The Ultimate One Week Journey Through the Cyclades

Discover Hidden Gems: The Ultimate One-Week Journey through the Lesser-Known Cyclades Islands

A renowned holiday destination, Greece was recently dubbed the ‘King of Euro Summer’ by the Americans, a term I desperately hope is no longer used in 2024.

Have you seen Mamma Mia? Have you visited the mainland, Athens, and popular islands such as Crete, Santorini, and Zante? What else is there to do and see? Oh, there is a serious amount more. Welcome to our FAVOURITE European country…

Greece is more than just olives, blue waters, white buildings, sunsets, and cats. With over 31 million tourists visiting Greece each year, why limit yourself to a handful of islands when the country boasts an estimated 6,000 of them, over 200 of which are inhabited and make for perfect holiday retreats. Hence, we present our ultimate guide to travelling Greece the right way: staying in hidden, off-the-beaten-path gems. With this guide, you’ll experience the heat and glorious weather of peak season, without having to endure the crowds.

Itinerary

Fly into Santorini
Take a ferry to Folegandros
Return to Santorini via ferry
Boat trip to Thirasia
Return to Santorini by boat
Fly home ☹

Sloth Stop 1: Santorini (2 Nights)

The journey begins with flying to Greece, unless you’re lucky enough to live there, which if that’s the case… you’re living our dream. The key is to fly to an island that serves as a good base for travelling. For this guide, choose Santorini/Oia due to its proximity to the islands we want to visit.

Flying into Santorini, we spent a wonderful two nights on the iconic island. I won’t say much about Santorini here, other than the fact you must eat the cuttlefish ink pasta at the To Briki restaurant in Imerovigli. That is all. Oh, and rent quadbikes. For a proper guide on Santorini, check out our post here.

Sloth Suggestion: Hire Quadbikes! At an avg cost of 40 EUR per day, these 4-wheelers are honestly the best way to get around Santorini. Petrol-heads and nature lovers alike can feel the wind in your hair… what’s not to love?

Sloth Stop 2: Folegandros: the Hidden Aegean Gem (3 Nights)

Next, take a ferry from the main Santorini Port to our favourite Greek island: Folegandros. The ferry company we used, Maistros Santorini, also stops at Ios and Sikinos. The ferry is a great way to travel, especially during peak season with almost 60 runs per week to Folegandros, with prices ranging between 7-70 euros depending on the length and speed of the trip.

Sloth Suggestion: use ferryhopper to find the best priced ferries, we were able to get a 7 EUR ferry there (not sponsored!!)

So What Makes Folegandros So Special?

Folegandros offers rugged, rocky landscapes and crystal-clear blue waters, perfect for hiking and beach activities. However, the highlight is the breathtaking view from the highest point on Folegandros, the summit of Mount Agios Eleftherios (455m altitude). Imagine a Santorini sunset with a mountain all to yourself, sipping some Greek wine – it’s hard to top that!

The beaches here are often secluded, offering a private slice of paradise. But the beauty of Folegandros extends below the water’s surface too. We had a fantastic experience with Sea U Folegandros, a local diving company. The team was fantastic (shoutout Spiros), professional and they guided us to some underwater gems, including a mini cave dive at Georgitsi Cave near Karavostasi. We even spotted an octopus! (I say this with slight pettiness, as Max saw it and I didn’t).

Also, our stay was made really special by our wonderful AirBnB an absolute honourable mention to our Airbnb: Aegean Balcony in Ano Meria, hosted by Giannis. Absolute prime location for the bus, local shops nearby and the most spectacular view on the island. 10/10

Sloth Scoop: because of its more quiet atmosphere, we heard on the grape vine (we met a celeb.. shhh) that it’s a bit of a hotspot for musicians to come and get inspired. So if its good enough for them, its good enough for me.

Mmm... Folegandros Food!

But now to the real good stuff – the food. If you like trying the local dishes, you’re in for a treat with Folegandros. Their traditional dish is called Matsata, and its quite different from a lot of the Mediterranean cuisine we had on other islands. The pasta is thick and soft, almost like really chunky spaghetti, but topped with tomato sauce and local hard cheese. Its also often served with either rooster, rabbit, or goat – all very popular meats on the island, but some more adventurous than others.

Sloth Suggestion: If you are feeling really hungry, get a ‘Carpenters Calzone’ from Maragkoudiko in Ano Maria

For more on this wonderful island, read our comprehensive guide here 🙂

Sloth Stop 3: Thirassia - Santorini's Tranquil Neighbour (2 Nights)

Right, now on to the next island: Thirassia (with a brief ‘layover’ in Santorini!)

To reach this wonderful hidden gem, you will have to return to Santorini via ferry (once again check Ferryhopper for the best prices). Then, arriving at the Santorini Port, take a coach to Oia, and take the the 278+ steps down with our luggage to Ammoudi Bay. Luckily for us, a friendly herd of donkeys (Lamborghinis and Bugattis, as the owner called them), carried Mia’s bag down all of the way. Or just walk on the road – those stairs are treacherous, and not Birkenstock friendly as Mia found out the hard way.

At the bottom, you will find the GORGEOUS Ammoudi Bay where Mia found the most amazing water she had ever seen (she has now been to Oman, click here to find out more) and a swimming area and lighthouse kind of structure that you can jump off if you walk along the rocky path to the left of the bay.

However, you are here for the 1 euro, yes I repeat 1 euro ferry to Thirassia, the island that sits opposite to Santorini, just the other side of the volcano. This ferry runs from the bay about 3-4 times a day at around 0800, 1230, and 1720 (this defo runs on Greek timing however, so arrive early if possible). There is also meant to be a car ferry to Thirassia that runs from Athinios Port at about 15:40, however as there is such little information online about these ferries, stick to the Ammoudi one imo.

However, once you’re on, the ferry only takes maximum 10-15 minutes and stops at two ports on Thirassia, Riva and Agia Irini.

Sloth Suggestion– if you don’t want to climb the infamous Riva steps (270+) with your luggage, get off at the second stop and get a taxi (10 EUR). But alas, that is what we did, but it was so worth it when we finally got to the top.

A Brief Overview of this Wonderful Hidden Gem:

Once on Thirassia (and probably up those lovely steps), stay at the Zacharo Rooms Hotel in Manolas, where you will once again be treated with the most spectacular views of the entire island, the best hospitality and great local restaurants. Plus, you will be in kitten heaven.

Thirassia is great for those, wanting a quiet and slower pace trip, lots of hiking and deserted volcanic beaches. We only stayed on Thirassia for two days, but that was all it took to fall in love with the island (and is probably the right amount of time). It’s less than 10km long and 3km wide, and so walking was our best friend on this island. Sources online suggest there’s a population of about 250, but we heard from locals that this is closer to 70, especially during the winter months.

In terms of food, you can expect some very yummy fresh seafood, and lots and lots of sweet wine (but that might just have been us). Our favourite restaurant by far was Panorama Resto. I can’t stop expressing how alone we were – but we were the only people in this gorgeous restaurant, overlooking Santorini, and the food was 5 star London equivalent.

Sloth Scoop: we heard that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have stayed here…

For more information on this wonderful island, read our comprehensive guide here

Sloth Stop 4: Santorini and Santorini Airport

Ah, the end of the holiday- however, you must now make sure you return to Santorini so that you don’t miss your flight!

To do this, use the same little ferry as before (check with your hotel about these timings, as they seem to change).

Upon arriving at Ammoudi Bay, proceed to the Oia bus stop. Take the bus to Fira and then transfer to the bus that goes to the airport. It could not be easier!