Miaouli Square is the marble-paved plaza at the centre of Ermoupoli, the capital of Syros and the administrative seat of the Cyclades. Ship-owners and merchants laid out the square in the nineteenth century, when the port ranked as the busiest trading harbour of the young Greek state. White and grey marble slabs pave the whole … Read more
San Giorgio is the Roman Catholic cathedral that crowns the summit of Ano Syros, the medieval Catholic hilltop settlement on the island of Syros. Venetian settlers first raised a church on this peak in the medieval period, and the building rose and fell across the centuries into the cathedral seen today. Its whitewashed body sits … Read more
Agios Nikolaos is the main Orthodox cathedral of Ermoupoli, the capital of Syros in the Cyclades. The church stands above the Vaporia district, where sea-captain mansions line the rock, and its blue dome and twin bell towers form the first landmark that ships see on approach. The cathedral rises a short climb above Ermoupoli and … Read more
Varvarousa beach is a secluded pebble cove on the northwest coast of Syros, set in the wild uplands of Apano Meria north of the fishing village of Kini beach. The cove holds clear turquoise water, sheltered swimming and green cedar and tamarisk backing the shore. No taverna, sunbeds or shops stand here, so visitors carry … Read more
Armeos beach is a pebble-and-sand cove on the west coast of Syros, tucked over the low headland at the northern end of Galissas bay. Clear, deep water and a screened position make it the island’s best-known naturist and clothing-optional beach, though families and swimmers also use the shore. The cove lies about 7 kilometres from … Read more
Achladi beach is a small sheltered bay on the south coast of Syros, set just east of Vari and about 8 kilometres from the port of Ermoupoli. Fine sand, warm shallow water and a single taverna define this quiet cove, which stays calm through the summer meltemi when the island’s northern beaches turn windy. The … Read more
Lia beach is a remote pebble-and-sand cove on the far northwest coast of Syros, tucked into the wild Apano Meria. Its deep, sheltered water runs crystal clear over a floor of pale pebbles, and high headlands keep the bay calm through the summer. The cove lies far from Ermoupoli, the island capital, with no paved … Read more
Grammata beach is a deep, sheltered cove on the remote northwest coast of Syros, hidden inside the wild Apano Meria. Its name means letters, taken from the many inscriptions that ancient and medieval sailors carved into the smooth marble rocks around the bay as prayers for safe passage. The bay opens away from the open … Read more
Apano Meria is the rugged northern half of Syros, the sparsely populated upland that begins above the line from Kini toward the north coast. The name also appears as Ano Meria in local speech. This is a landscape of terraced hills, dry-stone walls, and small herding hamlets, with no large resorts and a single main … Read more
The Archaeological Museum of Syros ranks among the oldest museums in Greece, founded in the late nineteenth century in the port capital of Ermoupoli. Its collection centres on the Early Cycladic culture that grew across the islands in the third millennium BC. Marble figurines, engraved ‘frying-pan’ vessels, obsidian blades, and metal tools fill its display … Read more