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Route · 7 days · one-wayYacht charter route · Cyclades

Athens via Kea & Syros.

Sail seven days from Athens through the Cyclades and Saronic: Cape Sounion, Kea, Syros, Serifos, Hydra and Poros, the route map's most varied winds.

The route

Day-by-day route

Click any pin on the map or any day in the route summary below to see that day's stop, story and photos.

Cape Sounion
Day 1

Athens (Alimos) → Cape Sounion

A gentle 15-mile warm-up east along the Attica coast to anchor beneath the Temple of Poseidon, floodlit after dark.

Distance

22 NM

Sailing

~4.4h at 5 kn

At a glance

Route at a glance

Best season

May – mid-October (peak Jun – Sep, meltemi Jul – Aug)

Duration

7 days

Departure

Athens

Sailing area

Cyclades

Route summary

Click any day to jump back to the map and see its photos, narrative and mooring tip.

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The full story

Day-by-day journey

Named anchorages, mooring notes and things to do for every leg of the week — the map follows along as you scroll.

Day 1 / 7
Cape Sounion
1
Day 1

Athens (Alimos) → Cape Sounion

The first leg is deliberately easy, fifteen miles of open water to shake out the boat and let the crew find their sea legs. We usually motor-sail it if the northerly is light. Sounion has no marina, so this is an anchor-only night: drop on sand at five to eight metres, roughly half a mile off the headland, tucked in from the north. Below eighteen knots it holds fine; above that, run the extra miles into Lavrion instead. The reward is the temple itself. Its columns catch the last of the sun, then the floodlights come up and the whole ruin glows above the water. Row ashore for grilled fish before the light goes. Snorkelling along the rock shelves east of the point fills any spare hour.

Things to do

Sunset beneath the Temple of Poseidon columns

Snorkel the rock shelves east of the point

Grilled sea bass at a Sounion taverna

Photograph the floodlit temple after dark

Mooring tip

Anchor free on sand at 5-8 m about half a mile off the temple; good holding from the north under 18 knots. If it pipes up, retreat to Lavrion Olympic Marina at 60-90 euro a night.

Kea
2
Day 2

Cape Sounion → Kea (Vourkari)

With the Meltemi behind you, the twenty-mile crossing to Kea is the kind of run that makes people fall for Greek sailing: sails goosewinged, the log ticking over, Attica sinking astern. Vourkari, on the northwest corner, is the sensible overnight. Stern-to with lazy lines runs twenty-five to thirty-five euros, and the bay keeps the swell out better than the town quay at Korissia. Aim to be tied up by four; the afternoon breeze funnels through and berthing gets fiddly after that. Ashore, the payoff is the Stone Lion, an archaic beast cut from the rock a half-hour above Ioulida. Nobody quite agrees what it was for. The climb through the whitewashed alleys is worth the sweat, best done as the heat drops toward evening.

Things to do

Hike to the archaic Stone Lion of Kea

Snorkel the Patris steamship wreck off Koundouros

Octopus carpaccio at a Vourkari ouzeri

Wander Ioulida's marble alleys at dusk

Mooring tip

Berth stern-to in Vourkari on lazy lines for 25-35 euro; get in before 16:00 when the breeze funnels. Korissia's town quay is free but exposed once the northerly climbs past 18 knots.

Syros
3
Day 3

Kea → Syros (Ermoupoli or Finikas)

Thirty-two miles on a beam reach, and with the Meltemi in its usual mood the boat eats them quickly. Syros is the administrative heart of the Cyclades, and it shows the moment Ermoupoli comes into view: marble squares, a domed town hall, houses stacked up two hills in faded ochre and rose. The town quay is about as easy as stern-to gets in these islands, decent holding and shelter whatever the wind does. If you would rather swim than stroll, Finikas on the southwest coast drops you on sand under a fringe of tamarisk. My vote is the town. Climb the lanes to Ano Syros, the old Catholic quarter, for the view back down over the roofs, and stop for a box of loukoumi on the way.

Things to do

Climb to Ano Syros' Catholic quarter

Taste loukoumi at a 19th-century confectionery

Cross Miaouli's marble square after dark

Swim on sand at Finikas Bay

Mooring tip

Ermoupoli's town quay is free on your own anchor and shelters from every direction, one of the calmest berths in the Cyclades. For a swim night instead, anchor at Finikas on sand in 4-7 m, protected from the north.

Serifos
4
Day 4

Syros → Serifos (Livadi)

Thirty-two miles southwest, dead downwind for most of it, which is glorious sailing until you have to anchor at the far end. Livadi is a natural funnel; the Meltemi accelerates straight into the bay and this is where charter crews most often drag. Treat the anchor seriously. Lay plenty of scope on the sand, dive on it to check it has bitten, and sit in the cockpit for the first hour before you trust it. Above twenty-two knots I would take the quay instead, twenty to thirty euros a night. Then look up. The Chora climbs the ridge in a white cascade, a half-hour walk on the old donkey path, and the windmills at the top are the sunset spot. A bowl of revithada in a village kafeneio, and the day is complete.

Things to do

Climb the donkey path to Serifos Chora

Revithada chickpea stew in a kafeneio

Swim at Psili Ammos on the south coast

Sunset at the windmills above Chora

Mooring tip

Anchor in Livadi on sand in 5-8 m with generous scope and dive to confirm it is set; drag is common here above 22 knots. The town quay runs 20-30 euro if you would rather not watch the swing.

Hydra
5
Day 5

Serifos → Hydra

This is the transition day. Thirty-eight miles on a long beam reach carries you out of the Cyclades and into the Saronic, and somewhere west of Kythnos the wind eases by five to eight knots and the sea lies down. Hydra's harbour is tiny and everyone wants the same slots, so push to arrive by three. If the wall is full, drop the hook in Mandraki Bay a mile east and run the tender in; the holding on sand at six to eight metres is good and sheltered from the north. The town is the real event. No cars have ever been allowed, and mules still carry cases up the cliff lanes to the stone houses. Swim off the flat rocks at Spilia, walk fifteen minutes west to Vlychos, or climb to the Profitis Ilias monastery for the long view.

Things to do

Wander the car-free cliff lanes

Swim off the rocks at Spilia

Walk 15 minutes west to Vlychos beach

Hike up to Profitis Ilias monastery

Mooring tip

Hydra's quay charges 30-50 euro and its slots fill by 15:00, so plan your leg to arrive early. If you miss out, anchor in Mandraki Bay a mile east on sand in 6-8 m, sheltered from the north, and tender ashore.

Poros
6
Day 6

Hydra → Poros

Short hop today, only fifteen miles, so there is no rush to leave. The approach to Poros is the treat: the channel narrows between the island and the Peloponnese, pine slopes rising on both sides, the water flat and green. Break the passage at Russian Bay on the north coast, an old naval anchorage where you can drop on sand in five to seven metres and swim off the boat through the middle of the day. When you have had enough, motor round to the town quay for the night; it shelters from any direction and runs twenty-five to forty euros. Poros is where most crews take their lay-day, and the front fills with tavernas. Order the saganaki flamed at the table, and if the legs are willing, walk up to the old Sanctuary of Poseidon.

Things to do

Swim at anchor in Russian Bay

Dip at pine-fringed Love Bay

Walk to the Sanctuary of Poseidon ruins

Flamed saganaki on the waterfront

Mooring tip

Poros town quay is well sheltered from every direction and costs 25-40 euro stern-to. Use Russian Bay on the north coast, sand in 5-7 m, as a lunchtime swim anchorage before you commit to the town for the night.

Athens
7
Day 7

Poros → Athens (Alimos)

Thirty miles due north closes the loop. Slip the lines mid-morning and you will be back at Alimos comfortably by two, which leaves room for one more swim if the wind cooperates. Aegina sits about ten miles into the leg and makes an easy lunch stop, water and light off the beaches on its west side. After that it is a straight run up to the marina. One habit worth keeping: top up the fuel at the entrance berth before you tie up, so the boat is ready for handover first thing rather than in a scramble. Alimos is stern-to on lazy lines at seventy to a hundred euros. Once she is secure, there is time to clean up and take the crew ashore for a farewell dinner at a Glyfada taverna.

Things to do

Last swim off the beaches of Aegina

Refuel and rinse down at Alimos

Farewell dinner at a Glyfada taverna

Stroll the Faliro seafront promenade

Mooring tip

Alimos Marina is stern-to on lazy lines at 70-100 euro a night. Take on fuel at the entrance berth before mooring, and confirm your handover slot with the base 24 hours ahead.

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