Athens Mykonos Paros
Route · 7 days · round-tripYacht charter route · Cyclades

Athens via Mykonos & Paros.

Sail seven days round-trip from Athens through the Cyclades: Kea, Syros, Mykonos, Paros, Serifos and Kythnos, with anchorages, tavernas and mooring tips.

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.

Kea
Day 1

Athens → Kea

A 28-mile shakedown south from Alimos past Cape Sounion's temple to Kea's sheltered Vourkari bay, your first Aegean night at anchor.

Distance

35 NM

Sailing

~7h 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
Kea
1
Day 1

Athens → Kea

Handover at Alimos eats up the morning, so we usually slip the lines by eleven and point south. The first hours run down the Attic coast with Cape Sounion ahead, the columns of Poseidon's temple standing pale on the headland. Once past the cape the swell opens up and Kea fills the horizon. Vourkari sits on the northwest coast, a working bay where fishing boats and charter yachts share the water. Ashore, the waterfront tavernas grill the morning's catch, and octopus hangs drying on the lines. If the crew still has legs, the road climbs to Ioulida, the capital tucked into the hills, and a short walk beyond it reaches the archaic Lion of Kea, carved straight from the bedrock. A gentle first day. The real distances start tomorrow.

Things to do

Sail past Cape Sounion's Temple of Poseidon

Climb to Ioulida, the hilltop capital

Find the rock-cut Lion of Kea

Grilled octopus on the Vourkari waterfront

Mooring tip

Vourkari is stern-to on the quay or anchor on sand in 5-7 m off the bay; holding is good, though gusts spill down off the hills when the meltemi is up.

Syros
2
Day 2

Kea → Syros

Syros surprises most first-timers. It is the administrative heart of the Cyclades, and Ermoupoli looks the part, with mansions, a marble main square and an opera house modelled on La Scala. We tie up on the town quay, right in the middle of things. The old shipyards still work along the harbour, so expect some clatter in the morning. Above the port two hills carry the churches: Orthodox Anastasi on one, Catholic San Giorgio on the other, crowning the medieval maze of Ano Syros. Walk up in the late afternoon when the light goes gold on the pastel facades. Rebetiko was born in these lanes, and a few tavernas still play it live. Before you leave, buy a box of Syros loukoumi from a sweet shop near the waterfront.

Things to do

Stroll Ermoupoli's marble Miaouli Square

Climb Ano Syros to San Giorgio cathedral

Catch live rebetiko in a backstreet taverna

Buy Syros loukoumi near the waterfront

Mooring tip

At Ermoupoli you back stern-to onto the town quay under your own hook, and in summer berths are first-come. Meltemi swell finds its way into the basin, so veer plenty of chain and, wherever a bollard allows, run a long line ashore.

Mykonos
3
Day 3

Syros → Mykonos

The leg to Mykonos is short, which is just as well, because the meltemi funnels hard between the islands and the last few miles into the harbour can be lumpy. This is the island of the winds, and it earns the name. Berth at Tourlos, the new port north of town, then walk or bus into Chora. The place is busy and expensive and knows it, but the old core still works its magic: cobalt shutters, the row of windmills at Kato Mili, and the waterfront at Little Venice where the sea slaps the house walls. Time your evening drink there for sunset. If you would rather trade the crowds for antiquity, the small island of Delos sits a short sail west, its ancient city and terrace of lions among the finest ruins in Greece.

Things to do

Day-sail to the ruins of Delos

Photograph the Kato Mili windmill row

Sunset drink in Little Venice

Wander Chora's cobalt-shuttered lanes

Mooring tip

Book a berth at Tourlos (new port) well ahead in high season; the old harbour quay is short-stay only and the entrance gets a nasty chop when the meltemi blows straight in.

Paros
4
Day 4

Mykonos → Paros

With the meltemi behind you, the run down to Paros is one of the easier sails of the week, often a fast reach under a poled-out headsail. Parikia is the capital and the ferry hub, home to the Ekatontapiliani, the church of a hundred doors, one of the oldest still standing in Greece. It is worth an hour inside before the heat builds. Most crews prefer to overnight up at Naoussa, the old fishing port on the north coast, where a ruined Venetian fort guards the entrance and the tavernas spread onto the quay after dark. A short dinghy ride or taxi gets you to Kolymbithres, where wind and sea have sculpted the granite into smooth grey shapes you can swim between. Rent a scooter if you have a spare afternoon and climb to Lefkes.

Things to do

Step inside the Ekatontapiliani church

Swim the granite pools at Kolymbithres

Dine on the Naoussa harbour quay

Drive up to the marble village of Lefkes

Mooring tip

Parikia's town quay is chaotic and exposed in summer; Naoussa is the calmer overnight, stern-to inside the breakwater, though space is tight, so aim to be in by mid-afternoon.

Serifos
5
Day 5

Paros → Serifos

This is the week's long leg, thirty miles of open water heading back west across the Cyclades, so we like to be off the quay by nine. With the meltemi on the beam it can be a spirited sail, and the swell has room to build between the islands. Serifos rewards the effort. The island is bare and rocky, a proper contrast to polished Paros, and its Chora climbs the hillside above Livadi in a stack of white cubes crowned by an old kastro. The walk up the stepped path takes forty minutes and the view at the top runs to Sifnos and beyond. Down at sea level, Livadi curves around a sheltered bay, with a couple of good swimming beaches, Psili Ammos among them, a short hop away. Quiet nights, honest food, few crowds.

Things to do

Hike the stepped path up to Chora

Explore the old kastro ruins

Swim at Psili Ammos beach

Sunset from the Chora windmills

Mooring tip

Livadi is stern-to on the harbour quay or anchor on sand in 5-7 m in the bay; it is well sheltered from the northerlies, which makes it a reliable overnight even when the meltemi is honking.

Kythnos
6
Day 6

Serifos → Kythnos

Kythnos gets skipped by boats racing back to base, which is exactly why we like it. The sail up from Serifos is straightforward, mostly a beam reach in settling wind. The island's showpiece is Kolona, a slender spit of sand with sea on both sides that links the shore to the islet of Agios Loukas; you can anchor off it and swim across the sandbar. Merichas is the working port, small and friendly, with tavernas serving grilled sardines a few steps from the water. Further up the east coast, Loutra has thermal springs that run warm into the sea, the only naturally heated water in the Cyclades. Inland, the village of Dryopida hides the Katafyki cave, an old iron mine you can walk into. A calm, unshowy day before the run home.

Things to do

Anchor off the Kolona sandbar and swim

Soak in the Loutra thermal springs

Grilled sardines on the Merichas quay

Walk into the Katafyki cave at Dryopida

Mooring tip

Merichas is stern-to on the quay, but for a quieter night anchor off Kolona or in Apokrousi bay on good sand in 5-7 m; both open to the west, so watch the afternoon sea breeze.

Athens
7
Day 7

Kythnos → Athens

The last morning is unhurried. Breakfast slowly, take a final swim off the boat, then point the bow northwest for Attica. The crossing is around twenty-two miles and the meltemi, if it blows, will usually be behind you for a comfortable downwind finish. Many crews route past Cape Sounion one more time to see Poseidon's temple from seaward, a fitting bookend to the week. From there it is a straight run up the coast into the Saronic Gulf. Aim to reach Alimos with time in hand, because fuelling and pump-out slots book up fast on a Friday afternoon, and a tidy handover the evening before saves a scramble. Salt on your skin, a week of anchorages behind you, and Athens waiting to send you home.

Things to do

Round Cape Sounion for a last temple view

Final swim in a Cyclades channel

Photograph the Temple of Poseidon

Prep the boat for handover

Mooring tip

Alimos is the standard handover marina and the busiest charter base in Greece; confirm your fuel and pump-out slot 24 hours ahead, and dock the night before if your contract allows.

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