Kythnos Ios ferry

Kythnos Guide

Located in the western Cyclades group of islands, the Greek island of Kythnos lies between the islands of Kea and Serifos and is around 100 km from the port of Piraeus. The small island, with a land area of around 100 sq. km and a coastline of 100 km, has about 100 beaches although many of them are inaccessible by road. The main villages on the island are called Messaria or Kythnos (known as Chora to the locals) and Dryopis or Dryopida (known as Chorio to the locals). Both villages are characterised by steep, winding streets, often stepped, which are often too narrow for cars. The architectural styles of both villages are slightly different from each. Both are pretty but Chora's houses are mainly flat-roofed, typical of the Cyclades, while Chorio's houses tend to have sloping roofs. An interesting attraction in Chora is its large Greek Orthodox Church.

The island can be reached by ferry from Piraeus and Lavrio. The crossing from Piraeus takes around 3 hours by conventional ferry and 1 hour by high speed ferry. The crossing from Lavrio takes roughly 2 hours. Kythnos is also connected by ferry to the islands of Serifos, Sifnos, Milos, Santorini, Sikinos, Folegandros and Kea.

Ios Guide

The Greek island of Ios is part of the Cyclades group of islands and lies in the Aegean Sea between the islands of Santorini and Naxos. The island has a popular night economy, lovely beaches and a number of historical monuments which are popular with visitors. The island has been popular with tourists from around the world for many years and is definitely one of the most popular of the Cyclades islands. Chora is a typical Greek village on the island with traditional whitewashed buildings, winding streets and many colourful flowers. However, at night the sleepy village comes alive with many places to socialise.

Around the island there are many beaches with soft white sand just waiting to be explored, all of which are blessed with crystal clear waters. Perhaps the island's most popular beach is Mylopotas which is lined with bars, restaurants and places to hire water sport related equipment, and is over 1 km long. However, if you require a more secluded beach experience then Valmas or Kolitsani beaches are a good choice.