Syros dominates the heart of the Aegean with the dynamic character and the cosmopolitan grace of a queen. As a dominant force centered in Hermoupoli, the capital of the island and of the Cyclades continues to preserve and enhance the glamour of a bygone era. Sharing a story that unfolds through the winding alleys, the traditional villages that brilliantly orchestrate the medieval with the Cycladic architecture, the Orthodox and Catholic churches, the stunningly beautiful beaches, the azure sea and the magical natural scenery.

Just 83 nautical miles from the port of Piraeus and 62 miles from the port of Rafina, Syros Island is one of the most favorite holiday destinations in the Cyclades, ideal for travelers with refined taste. The central location of the island made Syros one of the most important ports in the Eastern Mediterranean during the 19th century, soon turning it into the commercial, administrative and cultural center of the Cyclades island complex. Hermoupolis still resembles an open-air museum, a live monument of neoclassical architecture with relics and cultural treasures worth discovering. From the medieval city of Ano Syros, the ancient monuments of the Early Cycladic period in Kastri, the municipality of Syros-Hermoupolis, the Apollon Theater resembling Scala di Milano, the Orthodox and Catholic coexistence as well as the various influences from Asia Minor and all the way to the machine center in Neorion operating since 1861, Syros is a unique place of everlasting historical tradition and culture.

The island’s privileged location along with its advanced tourist infrastructure and special character make it an ideal destination for authentic and alternative holidays in the Cyclades. Syros is considered a favorable pole of attraction throughout the year as each season dresses the already breathtaking scenery with its own colors and aromas, with its own beauties and contrasts always offering a special and unforgettable experience for all visitors.

Syros Beaches

H Syros is endowed with many beautiful beaches. Many are organized as an array of water sports and include restaurants and bar for an excellent service to guests.

Some of these are:

• Phoenix, v ery well organized southwest sand and pebbles. Taverns, bars and well-equipped yacht haven.
• Azolimnos, organized shady east sandy beach with restaurants and bars.
• Agathopes, organized secular shady beach with an array of water sports.
• Ambela, south beach with sand and pebbles.
• Armeos beach to the left of the bay Galissas and down the hill of Saint Pakous, loyalty of nudists.
• Pear, organized shaded south beach.
• Galissas, the largest and best organized shady beach with an array of water sports on the island.
• Dolphin, idyllic west coast with sand and pebbles with restaurant and bar.
• In Ermoupolis, the pebble beaches of St. Nicholas (in the district Vaporia), the “amount to five shillings,” the “Vangelidi, the” Waves “.
• Kini, picturesque sandy beach with breathtaking sunsets, restaurants and bars.
• Red, short windward sand and pebbles in the southwest of the island near Phoenix.
• Committees, short windward shaded sand and pebbles.
• Lotus, small windward cove with sandy beach shaded in the village, 1km south of Kini.
• Megas Gialos, organized beaches with sand and pebbles with small quiet shady creeks.
• Big hug, secluded beach on the island or donkey Lantern (ancient twin) opposite Ermoupolis, access is possible only by boat.
• Delagratsia, organized a small popular beach with sand and pebbles.
• Santorini, a small secluded quiet beach with sand and pebbles in the south of the island.
• Fabrica, A small secluded quiet beach with sand and pebbles in the south of the island.
• Fokiotrypa, a small deserted rocky beach. Access from the beach Azolimnos is a path to progress for 15 minutes.
• Northwest Beaches: Barbara, Eagle, Smooth, Letters, Megas Lakos, Marmari, Groove (access is by boat or hiking with an organized, essential guide, from Ano Mera).

Worth visiting places:

• Miaouli Square, in Hermoupolis.
• The Town Hall of Hermoupolis, one of the biggest town halls in Modern Greece, an architectural piece of art by the German architect Ernst Ziller.
• The Archaeological Museum of Hermoupolis, where early-Cycladic and byzantine finds are exposed.
• The Ecclesiastical Museum of Hermoupolis.
• The Industrial Museum of Hermoupolis.
• The Department of the Historical Archive of Hermoupolis, the archives of which date back to 1821 and are at the disposal of scholars and visitors as well.
• The Intellectual Center of the Municipality of Hermoupolis (ex “Hellas” Club).
• The Municipal Library.
• The “Apollon” Municipal Theatre.
• The orthodox Metropolitan Temple dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ. It is a brilliant temple, with three-aisled basilica with a dome, and chronologically it is the first temple that was built in the island (1824).
• The catholic church of Evangelistria and the orthodox church of Saint Nikolaos.
• The Orthodox Church dedicated to the Assumption of Virgin Mary, with three-aisled basilica, also known as “Panagia Psarianon”, which is chronologically the second church that was built in Hermoupolis (1828-29). It houses the widely known icon of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, which is a masterpiece of Dominikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco).
• “Vaporia” built-up area is considered to be the classiest built-up area, located in an altitude, with a view of the Aegean Sea and with marvelous neoclassical mansions that used to be the houses of the bourgeois of Hermoupolis during the 19th century.
• Karnagio or Tarnassas are the shipyards where the shipbuilding and repairing of wooden fishing boats take place and are located in the same area in which the big shipyard of the island which is called “Neorion” is located.
• The catholic country church dedicated to Saint Stefanos which is accessible by a small boat or by organized walking tours setting off from Galissas.
• The catholic country church dedicated to Saint Pakou in Galissas.
• The Museum of Markos Vamvakaris and the bust of the folk music composer from the island of Syros, in the homonymous square.
• “Ai-Giorgis cable”, in the leeward bay of Achladi with the carved figures by the sea-tossed sailors.
• The Aquarium of Kini.
• The feminine orthodox Nunnery dedicated to Saint Barbara, in Kini, with the looms and the exhibition of hand-woven textiles.