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Small Cyclades
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The Lesser Cyclades are a small archipelago in the middle of the Aegean, located between Naxos and Amorgos. There are a dozen islands in the archipelago, but most are uninhabited. The inhabited islands are Donoussa, Pano Koufonissi, Schinoussa and Iraklia. The Small Cyclades have remained extraneous to mass tourism, and here you can breathe a suspended and surreal atmosphere, made up of sea, nature and slow rhythms. The pristine nature, the splendid and crystalline sea and the numerous solitary bays make the archipelago of the Small Cyclades one of the best places to switch off and fully enjoy the relaxation of the Cyclades islands. I would recommend a holiday in the Small Cyclades to anyone who needs to switch off, to lovers of peace, walking and sailing and catamaran holidays.
How to get there
All four islands are well served by ferries from Naxos, Amorgos, Syros and Piraeus.
Donoussa is the least served. From Piraeus, Blue Star Ferries has, most of the year, several weekly ferries (departing at 5.30pm), via Paros, Naxos – sometimes Syros – and arriving at Donoussa (2 to 3 weekly) or the other three (2 to 3 times a week) between 12.30 and 1.20. The same boat continues to Amorgos and Astypalea.
Twice a week, a ferry leaves Syros at 7am and calls at Paros and Naxos before crossing all four of the Small Cyclades islets. Once or twice a week a high-speed catamaran stops at Koufonissi.
Finally, the little Skopelitis Express leaves Naxos most days between 2-3pm, bound for most of the outlying islands (but only goes to Donoussa 3 times a week), en route to Amorgos, from where it returns in the morning Soon.
History
Finding good maps regarding the Small Cyclades archipelago is also not easy. In my opinion a notable commercially available map is Terrain's, at a scale of 1:25,000, for all four islands. In Donoussa, a wall map just below the bakery gives an idea of the surviving trail network. An accurate topographical map of Iraklia is displayed in several places on the island, but is not available for distribution.
Sleeping in the Lesser Cyclades can be cheap, but you'll need to book well in advance.
Dining out instead can be a little more expensive, small islands yes but not small prices!
Small Cyclades Beaches
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