Sikinos Syros Ferry

Sikinos Guide

Located in the Cyclades group of islands is the Greek island of Sikinos which lies between the island of Ios and the island of Folegandros. Unlike some of the other Cycladic islands, Sikinos, known as the Island of Wine, is not very well developed and therefore is much quieter. On the plus side, visitors to the island will probably find a more authentic atmosphere. There are two villages on the island. Allopronia is in the south of the island and is home to the island's port. The second village is called Chora as is located in the hills. Chora is made up of two parts. Castro to the west and Chorio to the east.

A popular attraction on the island is the Temple of Episkopi which was first thought of as the ancient temple of the God Apollo. However, following further investigations it was discovered to show signs of Roman mausoleum architecture. Built in the 3rd century AD, and modified to a Christian church with a dome and bell tower in the 17th century.

From the island's port, ferry services depart to Piraeus with a crossing time of around 3 hours and 30 minutes by high speed ferry and 7 hours and 30 minutes by conventional ferry. The island is connected by ferry to Folegandros, Ios, Santorini, Serifos and Sifnos.

Syros Guide

The Greek island of Syros is one of the Cyclades group of islands and is unusual in that the island's architecture is more medieval rather than the more typical Cycladic. The island's capital is Ermoupolis and has some fine examples of Venetian mansions to see. In the Vaporia quarter of the capital visitors will find some lovely large churches and impressive neoclassical buildings, such as the Town Hall and Apollo Theatre in the central square. Also popular with visitors are the island's beaches which are well equipped for tourists and have a good range of facilities.

The island can trace its history back to the 3rd millennium BC where signs of inhabitation have been found in the Halandriani and Kastri parts of the island. Artefacts found indicate that there was some kind of metal workshop on the island which possibly had a trading relationship with Asia Minor. The Samians occupied the island in the 6th century BC and is when many of the island's inhabitants moved to the island. At that time, the important physician and philosopher Pherecydis was born in Syros and some years later he went to Samos and became the teacher of Pythagoras.