EMMA'S GREEK DIARIES: THE CYCLADES ISLANDS VOLUME 1
Welcome back everyone! Ready to join me for a virtual trip to the Greek Cyclades Islands? I’ll take that as a yes. For this post you’re going to see the first leg of the journey I took with my family and close friends, which includes two separate islands: Sífnos and Mílos (pictured above). We did cruise around and see a few other little islands along the way, but I figured I would only tell you all about the two islands that had the most to do and see. All aboard!
First stop: Sífnos
This gorgeous island was the first classic Greek town, complete with blue-roofed white houses, we docked at. I had only seen these kinds of places on postcards or fancy travel sites, but when I set foot on this island it all became a reality.
We took a cab up to the main part of the town called Apollonia to explore and grab a bite to eat. The cobblestone streets sprinkled with white painted flowers around this part of town are lined with sweet little jewelry shops and delicious smells from all of the surrounding restaurants. Talk about a Greek fantasy! Here are some of the things we found while wandering around.
See-
Apollonia - I know I’ve already mentioned a bit about this town, but I just want to emphasize how much I love this beautiful place. Every corner and side street was charming, especially in the soft light at dusk. One of the main reasons I enjoyed my time in this town so much was that it wasn’t filled to the brim with tourists. It almost felt like we had the whole island to ourselves, minus the main streets that were a bit busier with locals. All and all, it was the perfect introduction to the Greek island life I would see all over as we continued our trip.
Shop-
Mapoylévia - With jewelry shops on every block, it can sometimes be a challenge to sort through them all to find the hidden jewels (pun totally intended). Fortunately, we found this store right away and left with some pretty (and reasonably priced) evil eye necklaces and bracelets in tow.
Fish and seafood market - Fresh seafood is not everyone’s typical purchase while on vacation, but since our boat’s chef was going to make us lunch we picked up some shrimp from the market up in Apollonia before heading out in the morning. The market itself wasn’t much, but the shrimp were delicious in a red sauce over pasta. Compliments to the chef, Giorgos. ;)
Eat-
Apostoli to Koutouki - After meandering in and out of ceramics and clothing shops for a while our stomachs started grumbling. We stumbled upon this restaurant and decided to check it out mostly for the rooftop view. I’m usually a little skeptical of places that advertise their view because usually that means the food is eh. To my surprise, we ended up having a pretty good meal that included delicious chickpea fritters, goat leg, and of course Greek salad (with a nice view to boot). ;)
That’s all for Sífnos…..let’s go to Mílos!
Next stop: Mílos
After careful debate and consideration, I have finally decided that my favorite island that we visited on our whole trip was Mílos. I figured I would say that right off the bat because I’m about to gush over just about every detail of this island. The name may have already seemed kind of familiar to you because this is the place where the famous armless statue Venus de Milo was discovered, which now lives in at the Louvre in Paris. Aside from it’s fascinating history, Mílos is another one of those beautiful white island towns that’ll make you swoon. Let’s take a tour, shall we?
See -
Hilltop neighborhoods near Pollonia - We stayed in Mílos for two nights, which gave us only a little bit of time to explore only some of the highlights this island has to offer. Our boat was docked right at the edge of the center of town in an area called Pollonia (not to be confused with Sífnos's Apollonia), so we decided to walk around for a bit, and then up through the quieter neighborhoods. On our peaceful stroll we encountered the usual: white homes, cute street cats, a little church, and lots of bougainvillea.
Catacombs of Milos - You can’t go to an island like Milos without hitting some amazing historical site. We conquered the winding, narrow roads it took to get to one of the coolest places in Milos (in my humble opinion). It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I think that catacombs are really awesome examples of how ancient people used to live and frankly, die. It’s a little eerie walking through an underground graveyard, but if you really take a look around you can admire the beauty of the sculpted arches and carvings surrounding you.
Sarakiniko Beach - I found this hidden gem of Milos the way that most people find cool stuff a.k.a. Google Images. I was immediately drawn to the strikingly white rock formations that looked like the moon’s surface, which were surrounded by crystal clear, turquoise waters. Dreamy, right? I convinced the crew that this place would be worth the trek, and boy was I glad that I was right. The place was so picturesque that it was almost hard to believe it was even real (my mom swore that it was Photoshopped). I’ll never forget jumping off one of the moon rocks into the cool, aqua-colored ocean. I’m pretty sure I left my heart in Sarakiniko.
Ancient Roman Theater - Not too far away from the catacombs is a glorious example of classical architecture built around the Hellenistic era. This spot has an incredible view of the nearby port, which explains why the ancient people built their theater here in the first place. I mean come on. Theater with a view? Who could ask for better? Our family friend, who was trained as an operatic singer, tested out the acoustics and gave us and some nearby tourists a free show. ;)
Neighborhood of Plaka (aka the top of Milos) - The woman at the car rental place told us that Plaka was THE part of town to watch the most perfect sunset in all of Milos. Glad we took her advice because WOW. There is nothing like watching the slow descent of the sun into the sea, especially when you’re in a beautiful Greek town surrounded by your closest friends and family. :)
Kleftiko - On our way out of Milos we stopped at what everyone in Milos claims is the most famous and beautiful spot on the island. We took the motorboat around and under the beautiful rock formations, which seemed to sprout out of the bright blue ocean. It’s a pretty popular spot for obvious reasons, so we went early in the morning to avoid the crowds.
Eat -
Armenaki Fish Tavern - Post-Sarakiniko we decided to stop for lunch at this delicious seaside restaurant. Here we had an absolutely incredible meal filled with the freshest seafood imaginable and an especially memorable squid ink pasta, which was devoured before I could snap a photo. By far one of the best meals we had the whole trip.
Utopia Cafe - I’m including this place on the list for the view of the sunset alone. It also happened to be really cute. At Utopia, we sipped on bitter-sweet frappés while watching the sun go down over the ocean in the distance. Eventually we booked it to a church on the edge of Plaka to get an even wider view of the last bit of the sunset, but to be honest, I almost didn’t want to leave my frappé behind.
Even though my entire tour of the Greek Cyclades was amazing, I have to say that this part of our trip holds a special place in my heart. Both Sífnos and Mílos are such charming islands, and I thoroughly enjoyed each of them for all of their history, good food, and natural beauty. I’ll always remember Sífnos as my first sweet little blue and white town, and Mílos as the town I road on the back of an ATV through (it’s true)! I cherish all of the moments I had the privilege to experience first-hand, and I can’t wait to return one day to make some new memories. :)
xoxo,
Emma
What to pack for Greek Island hopping:
