pretty stony with quite vicious spiky vegetation in places.

It's difficult to pick a highlight as all destinations had something different to offer with their own charm.  Serifos was unspoiled with sugar cube houses and the hilltop village of Chora was a lovely destination for our first island walk providing amazing views over the coastline. We loved the walks on Sifnos and wished we'd had a bit more time to explore. Petali Village hotel was delightful and in a fantastic position with easy access to local restaurants and bars. Lovely swimming pool and terrace to relax on at the end of the day. Milos was busier with more shops etc but our hotel Villa Notos was a stones throw from a local beach where we swam every day.The bus service was excellent and well worth using to get to more remote parts of the island With Sarakiniko a must see! We loved this holiday and completed most of the suggested walks without any issues.

This was our first trip to Greece. We really enjoyed the contrast between the bustle of Athens and the tranquility of the island walks. We added two extra nights in Athens which meant exploring the city was more relaxed. On our route to Mani Mani's (one of your recommended restaurants - really good) we found an amazing ice cream shop called 'Django'. We had dessert there every evening!

One of the highlights of our holiday was a sailing boat trip around Milos run by the family who own the Thalassitra Hotel. Staying in the hotel gave us a discount. The trip inculded lots of refreshments and several opportunities to enjoy a swim. We would also endorse your recommendation for O Hamos!. We had to wait for a table but we were glad we did.

We loved this holiday but it was too hot, even at the end of September, to do all of the planned walks. On Serifos, it was too hot at 8.30am to sit on the balcony to eat breakfast - and my husband loves the sun.

The combination of a busy Athens at the beginning and then the peace of the islands afterwards was just right. We loved the ferry travel and would have preferred to travel back to Athens on a ferry - sort of extending the holiday feel a bit longer.

Hotels were spot on, as always. We upgraded all the options and, in fact, booked our own hotel in Athens to get just what we wanted. So perhaps that would be our suggestion that it is easier to upgrade or change the hotels in your selection.

Buses and taxis were excellent on the islands though we would recommend booking taxis in advance wherever possible.

We would also have extended the stays in Sifnos and Milos as there was far more to do in those islands than in Serifos.

Walking notes were brilliant for the islands and the local signposting, once we got on the recognised walks, was excellent but we found the layout of the notes for Athens confusing - possibly because your two recommneded hotels were in entirely different places so perhaps better to navigate from a single point, or separate notes from each hotel.  However, we did our own thing there which was very easy - we would recommend getting a multi-site skip-the-line ticket and then planning around around those items.  We would also add a couple of must see things to that - the Archeaological Museum and the Olympic Stadium.

It was a lovely relaxing holiday - we were happy to adapt the plans to suit the conditions and a day or two relaxing on a beach does no harm!

Thank you for another lovely holiday idea.

Hopping around the three islands in the Cyclades was lovely, and I'd do it again. If I was going walking there, I would avoid the hotter months (including the end of September, when we went), and only go right at the start or end of the possible options. Walking with no shade on the hotter days is hard going. Of the three islands: Serifos was the least populated, and the walking was not the most interesting. Sifnos was lovely, with some beautiful villages and bays, but our stay there would have been more enjoyable if we'd been based in Apollonia, which is where all the walks started, rather than being 15 minutes outside Kamares in the Delphini hotel. The hotel was good, but in the wrong place for the walk. Milos had a couple of lovely, varied walks, and the Thalassitra hotel was in a great location for the walks, buses, and local restaurants. The Herodian hotel in Athens was good, and the walking tour for Athens was interesting to follow.

I've been on many Inntravel walking holidays, and this one was 'ok', rather than great. I think there's only a narrow window when the weather is good for walking and the ferries etc are still running a suitable schedule, and even then you need to be a little lucky. We've had more successful holidays elsewhere (e.g. in Spain) where the climate and the walking have been more suitable. I think the climate in the Cyclades is more suited to pottering about in the various villages, with a nice long siesta avoiding the heat of the day, rather than walking.

Lovely balanced holiday covering Athens and three beautiful islands, where each have their own character.

Adding an extra day in Athens at the begining (two whole days for sightseeing) was very worthwhile/essential.

Each Island has its attractions but we thought the tour got better and better, in short we loved every aspect of Milos (except perhaps the persistent N. wind). Villa Notos is lovely and Lena is so helpful. We didn't find any of the restuarants mentioned in the notes, but Lena's recommendations were 'spot on'. Swimming from 'her' beach twice a day is now in the 'memory bank'!

We found the last walk from Mytakas to Adamas (on Milos) beautiful but difficult to find a path across the tuff. We ended by taking a track to Adamas which was not in our notes. Memorable!

It was fascinating being part of the island hopping process and we enjoyed moving from place to place on ferries and plane but very pleased we booked extra nights on each island which were all enjoyable in different ways. The weather was kind to us with calm sea crossings so no issues with changes in ferry times. Walking in early June brought hot sun overhead but there was usually a cooling breeze and we particularly enjoyed walking close to the sea and finding quiet beaches with the shade of tamarisk trees.  

The whole family was happy with this trip, the choice of hotels and the order of the visits. Visiting the Acropolis and the museum they built a few years ago next to it were of course highlights, but some of the walks also were fantastic; having a chance to take a sailboat around Milos is also something we strongly recommend. Due to a misunderstanding, we did not use the company recommended by the hotel but "Drougas sailing Angela", and we were very pleased with it.

We really enjoyed this holiday and loved visiting the different islands. The highlights for us were seeing all the wild flowers, wildlife and amazing views on our walks. The walks were a challenging grade 2 and quite stony underfoot - I would suggest you would need to have a certain level of fitness to complete them and good walking shoes. You need to be prepared to investigate and organise the travel between islands and would suggest you do this as soon as you have the suggested timings on your itinerary. We loved staying in the Hotel Delfini on Sifnos and loved its location however walks start from the nearby town of Apollonia so be prepared to get the bus or a taxi to the start of the walks. We added extra nights in Athens, Sifnos and Milos which was lovely as it provided us with rest days and time to explore. 

The Cyclades were as enchanting as we hoped and the flowers (one of our reasons for going) were wonderful at this time of the year. The highlight of the trip was a boat-trip round the whole of Milos on the last day. It took 9 hours with stops off at 5 or 6 places. Thoroughly to be recommended. But the whole trip was just wonderful. Your choice of places to stay was brilliant.

The individuality of the islands was surprising as was the breadth of different scenery and places of interest. The suggested walks were varied to take advantages of these differences. Need to emphasize that in hot weather walks need to start earlier to ensure people arent exposed to extreme heat in the middle of the day. Two islands, Sifnos and Milos did not have drinkable water, this should be in the notes as we were not made aware of this issue.

Highlights: Breakfast at Aigaion. Views at Delfini Hotel. Thalassitra Village Hotel for beautiful shady rooms. Serifos - walk from Taxiarchon to Chora (walk 2) in reverse - fabulous views. Sifnos - best island for walks (Vathy Bay a highlight) and best for seafront restaurants. Recommendation: where 2 ferries are due close together, make sure you are in the correct queue!

Wonderful holiday to Athens and three of the islands in the Cyclades. We found the walks quite challenging and used buses to cut short some of them. If you want to visit the Acroplis I suggest you go early in the morning or later in the afternoon, we went mid morning with tickets but still had a long queue to get in. If you need an overnight stay in Athens to catch a morning flight I can recommend the Hotel Avra next to the port in Rafina. It's about 20 minutes from the airport but they provide a free airport shuttle.

This holiday provides an enjoyable mix of lovely scenery, food and history, including the chance to visit Athens and the many places of historical interest on Milos covered by the walk to Plaka. At times the weather was hot for walking even in October but the routes were generally good and well waymarked. We were sad not to have more time on Sifnos as we were delayed due the high winds which meant we had potpone our scheduled ferry crossing by a day. The hotels were well chosen as were the resturant recommendations - our favourites being Mani Mani in Athens, O Arigis on Sifnos and Mikros Apoplou on Milos. If you visit at the end of the season its worth noting that the buses are infrequent and taxis can be hard to come by on Serifos in particular. 

We very much enjoyed this holiday. It provided a different view of Greece from the more common holiday experience for many of daytime beach life and evening entertainment, taking us on quiet paths with varied scenery across the landscape through small villages, along the coasts and through the hills ( as well as discovering points of interest), each island with its own personality, and we liked exploring new places with each island transfer. The walk from the monastery (very charming if you can visit) on Serifos brings you to a winery, where we were made very welcome and learned interesting facts about its history, not to mention tasting their very good wine.
The walks were of manageable standard although they were often on the stony side. We travelled in early October and found the temperatures reasonable for walking although a reasonably early start was a good idea.
All the accommodation was very satisfactory; we opted for a couple of room upgrades and were pleased with the amenities that provided. We loved having breakfast on our terrace at the Villa Notos in Milos with a view across the bay, and particularly enjoyed a swim from the little beach just across the road from the Villa after a walk, nicely situated at the end of the promenade and therefore quieter. Although it was coming to the end of the "season", there were plenty of places still open to eat ( and the Hotel Delfini in Sifnos made an excellent choice for evening meals when we didn't fancy another walk to look for a taverna). Milos, the largest island, definitely had a busier feel to it but not overcrowded at this time of year.
(Practical point - at this time of year, a light fleece/sweatshirt sometimes came in handy in the evening.)

The highlights are the islands themselves, the very friendly people and good food and drink. Our strong recommendation is for travellers not to use the Metro in Athens (see comments above).

Three Greek islands, each with its own special atmosphere and well chosen to showcase different topography, geology and development stages. From quiet rural Serifos to Sifnos with its growing reputation as a foodie destination and finally buzzing Milos, birthplace of the world famous Aphrodite.

The views on the walks were far-reaching and the beautifully whitewashed villages were just as they appear in brochures and postcards and eerily quiet in most cases. One felt lucky to experience such scenery and satisfied to have completed each walk, despite the sometimes challenging tracks and aching legs.

A wonderful way for walkers to explore three quite different Greek islands, while also enjoying swimming, site seeing and great food. Additional day in Athens worthwhile in order to spend time discovering many of its amazing sites. Sifnos definitely the best island for an extra rest day. Lovely welcome and very comfortable rooms at all three island accommodations. Locations perfect for restaurants and swimming beaches. Travel on each island made easy by excellent bus service.

Our hosts on the three islands gave us very good advice about the better restaurants and in particular, if they're operating in 2023, we recommend Passione Italiane (Sicilian chef) and the next-door fresh fish restaurant near the port in Sifnos. The last week in Sept proved to be pretty hot 25-30 deg and the sun still strong. Having started in Serifos, a small and simple island by the time we got to Milos it felt a tourist hotspot, but was no such thing, particularly in the tail end of the season with businesses starting to shut down. There is certainly a great deal of historical culture to occupy you if you'd prefer time off walking. The bus service was timely and reliable and gave us plenty of choice on Sifnos and Milos. We particularly enjoyed Sifnos and may well return (but so many places to see....).

Best to book taxis on the islands the day before they are required especially on Serifos and Sifnos.

Recommend Yialos (Gialos) restaurant in Pollonia, Milos and "Kivotos ton Gefseon"- fabulous bakery and cafe in Pollonia.

It was an excellent holiday with a nice balance of walking and attractive beaches and bays for swimming. The only downside was Hotel Delfina, which was not to Inntravel standard.

We thoroughly enjoyed the 12 days in the Cyclades.  The accommodation was excellent throughout and the information provided by Inntravel accurate and helpful.  The landscapes and architecture was absolutely stunning.  Restaurants were generally good and the swimming lovely when breaking from walking and sightseeing.  We would aim for four nights on each island if repeating the journey