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South Aegean Travel Guide

Nótio Aigaío · Capital: Ermoupoli (Syros)

Lindos and its acropolis, Rhodes. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

The South Aegean is the Greece of the postcards: the Cyclades and the Dodecanese, some 50 inhabited islands. Santorini's drowned caldera, the blue domes of Oia and the Minoan city of Akrotiri; Mykonos with its windmills and Little Venice; Delos, the sacred island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990.

The Dodecanese: Rhodes, with its medieval old town (UNESCO 1988) and the acropolis of Lindos, once home to the Colossus, one of the Seven Wonders; Patmos, with the Monastery of St John and the Cave of the Apocalypse (UNESCO 1999); Symi, Kos, Karpathos. Ermoupoli on Syros is the region's capital.

Destinations in South Aegean

  1. The three domes of Oia, SantoriniSantorini caldera4.9Oia's blue domes, Fira on the cliff, the Minoan city of Akrotiri.
  2. The Temple of Athena Lindia on the acropolis of LindosRhodes old town4.8The medieval walled city: the Palace of the Grand Master, the Street of the Knights.
  3. Lindos and its acropolis, RhodesLindos4.8The white village under its acropolis and the Temple of Athena Lindia.
  4. The archaeological site of DelosDelos4.7The sacred island of Apollo and Artemis: the Terrace of the Lions.
  5. Chora, the hilltop town of PatmosPatmos4.7The Monastery of St John and the Cave of the Apocalypse.
  6. The windmills of Kato Mili, MykonosMykonos4.6The windmills of Kato Mili, Little Venice and the Delos day trip.
  7. The Portara, gate of the Temple of Apollo, NaxosNaxos and the Portara4.6The largest Cycladic island and the giant gate of the Temple of Apollo.
  8. The neoclassical harbor of SymiSymi4.6The neoclassical harbor: one of the prettiest ports in Greece.
  9. The syrmata boat garages of Klima, MilosMilos4.5The island where the Venus de Milo was found in 1820; Sarakiniko's white rock.
  10. The harbor of Parikia, ParosParos4.5Naoussa's harbor, the Panagia Ekatontapiliani church.
  11. Windmills below Kastro, SifnosSifnos4.4The food island: birthplace of Nikolaos Tselementes, Greece's great chef.
  12. The church of Olympos village, KarpathosKarpathos4.4The wild Dodecanese island: Olympos village keeps its traditions.
  13. The Asklepieion of KosKos4.3The island of Hippocrates: the Asklepieion and the plane tree.
  14. Ermoupoli from Ano SyrosErmoupoli, Syros4.2The neoclassical regional capital: the Apollo Theatre.
  15. Maganari beach, IosIos4.0The party island: Mylopotas beach and the Homer legend.
E. Macedonia & ThraceCentral MacedoniaThessalyNorth AegeanSouth AegeanCentral GreeceWestern GreecePeloponneseAtticaWest MacedoniaEpirusIonian IslandsCrete

Hover a region to explore it. Click a city pin to open its guide.

Top Cities & towns in South Aegean

Santorini ›Mykonos ›Rhodes ›Lindos ›Naxos Town ›Patmos ›Symi ›Naoussa ›Oia ›Fira ›Mykonos Town ›

Regional food

  • Santorini's Assyrtiko wines and tomatokeftedes (tomato fritters)
  • Kopanisti, the spicy cheese of Mykonos
  • Pitaroudia (chickpea fritters) of Rhodes

Read the full Greek food guide ›

Getting there

Airports on Santorini (JTR), Mykonos (JMK), Rhodes (RHO), Kos (KGS) and Karpathos (AOK). High-speed ferries from Piraeus and Rafina reach the Cyclades in 2 to 5 hours; Rhodes is an overnight ferry or a 1-hour flight from Athens.

Find hotels in Ermoupoli (Syros) ›