THE DESTINATION

The "Paros-Milos" route, connecting the central, southern and western Cyclades is a pure island hopping yacht trip. A perfect mix of daily sailing passages, swim stops, new destination revealed at the end of the sailing day, and the discovery of typical islands and traditional villages.

This journey will take us to some wild anchorages, lovely beaches, secluded spots accessible only by boat, both peacefull and active islands and towns, nightlife centers... The expected scenery and natural wonders on the way can only be matched by the local gastronomical delicacies. Or maybe by the importance and amount of archeology and ancient ruins...Or maybe by impressively picturesque villages...

This proper adventurous journey is best suitable for those looking to touch to all aspects of a sailing holiday.

The Cyclades archipelago

The Cyclades are considered to be one of the most beautiful archipelagos in the Mediterranean. The islands offer a varied and diverse landscape and lifestyle that visiting options are literally endless. Emerging into the world of beautiful sunsets, breathtaking views, wild incredible swimming spots, sandy beaches, photogenic wilderness, cosmopolitan places, traditional lifestyle, white washed houses with colorful windows, vivid nightlife, family-run tavernas...can only be even more pleasurable when experienced while island hopping on its own yacht.

For those interested in history or geography, ancient ruins, myths and natural wonders are a particular delight.

Island hopping

Here is the list of major islands and towns/villages on our route. Their details, suggestions for ports, towns/villages, anchorages, bays, places of interests, cultural events, gastronomic ideas etc, together with useful links are made discoverable for you on their linked pages /Links available soon/.

Comparing to other routes, this one is not providing such an amount of potential additional places to visit, or course deviations due to weather, as the pre-planned journey is already very packed and intense. Due to difference of the islands and offers, the best way to picture the journey would be to have it divided in 4 parts.

In the first quarter of the trip we will be around Paros, and part of the trip we will visit around Paros, then cross to Ios and Folegandros, and finally spend some time around Milos.

The first quarter of the trip will be around Paros, and Antiparos, a cosmopolitan character island. It is one of the ideal Greek islands for laid-back holidays, away from the crowds and activities but yet, so close to them if needed. The island is famous for its beaches, and the Antiparos cave, a stunning cave full of stalactites and stalagmites.

Despotiko is a small, uninhabited islet, with also lovely surroundings. It is a major archaeological sites and this route's open air museum. However, the site is officially not open yet to public, but can nevertheless be visited.

From there, a several hours sailing passage waits for us, to enter the second quarter of our trip by reaching Ios. Depending on the weather it will either be directly to Chora (capital and main port) or first with a swim stop in the northern part of the island to have a first glimpse of those world famous golden sandy beaches. Ios could be the place where we could stay a day, and not rush the following day, as there are plenty of things to explore (the Chora itself and its lively party and hedonistic atmosphere, the iconic windmills and the amphitheatre, the rural landscapes and villages, or more of those spectacular seaside locations). Crowd is expected everywhere...

Ending this festive and party ambient will be when we sail into our third section, where time slows down, the quite Sikinos and Folegandros area. Folegandros, the ‘Island of Peace’, is a simple and sleepy island, full of unexpected details for astonishing photography, nice coves and beaches that can only reached by the sea, and some of the best preserved villages in the Cyclades. The peaceful and authentic Greece here combines well with cooking traditional food and degustating local wine, in the hills, in its main town, Chora, with breathtaking views on the Aegean. COuld be the highlight of the whole route...

Our last journey quarter will bring us, after 4-5 hours of sailing to the famous Milos! Volcano made, plenty can be said about the island, starting with famous imposing and lunar looking beaches, caves and cliffs, all colours sand on beaches, colourful rock formations, picturesque fishing villages, ancient theater, the famous statue Venus de Milo (in Louvre, Paris now), the shipwreck...There is simply so much that few days exploring is more than justified. Again, few photos will say more than all these words...

Private, uninhabited, or deserted islands

One of the most interesting part of any sailing route in Greece are islands where nobody is living. Some may require a special permission to be visited, or even to be approached, and usually demand a particular behaviour due to special regulations. The reasons for that is that they are either privately owned, part of national or marine parks, or under some other major state governance. We have several on our route, and namely Peristera, Kira Panagia, Skantzoura, Delos...

From	To	Distance (nm)	Time (hrs)
Paros	Antiparos	5	1
Antiparos	Despotiko	10	2
Despotiko	Ios	17	3
Ios	Sikinos	7	1-2
Sikinos	Folegandros	10	1-2
Folegandos	Milos	26	4-5

Note: Distances and sailing hours are to be taken as approximative

ACTIVITIES

...or what one can expect to do and see during this trip. The locations and the activities will make every day of the trip different from the previous but we could still, however, define a 'typical day' on a sailing holiday.

In the morning, after slowly waking up (usually 8-10 am), having a nice swim, coffee, breakfast, or one more quick town visit, we get the boat ready for leaving. Around 10-11 am we will set sails towards our next destination.

After a bit of sailing, around noon or very early afternoon we plan a swim stop. Usually it is in a nice, calm bay or in open waters, and that is also a good moment for having lunch or a quick byte.

After raising the anchor, we continue in the afternoon, for a bit more sailing and this is usually the most relaxed moment when everybody finds some typical holiday activities, like sunbathing on the deck, napping, reading... Our planned location is most often reached around 4-6 pm.

Once the yacht is properly docked, the late afternoon and evening are left for some refreshments, walks, town or island exploration, local beach swimming, and finally dinner.

The night period is left to any kind of action or fun you like.

As a picture is worth a thousand words, in the remaining section on this page, you can see few photos, from past year sailing holidays, that will present you some of those daily activities.

Discovering Greece

Picturesque towns and villages

Historical, religious or cultural sites

For crew interested a bit more in history, tradition, religion or festivals and events, as this area of Greece has been a big interesection from ancient times (Greeks, Byzantines, Venetians...) until nowadays, there is a lot to discover. You will soon find more on the linked island pages, the Despotiko and Milos one for example... /Links available soon/

Local dishes and spirits

Sailing

Participating or getting introduced to the basics of sailing, navigation, metereology...

Interesting spots

There are numerous interesting things to see, spots to explore or activities to enjoy on the route. My personal one are beautiful anchorages, both for a daily swim stop or for a night under the stars, and traditional villages.

Some other, most ususal, activities:

• Bicycle (or scooter, quad, car) rental for town and island exploration
• Hiking
• Exploring caves, lakes, waterfalls, cliff jumping spots...
• Visiting antique site, settlements, queries...or shipwrecks
• Photography wise, the locations are offering more than enough... magnificent landscapes or the sunset 'golden hour' for example...
• Getting to know the islands with local guides
• Shopping or paying visits to art galleries and workshops
• Discovering regional tastes of food and spirits in local tavernas or gourmet restaurants
• Visiting local production farms and facilities (olive and oil, goat or sheep farms...)
• Doing a bit of extra sports (diving, yoga, wind or kite surfing...)
• Or just sitting around...in local cafes, squares, piers, fishing ports...

Water fun

As enjoying the water is a particular pleasure when having yacht holidays and water toys available...

Chillin'

Relaxing is, after all, a major part of any vacations...

Wild life

Whether fully wild or domesticated, there is a number of our various friends that we can encounter on our route, on land (donkeys, mules, goats, horses, dogs, cats...), in air (seagulls, birds), in water (daulphins, seals, turtles, jellyfish...), or somewhere in between (flying fish). Please note that you are not suppose to approach or touch some of the wild life, as seals can be particularly dangerous, turtles extremely protected, while it can be painful to hang around some jellyfish types. If in doubt, ask the skipper for further explanations.