“The elegant lady of the Aegean Sea”
Syros is located almost at the center of the Cyclades. For this reason the island is oftenly used as a connection hub between the Northen and the Southern islands of the Aegean. The capital of Syros, Ermoupolis, is also the capital of Cyclades.
The name arises from the God HERMES (god of Trade), and has been the most significant port town during the 19th century since the size of the port is one of the biggest of the Aegean and was used as a trade center and transportation hub of the previous centuries.
The island is alive all year round due to the population living during the winter, the university located on the island and the business that never stops. Until today Ermoupolis port is truly impressive in terms of size, colors and big buildings all designed and constructed based on a combination of Cycladic minimalism, impressive architecture with Venetian influences. Syros and particularly Ermoupolis will surely impress you, but not in the same way every other Cycladic capital.
Behind the front end of the port the town and is differently splendid, hiding small alleys, flowery balconies and big stairways along with colorful buildings. Have a look at our guests photos below to have a good idea of the beauty of the island. In terms of sailing to Syros, our advice would be to try anchoring to Foinikas marina, located on the south side of the island, that is a more traditional and small port compared to Ermoupolis, that in any case you should definitely visit during the night for a walk among the alleys and colorful vibes.
Complex of islands:
Cyclades islands
Capital:
‘Ermoupolis'
Location:
'North W. Cyclades'
Sailing distance
from Athens: 75 miles
Famous heritage:
St. Nikolaos Temple
Interesting info:
Capital of Cyclades
SYROS GREEK ISLAND
Included in our 1 week route for the Cyclades
Impressive architecture, colours in all buildings, stone covered alleys are some of the characteristics of this beautiful city. It might be quite large compared to the other Cycladic islands, not so snow white in terms of simplicity, but influenced from the Venetian mentality surely needs to be walked, in order to visit the main city Hall, the Cathedral temple of Saint Nicholas as well as the upper town, view of which will compensate you.
Vaporia is an area very close to the port of Ermoupolis. It is only 5-10 minutes walking towards the upper north side of the town. Right after the church of Saint Nicholas, there is a great cocktail restaurant (we visited August 2016) and we had really an imaginary view towards the Aegean while trying some interesting mojitos and local tastes. We encourage you to visit the area, walk around and try the restaurant if you wish, waiting to hear also your updated comments!
Located in the upper part of the island in ‘Ano Mera’, 11 km far from Ermoupolis, this village is one of the most famous for the production of the local cheese called ‘san mihali’. The permanent residents are very few and they focus on the production of agriculture and stockbreeding. There is no accommodation in the village itself but there is a very interesting Tavern owned by one of the locals that to our opinion you should not miss. Ps: Don’t forget to take with some of the famous hard yellow cheese synonymous to the village name!
PROSPlenty of options for everyone-if you like shopping and hanging around there are hundreds of shops, restaurants, bars,
If you like historic treasures there are dozens of monuments, churches, temples and architecture masterpieces worth visiting.
Easy to find a birth if you are visiting with a sailing yacht or catamaran
Nice marina facilities in Foinikas and Ermoupolis
If you anchor in Ermoupolis you will not need transportation since the main city is really worth visiting and everything is accessed on walking distance basis
CONSReminds more of a city, rather than a traditional Cycladic island
Not so many secluded bays to drop an anchor
Plenty of options would make it a bit difficult to decide which is the best to tryout.
If you anchor in Foinikas, you will need to take a taxi to Ermoupolis
If you anchor in Ermoupolis you should expect the night to be bumpy due to the ferries that touch and go to the port
Anchoring in Ermoupolis might be noisy during the night due to the coffee shops and restaurants in front of the dock
7 friends sailed from Monday-Friday and visited 4 amazing islands. The boat was in great shape with a awesome skipper named George. Everyone was friendly and easy to work with. Their suggestions of islands, restaurants, beach, tips etc. were perfect. George stopped the boat at several places to swim along the way, every one was beautiful and special. I would HIGHLY recommend working with this company and recommending George as your skipper.
I have chartered with several companies over the years and this outfit is top notch! Maria made the arrangements and took care of every detail; booking, provisions, skipper, etc. Vasileios was our captain for the week and he was impeccable. We sailed the Cyclades; he knew the islands, he arranged for taxis in each port, and he navigated the high winds and big seas with ease. We was a kind man, professional in every way, and experienced. We chartered the Fantasy Lagoon 420; a catamaran that was spacious, clean, and in excellent condition. The electronics, refrigeration, heads/showers, engine, generators, stove, and AC all worked perfectly without incident. We will return to Greece and use YachtSailing.gr again. You can be confident booking with them!
Ermoupolis Town Hall photo by Kostas K. drone 02/08/2016
Foinikas marina photo by Kostas K. 06/08/2016
Galissas bay photo by Eugene 07/08/2016
Cafe Place Posidoneia photo by on
Ermoupolis alleys photo by Lila T on 07/08/2016
Bicycles front of townhall-photo by Lila T on 07/08/2016
Saint Nicolas Temple photo by Costas P on 09/08/2016
Galissas is a sandy cosmopolitan beach with many amenities (sunbeds, umbrellas, water sports) and taverns. The beach is basically very crowdie from families staying on the hotel that is located on the edge of the cliff. On the other hand since you will be approaching with a yacht the bay has really nice waters to relax and swim. We encourage you to try the restaurant right on the side of the hotel, last on the right side. Really worth trying.
Not exactly a beach but a very nice bay to relax and have quite a lot of options near the area. A nice bakery is located 50m from shore as well a nice coffee shop for breakfast at the edge of the marina.
Vari beach, to the south-east side of the island, is the most sheltered bay of Syros, ideal for families with kids. Nice to approach with a yacht since it is sheltered and has a safe anchorage.
The temple characterised by the Venetian architecture is really worth visiting if you are a fan of visiting interesting buildings. It is located inside Ermoupolis, on your way to Vaporia area very close to the port.
The theater was constructed in 1864. It is considered to be a smaller version of the Scala di Milano, following the same Italian decoration with classic design and red velvet seats. If you will be visitng you can try the museum that hosts personal belongings and costumes of actors who performed in this theater. Still active, is the major place to host big events, such as operas and many theatrical plays.
Town Hall (Hermoupolis): The town hall of Syros is one of the biggest in Greece, designed by the famous architect Ernst Ziller. Surely one of the places you would need to visit. At the moment hosts also the court house, the arcaelogical museum as well as the mortgage registry.
If you are a fan of gelly sweets then Loucoumi of Syros is a must! Considered the most famous sweet in Greece and the origin started from Syros. We suggest you to buy a box or two and you will see that the box will be emptied very fastly..
Halvadopita is a local sweet pie with basic ingredients honey. vanilla, eggs and of course greek almonds. Crispy from the outside, might be seen in other Cycladic islands as well, make sure you try them all so you can compare among the best!
The most famous cheese produced in Syros and one of the most famous in Greece. Very spicy taste and perfect to be accompanied by ‘ouzo’. Try to visit also the village where the cheese is produced and make sure that you buy some to have with you onboard for the rest of your vaction.
Located 5 minutes walking from the port of Ermoupolis, situated in Vaporia area ‘VAPORIA’ restaurant will reward you for visiting. The view is spectacular and the tastes are carefully selected and very fairly priced. Ps: Once you are finished order one of the best cocktails in Syros, among a big variety they offer.
"Regardless the minus we have commented I feel that Syros is really an island worth visiting since in diversifies from the Cyclades but still is the strongest island of the Cycladic complex-our professional advice will guide you to select the options we have tried out and keep you away from tourist traps that as you can imagine exist on such a busy island"
Eugene