This road trip will show you the very best of Greece’s most celebrated Cycladic islands: Paros, Naxos and Santorini, with excursions to Antiparos, Despotiko, Nea Kameni and Therasia. You’ll see the world-famous sights of Santorini, such as the volcanic caldera and the long-lost ancient city of Akrotiri but also have chance to get away from the crowds to experience timeless villages and remote beaches.
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Day 1: Touch the sky | The hills of northern Paros
We’ll climb into the hills to experience remarkable mountain villages built like fortresses to keep their inhabitants safe from pirates. For centuries, the economy of Paros was built on the extraction of the island’s world-class marble and carving it into remarkable sculptures for the rich and powerful of the day. We’ll see the mines where the famous Parian marble was extracted and the villages where talented sculptors lived and worked, right up until the 20th century. Finally, we’ll end in the fishing port of Naousa, with a sense of how many civilisations and empires have fought for control of the Paros and the rest of the Cyclades. Overnight in Paros.
Day 2: Into the unknown | Antiparos
We’ll take a short voyage to Antiparos, Paros’ little sister island, to explore its wild beaches, incredible geographic formations and mysterious ancient sites. On the uninhabited island of Despotiko, we’ll see how the Aegean has been a highly connected network which has traded goods, artwork and ideas for millennia. Overnight in Paros.
Day 3: A battle for domination | Southern Paros
We’ll start in Marpissa, one of Paros’ most picturesque villages, before sweeping around the south of the island, passing some incredible beaches, before finishing in Parikia, the cosmopolitan capital of Paros. We’ll see how Christianity displaced the gods of the ancient Greeks and visit the fortress from where the Venetians made their heroic last stand against the Ottoman invaders, who would dominate the Cyclades until Greece won its independence in the 19th century. Overnight in Paros.
Day 4: The divine gateway | Paros to Naxos
This is a transit day. We’ll sail across the Paros-Naxos strait and see the mysterious Portara gateway at the harbour mouth and the Venetian fortress which looks down over the Chora of Naxos. The fortress was once the seat from which the Venetians dominated Naxos and their Cycladic empire but today its winding and lively streets are a great introduction to the many layers of history that make Naxos such a fascinating island. Overnight in Naxos.
Day 5: An unfinished symphony | Central Naxos mountain villages
We’ll climb into the prosperous and picturesque mountain villages of Naxos, which have a totally different feel to the coast. At an ancient quarry, we’ll learn how mysteriously unfinished giant statues provide a key to understanding how ancient sculptors worked. The Naxians became masters of using marble for architecture and sculpture – and used their marble prowess to project their power around the region. Overnight in Naxos.
Day 6: Fertility abounds! | The northern coast of Naxos
We’ll start at the ancient Temple of Demeter, where the ancient Greeks prayed for bountiful harvests and in gratitude for the fertility of the land. Then we’ll drive on a scenic road trip around Naxos’ northern coast and learn about other ways of celebrating the fertility of the land beneath our feet: through mining for lucrative emery, the cultivation of wine and through worshipping the Dionysus; the god of fruitfulness, vegetation, wine and ecstasy. Overnight in Naxos.
Day 7: Baptism of fire | Naxos to Santorini
Today we’ll leave Naxos and make a spectacular entrance into Santorini. As the ferry makes its way out of Naxos harbour, grab one last glimpse of the majestic Portara and ready yourself for an even more incredible gateway: the ring of volcanic rock poking out of the ocean that is Santorini. We’ll sail right into the water-filled caldera, a cauldron-like stone hollow, from which jets of hot gas and pumice once billowed up to 36 km high into the sky during the Great Eruption in the 16th century BC. Overnight in Santorini.
Day 8: Rising from the ashes | Santorini
The Great Eruption of the Santorini volcano in around 1500 BC changed the island forever and brought all human life here to an end. Today, we’ll explore the south of the island and go searching for the secrets of ancient Akrotiri under layers upon layers of volcanic ash. We’ll see how subsequent inhabitants of Santorini attempted to rebuild after the eruption, making use of the unique properties of volcanic soil to grow Santorini’s signature produce: tomatoes and wine. Overnight in Santorini
Day 9: Into the inferno | Santorini
We’ve seen how volcanic eruptions and seismic activity have reshaped Santorini and forced its people to adapt. Today, we’ll set foot right in the heart of the volcano to stare this volcanic beast right in the face. We’ll almost feel the magma bubbling beneath our feet on Nea Kameni, Santorini’s still active volcanic core. Then we’ll skirt the volcanic caldera, first on depopulated Therasia, set adrift to the west, then lively Fira, the capital of Santorini. Overnight in Santorini
Day 10: Santorini | Final encounter
Our final day in the Cyclades has arrived and it’s time to leave these magical islands to return home. As you gaze out over the caldera for the last time or as you walk around Fira, the beating heart of modern Santorini, take time to reflect on what we’ve seen and what we’ve learned.
