The Cyclades — off the grid
One ferry stop away from the famous Cyclades is a second set of islands with the same geology and none of the traffic. This is where Athenians go.
The character of the place
Milos is a volcanic island of eighty-odd beaches, most of them reachable only by sea, and rock formations — Sarakiniko above all — that look like poured wax. Sifnos is the Cyclades' kitchen: a tradition of clay-pot cooking and the best village walking network in the group.
Folegandros is a single cliff-top village and a road that ends. Amorgos is a long thin ridge with a monastery glued to a rock face and the clearest water in the Aegean. Serifos and Kimolos are still, in 2026, genuinely undiscovered by anyone but Greeks.
None of these islands has an airport worth the name except Milos, which means they filter their own visitors. That is exactly the point.
Worth the day
Milos by boat, all day
Kleftiko's sea caves, Sykia's collapsed roof, and coves with no land access at all.
The Sifnos footpath network
Two hundred kilometres of waymarked old paths between villages, monasteries and bays.
Panagia Hozoviotissa, Amorgos
A white monastery pinned to a vertical cliff three hundred metres above the sea.
Clay-pot cooking
Revithada and mastelo, cooked overnight in a wood oven, eaten on Sunday like everyone else.
Where to base yourself
Plaka or Pollonia, Milos
Plaka for the sunset and the lanes; Pollonia for swimming off the rocks before breakfast.
Kastro or Apollonia, Sifnos
A Venetian citadel on a headland, or the walkable inland capital with the food.
Chora, Folegandros
One of the two or three most beautiful village squares in Greece, closed to cars.
What to skip
Trying to do more than two of these islands in a week. The ferry timetable will beat you.
Pairs well with
- Cyclades (classic)
The obvious and correct pairing — one famous island, one quiet one.
- Athens & Argo-Saronic
Everything routes through Piraeus; make Athens part of the trip.