Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arrival in Athens

   • Arrive in Athens.
   • Transfer to the hotel.

   Overnight stay in the hotel.

2. Day 2: Biking Tour in the North of the Paros Island

   • Morning: Transfer to the harbour of Piraeus. 
   • Enjoy a nice trip towards the island of Paros (5 h). 
   • Move to our hotel in Parikia, the main village of the island, and take over our mountain bikes. 
   • Afternoon: Bike to the picturesque village of Naousa and have a walk through its old harbour-quarter. 
   • From an alternative road, we go back to Parikia (22 km, 200 m up).
   • Evening: Stroll through the labyrinth of alleys of the traditional settlement to the little church of Constantine and Helena on the hill of the Kastro. 
   • Watch the sunset and then continue to our tavern. 

   Three nights stay in Parikia.

3. Day 3: Visit Marathi & Biking Tour to South Paros

   • Bike to the ancient marble quarries of Marathi, where the famous Parian marble was extracted from underground pits. 
   • Continue to the island village of Lefkes and walk through its traditional settlement. 
   • Join the East coast through the Prodromos village. 
   • Bike through Dryos, Aliki and Vutakos back to Parikia (50 km, 450 m up) on a panoramic road (photo stop is always possible) and past the nice beaches (where we can swim).

4. Day 4: Visit Antiparos

   Today’s biking tour passes the monastery of Christos Tu Dasus (180m), goes to the Butterflies Valley (open only in summertime) and continues to Punta, at the strait between Paros and Antiparos. 

   • Reach the neighbouring island by ferry. 
   • Bike to the cave (160 m), where we can read between the stalactites even the signature of the first, Bavarian king of modern Greece, Othon. 

   In the centre of the traditional settlement, the medieval fortified village remains virtually intact. 

   There are several beaches to choose from for a swim. 

   • Afternoon: Go back to Parikia (30 km, 350 m up).

5. Day 5: Explore the Volcanic Island of Santorini

   • Morning: Visit the early Christian church of Panagia Katapoliani and the archaeological museum. 
   • Afternoon: Take the ferry to Santorini (3 h). 

   The entry of the boat in the caldera (the closed bay formed by the eruption of the volcano, that is the crater of the always active volcano itself) will be an overwhelming experience. 

   • Transfer from the harbour of Athinios to Kamari on the east coast of the island (10 km). 

   Dinner at a tavern. 

   Three nights in Kamari.

6. Day 6: Visit Fira

   • Drive to the medieval villages of Pyrgos and Emporio and walk through their picturesque settlements. 
   • Take a short stop at Saint Nicolas Marmaras, a small ancient temple, transformed into a Christian church. 
   • Continue to Fira, the island’s capital (25 km). 
   • Go for a short guided walk, then have some free time to stroll around and visit the museums. 
   • After lunch, hike on a panoramic path along the border of the crater and over the small Elias mountain to Oia (3 h, 360 m up). 
   • Enjoy a walk around one of the most picturesque villages in the world. 
   • Transfer back to Kamari (19 km).

7. Day 7: Trip to Ancient Thera

   • Walk to Ancient Thera on Mesa Vuno-mountain (369 m) from Kamari. 
   • Visit the ruins of the ancient city. Its location makes it one of the most impressive excavation sites in Greece. We go down on a path that passes by the small church of Zoodochos Pigi (3 h 30 m). 

   The rest of the day will be at our disposal. 

   • Visit the active volcano on the island of Nea Kameni. 
   • Transfer to Fira (5 km). 
   • Go down to the old harbour on the donkey path and take a short boat trip to Nea Kameni-island, where the volcano is still smouldering. Walk there and then back to the Georgios-crater (127 m, 1 h), witnessing a unique geological phenomenon that makes one shudder at the thought of sitting on an active volcano. 
   • Return back to Fira. 

   From the harbour to the village we can walk, ride or use the cableway. 

   • Transfer back to Kamari (8km).

8. Day 8: Visit Naxos

   • Take the ferry (direct or with a stop on Ios) to Naxos (2 h 30 min). 
   • Take a city tour in the capital of the island (Chora of Naxos). 
   • Visit the castle that was the seat of the Dukes of Naxos during the Venetian period. 
   • Explore the formerly Jesuit monastery housing the archaeological museum with its rich Cycladic Idol collection. 
   • Witness the best sunset view by the Portara (“Big Door”), at the ruins of the temple of Apollo- or at one of the taverns by the harbour promenade. 

   Spend the night in the town of Naxos. 

9. Day 9: Biking tour of the South-West Island

   • Bike across a fertile plane. Here, near the Chora, a temple of Dionysus has been excavated. 
   • Continue biking through the picturesque village of Agios Arsenios, then through the Tripodes and soon we reach the highest point of the day’s tour (170 m). 
   • Reach the Bay of Aliko with its beautiful sandy beach (where we can take a bath) after a long and panoramic downhill ride. 
   • Along the west coast, partially on lonely tracks, we bike through Agia Anna back to Naxos town (38 km, 220 m up).

10. Day 10: Biking Tour in the Inland

    • Bike to Melanes on the asphalt road and continue on a narrow track to Flerio, where the ancient marble statue of a young man lies in a beautiful garden waiting for visitors. 
    • Continue on the road, past the marble quarries and the village of Kinidaros, then the highest point of the day’s tour (480m), and reach the Byzantine Church of Panagia Drossiani. Very old olive trees stand on the Tragaea-plateau and various Venetian family towers in its villages. Behind Chalki we traverse a bizarre, rocky landscape. On a hill stands the ruins of the fortress of Epano Kastro. 
    • Gain the Chora of Naxos (40 km, 600 m up) after traversing the three villages of Potamia-valley.

11. Day 11: Visit the Episcopal Church

    • Leave from Naxos and reach the former Episcopal church of St. Mammas which is now abandoned. 
    • Traverse the main road and continue to the Demeter-sanctuary near Sangri. 
    • Reach again the main road near Damarionas through a lonely landscape. 
    • Pass the Pyrgos (tower) of Belonia-family, traverse the village of Tripodes and reach the west coast near Plaka. 
    • Return to the town of Naxos (50 km, 500 m up) through Kalamuria. 

12. Day 12: Day Off / Optional Boat Trip to Delos & Mykonos

    • Take a boat trip to Delos which was the Bethlehem for the ancient religion (birth-place of Apollo, the god of light, music, and oracles for the Greeks). Later it became an international commerce and shipping centre of the ancient world.
    • Visit Mykonos which has a beautiful Cycladic settlement, it is now famous for some sandy beaches and its intense nightlife.

13. Day 13: Trip to the Northern part of the Island

    Full day excursion to the mountains and the northern part of the island. 

    • Visit the pottery village of Damalas, traverse the plateau of Tragea driving through its main village Chalki, then along the slopes of Zas-mountain through Filoti to Apirathos.
    • Continue through the Emery-villages Koronos and Skado to Koronis, 550 m (40 km) after a short stay at the amphitheatrically-shaped mountain village. 
    • Walk down to Apollon village (2 h) and have a swim. Near the village, the two-and-half-thousand-year-old marble statue of a young man still lies in the quarry. 
    • Drive back to Naxos town (35 km) on a panoramic road along the North, North-Western coast. 

14. Day 14: Back to Athens

    • Morning: Leave by ferry to Piraeus (5 h). 
    • Transfer to our hotel. 
    • Afternoon: Visit Athens.
    • Transfer to the airport on the next day.