We bet you’ve never heard of Syros, one of the Cyclades’ lesser-known islands. Although it’s part of this archipelago, famous for its white houses with blue domes, Syros is very different.
If you choose it as your holiday destination, don’t expect Mykonos’ nightlife or the romance of Santorini.
So you’re probably wondering: why should we choose it over the others? We’ll tell you all about it in our article!
Getting to Syros
You can take a flight from Athens, which takes about 35 minutes, or take a ferry from Piraeus, Athens’ harbor. The journey by sea varies from two and a half to four hours depending on the Mykonos ferry’s type. There are also connections to Syros from Paros, Mykonos, and Tinos.
Ermoupili, Syros’ soul
The island’s largest town is a triumph of Venetian architecture, concealing a maze of streets and stairways leading to Miaoulis Square. Here the town hall stands and you can findthe cafés frequented by locals. Vaporia is the most picturesque neighborhood of Ermoupolis, with colorful houses and tavernas serving traditional Greek cuisine. All this gives the town an almost urban feel, rarely found on other islands. The Vaporia neighborhood, near Ermoupolis, still features imposing ship captains’ houses. Above the town is Ano Syros, Syros’ medieval settlement, with even more Cycladic architecture.
During the Greek Revolution against the Ottomans, thousands of Greeks fled from neighboring islands to take refuge here. Ermoupolis quickly became Greece’s leading port. There are here the first national bank, the first hospital, the first foreign-language newspaper, the first high school, and the first printing presses. Workers from Smyrna and Constantinople also arrived, giving rise to a tradition, zeibekiko. It’s a slow, hypnotic dance, traditionally reserved for men, performed in the port’s taverns. Each of these cultures brought its own instruments and sounds: rebetiko, the “Greek blues”, was also born here.
The north of the island, however, is wilder and less populated. You’ll discover deserted beaches, old mines, scattered villages, and hiking trails that crisscross a predominantly rugged and barren landscape.
Ano Syros
A well-preserved fortress-city built by the Venetians in the 13th century, following the natural amphitheater design of the promontory overlooking the port, to defend it from pirate attacks. You can reach it by climbing numerous steps or by taking a shuttle from Hermoupili to one of the village’s entrance gates. Here, whitewashed and colorful houses alternate with alleys, cobblestone streets, and narrow passages, each with a distinctly different character from neoclassical Ermoupoli. The town’s highest point is the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Gregory. From here, on clear days, you can see the islands of Tinos, Delos, Paros, and Naxos. You can lose yourself among courtyards with bougainvillea, small churches, taverns, and perfectly preserved balconies and doorways.
Agios Stefanos’ chapel
On the southwest side of Syros is the Chapel of Agios Stefanos, built into a cliff overlooking the sea, accessible only on foot or by boat. You climb along a 1.5-kilometer rocky path. According to local legend, the chapel was built by a fisherman saved from the sea after praying to Saint Stephen. There are religious services only twice a year, on August 19th and December 26th.
For those who love trekking, Syros offers a series of marked hiking trails that cover the entire island, along the coast or inland. To the north, Apano Meria is a geologically distinct area from the rest of the island, due to its characteristic colored metamorphic rocks.
Syros’ beaches
Poseidonia is a charming fishing village located 12 km southwest of Ermoupoli, on Foinikas Bay.
It is home to gardens and neoclassical villas, with an exotic touch, built by the Greek aristocracy. There are also beautiful beaches along the bay: Agathopes, known for its sand lilies that bloom in spring, Fetouri, and Komito.
Galissas’ village
Inhabited since the 8th century b.C., it owes its name to King Prineus Gallisos, who first settled here. Located on the west coast, 8 km from Ermoupolis, it is protected by a sheltered bay, where you’ll find small traditional taverns. Galissas Beach is one of the longest and most famous on Syros, surrounded by rocks and tamarisk trees, and easily accessible by bus or private boat. Its shallow waters make it ideal for families with children. Delfini Beach is a small beach accessible via a dirt road. Kini boasts a sandy beach popular with locals. Ampela is known for its soft, golden sand.
Syros Food Guide
Most restaurants in Syros offer traditional Greek cuisine featuring freshly caught meat or seafood. Try gouna or pita bread with tzatziki sauce, moussaka, and souvlaki.
Among the desserts, loukoumi stands out, a local specialty served with coffee. Originally from the island of Chios, it is made with almonds, rose sugar, and mastic, the resin of the mastic tree. The first loukoumi was produced in Syros in 1832, and from there, the dessert spread throughout Greece. Variations include bergamot essence, vanilla or cinnamon, coconut, pistachio, and dried fruit. Their consistency resembles a marshmallow, and they are often offered to visitors to Greek Orthodox monasteries. In northern Greece, a children’s favorite is made with a variety called biskotoloukoumo, a loukoumi sandwiched between two butter biscuits. You can also visit factories that demonstrate how they are made. Sugar, water, and starch are slowly heated in copper cauldrons and flavored with various spices.
The other two typical sweets are halvadopita, a sticky nougat made of honey, sugar, vinegar, egg whites, and almonds, sandwiched between pastry wafers, and pastelari, a sesame bar made with dried figs and almonds.
In the north, in the Apano Meria area, the island’s most famous cheese, known as the “Parmesan of Syros”, is produced, as are anthotyro and petroto, named after the stones used to milk the goats.
Syros’ cold cuts are a must-try, seasoned with fennel seeds and flavored with garlic and pepper. Louza is pork cured with pepper, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon and air-dried in the ceilings of butchers’ and delicatessen. Skordoloukaniko is a garlic sausage.
Then there are wild-growing capers, rock saffron, and sun-dried tomatoes, crushed olives in brine, wild herbs used to make infusions, fennel seeds, and honey.
Signature flavors
The kaparosalata (caper salad) and maindanosalata (parsley salad with lemon, onions, and capers) are unlike anything you’ve ever eaten before, and the marathopita (wild fennel pie) and aetopita (fish and vegetable pie) are delicate and subtle, yet bursting with flavor. Atherinopita looks like a pie, but it’s actually a dish of small fish, lightly coated in flour, mint, and parsley, fried and served with chopped tomatoes and onions or eggs.
Other delicious dishes found in Syros’ taverns and restaurants include kokkinista karavola (snails in a rich tomato and sage sauce), sysira (slow-cooked pork), fligouni (offal), braised beef with quince, and melomenes melitzanes (literally translated as honeyed eggplant, but it’s the slow-cooked tomato sauce that adds the sweetness).
Would you add Syros to your bucket list?!