156 Best Sights in The Cyclades, Greece

One of the largest beaches on Syros, Megas Yialos is also one of the most frequented and organized. Located on the island's southeast corner, the beach is known for its transparent waters and fine sand. The village is populated with room rentals and small hotels as well as restaurants and beach cafés. Some large shady trees dot the beach, but in peak season chairs and umbrellas are for rent. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: swimming.

Built in the square in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral is a small museum that showcases the history of Naxos beginning with the Mycenean era. Displays include pottery, artifacts, and even a tomb from ancient times used to cover the graves of prosperous Naxians.

Like the Municipal Palace behind it, this expansive palm-ringed marble square was designed by famed Bavarian architect Ernst Ziller and includes a grand statue of revolutionary war hero Admiral Andreas Miaoúlis. Families and couples fill the length of marbled pavement on summer evenings for their evening volta or walk as skateboarding children skid around them. The island's other architectural landmark, the Apollo Theater, is a short walk away.

The pure white sand here is beautifully offset by a rocky hill, turquoise waters, and large, gentle sand dunes. The beach itself is edged by cedar trees. Here, the fierce island winds are welcome to kitesurfers and windsurfers; Flisvos Kite Centre offers equipment rentals and lessons. Not as developed as other beaches, a scattering of tavernas and cafés that mostly service sports aficionados can be found nearby. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

Halfway from Paros Town to Naousa, on the right, the 17th-century Monastery of Longovarda shines on its mountainside. The monastic community farms the local land and makes honey, wine, and olive oil. Only men, dressed in conservative clothing, are allowed inside, where there are post-Byzantine icons, 17th-century frescoes depicting the Twelve Feasts in the Life of Christ, and a library of rare books; it is usually open mornings.

Standing on the highest point on Santorini, which rises to 1,856 feet at the summit, Santorini's largest monastery offers a cinematic vista: from here you can see the surrounding islands and, on a clear day, the mountains of Crete, more than 100 km (62 miles) away. You may also be able to spot ancient Thira on the peak below Profitis Ilias. Unfortunately, radio towers and a NATO radar installation provide an ugly backdrop for the monastery's wonderful bell tower.

Founded in 1711 by two monks from Pyrgos, Profitis Ilias is cherished by islanders because here, in a secret school, the Greek language and culture were taught during the dark centuries of the Turkish occupation. A museum in the monastery contains a model of the secret school in a monk's cell, another model of a traditional carpentry and blacksmith shop, and a display of ecclesiastical items.

Monastery buffs should head to Ano Mera, a village in the central part of the island, where the Monastery of the Panayia Tourliani, founded in 1580 and dedicated to the protectress of Mykonos, stands in the central square. Its massive baroque iconostasis (altar screen), made in 1775 by Florentine artists, has small icons carefully placed amid the wooden structure's painted green, red, and gold-leaf flowers. At the top are carved figures of the apostles and large icons depicting New Testament scenes. The hanging incense holders with silver molded dragons holding red eggs in their mouths show an Eastern influence. In the hall of the monastery, an interesting museum displays embroideries, liturgical vestments, and wood carvings. A good taverna is across the street. The monastery's big festival—hundreds attend—is on August 15.

Southeast of the Sanctuary of Apollo are the ruins of the Monument of the Bulls, also known as the Neorion, an extremely long and narrow structure built, it is thought, to display a trireme (an ancient boat with three banks of oars) that was dedicated to Apollo by Antigonas Gonatas thankful for a naval victory over the Ptolemies. Maritime symbols were found in the decorative relief of the main halls, and the head and shoulders of a pair of bulls were part of the design of an interior entrance.

A dirt path leads up the base of Mt. Kynthos, which is the highest point on the island. Here lie the remains of many Middle Eastern shrines, including the Sanctuary of the Syrian Gods, which was built in 100 BC. A flight of steps goes up 368 feet to the summit of Mt. Kynthos (from which the name "Cynthia" was derived), where Greek mythology says Zeus watched the birth of his son, Apollo, on the slope. There are amazing views of Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, and Syros from the top of the mountain. The path is completely unshaded, so be prepared for the heat.

Located on Manto Mavrogenous Square, the Public Art Gallery of Mykonos changes exhibitions often, giving Greek and international artists a great place to showcase their work.

The Municipal Palace, also known as the Town Hall, was built in 1876 by Ernst Ziller whose credits include Athens’s famous Grande Bretagne hotel and the nearby Miaoúli Square. The building is an impeccably maintained neoclassical landmark of Ermoupoli. During working hours, you can stroll in and take in the elegantly designed marble rooms. Local town officials still hold meetings here in the presence of grand oil paintings of King George I and Queen Olga. The building also houses the municipal courts, which deal with legal cases from all the Cycladic islands, since Syros is the administrative capital. A traditional marble floor café, popular with the locals, is situated in the center, surrounded by high marble balconies.

The marble-working tradition of Tinos survives here from the 19th century and is going strong, as seen in the two adjacent museums: Museum Iannoulis Chalepas and Museum of Tinos Artists, which house the work of Pirgos's renowned sculptor, and other works.

This is the treasure house that displays frescoes and other artifacts from the famed excavations at Akrotiri. Many of the finds have been sent off to the Archaeological Museum in Athens, but the most charming fresco remains here: a colorful depiction of women in dresses, gathering saffron from the stamens of crocuses. Also in this small collection are fresco fragments with the famous painted swallows (the island's favorite design motif) that still flock to Santorini to roost on the cliffs. The fossilized olive leaves from 60,000 BC prove the olive to be indigenous.

This museum displays a 16th-century windmill, outdoor oven, waterwheel, wine press, and dovecote, with the intention of illustrating and preserving the traditional rural life of the island.

Across the water from Little Venice, set on a high hill, are the famous Mykonos windmills, echoes of a time when wind power was used to grind the island's grain. The area from Little Venice to the windmills is called Alefkandra, which means "whitening": women once hung their laundry here. A little farther toward the windmills, the bars that teeter on shoreside decks are barely above sea level, and as the north wind gets up, surf splashes the tables. Farther on, the shore spreads into an unprepossessing beach, and tables are placed on sand or pebbles.

In an old neoclassical mansion, once destroyed in the big earthquake, the museum has an enticing collection. Pieces include ships' figureheads, seamen's chests, maritime equipment, and models which reveal the extensive nautical history of the island, Santorini's main trade until tourism took over.

This little museum shows costumes, ceramics, farming implements, and other items from Naxos's far-flung villages, giving insight into how life was on the island beginning in the 18th century.

To peer into a live, sometimes smoldering volcano, join one of the popular excursions to Nea Kameni, the larger of the two Burnt Isles. After disembarking, you hike 430 feet to the top and walk around the edge of the crater, wondering if the volcano is ready for its fifth eruption during the last 100 years—after all, the last was in 1956. Some tours continue on to the island of Therassia, where there is a village. Many operators on the island offer volcano tours.

A community has grown around this beach, which is now considered one of the most family-friendly on the island. It’s pretty and sandy and there are umbrella and lounge chair rentals. A good selection of beach hotels, tavernas, restaurants, cafés, and shops make up Ornos Bay, and there’s bus service from Mykonos Town. It’s also the launch point to take a boat to other beaches or to Delos. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: swimming.

Secluded in a cove east of Tinos Town, Pachia Ammos is named for its thick sand, which has a unique green hue that complements the surrounding short shrub hills that roll into the turquoise blue sea. It is completely undeveloped, and getting to the beach requires a 15- to 30-minute walk on an unmarked path, which isn't ideal for flimsy flip-flops while balancing your beach necessities. The effort, however, is rewarded with basking in one of the prettiest and most peaceful places on the island. To get there, drive 10 km (6 miles) on the main road east toward Ayios Ioannis Beach and turn off at the signs for Pachia Ammos. Park off the road and walk over the hill to your right; the beach isn't obvious right away but follow one of several trails and you'll see it appear before you. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; swimming.

Just below Moni is one of Naxos's most important churches, Panagia Drosiani, which has faint, rare Byzantine frescoes from the 7th and 8th centuries. Its name means Our Lady of Refreshment, because once during a severe drought, when all the churches took their icons down to the sea to pray for rain, only the icon of this church got results. The fading frescoes are visible in layers: to the right when you enter are the oldest—one shows St. George the Dragon Slayer astride his horse, along with a small boy, an image one usually sees only in Cyprus and Crete. According to legend, the saint saved the child, who had fallen into a well, and there met and slew the giant dragon that had terrorized the town. Opposite him is St. Dimitrios, shown killing barbarians. The church is made up of three chapels—the middle one has a space for the faithful to worship at the altar rather than in the nave, as became common in later centuries. Next to that is a very small opening that housed a secret school during the revolution. It is open mornings and again after siesta; in deserted winter, ring the bell if it is not open.

With its distinct red-roof, this is one of the most important Byzantine churches. Restoration work has uncovered five layers of frescoes from the 6th through the 13th century, and the church has remained alive and functioning for 14 centuries. According to tradition it was named Protothroni because it was the first to be built on Naxos.

The modern Greek Orthodox cathedral is a major landmark. It's worth a look inside for a view of the frescoes by local artist Christoforos Asimis. You'll quickly note how the local priests, with somber faces, long beards, and black robes, look strangely out of place in summertime, tourist-jammed Fira.

The sandy beach fronts the lovely fishing village of Panormos, which at one point was the island's main harbor. Located north of Tinos Town, most visitors also make it a point to visit the nearby inland village of Pirgos or beach-hop to little beaches to the east and west of Panormos Beach. When the island winds are right, windsurfers may take on the waters. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: swimming; windsurfing.

A fine golden-sand beach with turquoise waters, Panormos caters to all kinds of beachgoers. Nudists head to the far right for peace and quiet, but there's an all-day beach bar and restaurant that offers music, food, and drinks to the left; it's popular with families, couples, and singles. This is a great spot when the southern winds attack; otherwise it's positioned to get the full brunt of the northern island winds. Water-sports equipment, umbrellas, and chairs are available for rent. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: nudists; swimming.

Famous the world over for its party scene, young, fun, international crowds hop straight to Paradise Beach. There's music, dancing, clubbing, and drinking at most hours of the day, but beach parties typically pick up around 4 pm and go on well into the next morning when everyone is dancing on tabletops, including sexy male and female models hired to get things moving. When partiers take a break, sun beds and umbrellas are available for lounging, and a full line of restaurants and fast-food options provide nourishment. Scuba diving and water-sport rental shops are open for business. The bus from Mykonos Town frequents the beach often and on time in the peak of summer. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers.

Small and stunning, and surrounded by a picturesque rocky coastline that juts out against a sparkling turquoise bay, Paraga Beach—sometimes also spelled Paranga—is not only pretty, it's also one of Mykonos’s liveliest party beaches. Several bars and beach clubs organize events every summer attracting a young, international crowd that gathers to mingle, dance, and drink. Hotels, rooms, and a large campground surround the beach. Umbrellas and chairs are available to rent at any of the beachside tavernas and cafés. A footpath to the east leads to neighboring party beach, Paradise, or offers you another view of the sea; it's about a 10-minute walk. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; toilets. Best for: partiers.

This large sandy beach is surrounded by a few shady trees, but umbrellas are available for rent in the summer season. The clear turquoise water gets deep fast, making it ideal for swimming. There are a few bars on-site that add a little beach-party fun. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: partiers; swimming; water sports.