Day trips from Syros: the north Cyclades

We name the trips and say what each is. We print no boat times, crossing durations or prices, because those change every season. Confirm the day’s sailings and check the last boat back before you commit to being anywhere in the evening.

Tinos, for marble villages and a great church

The natural pairing, and the one to take if you only do one. Tinos is a short crossing east and it is the opposite of Syros: rural rather than urban, marble-carved villages and stone dovecotes instead of a neoclassical city.

Two targets, and one day will not do both properly. Panagia Evangelistria, the pilgrimage church on the rise above the port, is a short walk from where the boat lands and can be done in a morning. The marble villages inland, Pyrgos above all, need a car and most of a day.

One warning: around 15 August the island fills with pilgrims and a casual day trip is not the experience you will get. Syros to Tinos covers the crossing.

Mykonos, and Delos beyond it

Mykonos is further east and is the obvious contrast to a working city: whitewashed, photographed, expensive and busy. As a day out it is best taken for the town, Little Venice and the windmill row, rather than for the beaches, which need transport once you land.

The stronger reason to make the crossing is Delos, the uninhabited island that was the sacred centre of the ancient Cyclades and is now one of the largest archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. The boats to it run from Mykonos, which makes this a long day from Syros and one that needs two sets of sailings checked rather than one.

Delos has almost no shade and nobody stays overnight, so it is a morning trip and the boats dictate the day.

Andros, for green and walking

North of Syros lies Andros, which looks and behaves nothing like its whitewashed neighbours: green, mountainous and criss-crossed with old waymarked footpaths, with streams and small waterfalls that the drier islands do not have.

It is a less frequent crossing than the others and it does not reward a rushed visit. If the walking appeals, treat Andros as a two-night extension rather than a day trip, and note that it runs from Rafina rather than Piraeus if you are joining it from the mainland.

Your own island, properly

Worth saying, because three days on Syros does not exhaust it. Most visitors spend their time in Ermoupoli and never climb to Ano Syros, the medieval Catholic hill town above it, or reach the southern beaches.

If the choice is between a rushed day on Mykonos and a proper day on your own island, take the second. The order for it is in the Syros itinerary.

What we would actually do with four days

Two days on Syros itself, one on Tinos for the church and a village or two, and one held in reserve for either Delos through Mykonos or a second day on Tinos with a car.

With a week, stop day-tripping to Tinos and give it three nights of its own. The two islands make one of the better pairs in the Cyclades and they are close enough that splitting the trip costs almost nothing.

Where this leaves you

Syros is a hub, so the days out are easy: Tinos for the marble villages and the pilgrimage church, Mykonos for contrast and as the route to Delos, and Andros for walking if you can give it more than a day. The best single day trip is Tinos, the most significant is Delos, and the most underrated option is staying on Syros and climbing the hill you can see from your hotel.

Quick answers

What is the best day trip from Syros?

Tinos. It is a short crossing east and the complete opposite of Syros: marble-carved villages, stone dovecotes and the biggest Orthodox pilgrimage church in Greece, which stands a short walk above the port where the boat lands.

Can you get to Delos from Syros?

Yes, but through Mykonos, which is where the Delos boats run from. It makes for a long day with two sets of sailings to check, and Delos has almost no shade, so it works as a morning trip rather than an afternoon one.

Is Syros a good base for island hopping?

Unusually good. It is the administrative capital of the Cyclades and a real ferry hub, so connections north and east are frequent, and it is one of the few islands where you can base yourself in a city rather than a resort.

Do you need a car for day trips from Syros?

Not for the crossings themselves. You will want one on Tinos if you are going inland to the marble villages, and on Mykonos if you want the beaches rather than the town. On Syros itself a car is optional.