Syros Island Things to Do

Another building of the museum is the Aneroussis lead- shot factory.

It was built id 1889 very close to Katsimatis paint works. In the interior one can see the equipment used for the production of lead shot.

I know very well that when you are travelling, you desperately need an Internet Cafe to check your e-mails or to write your tips for Virtual Tourist!

I can recommend you the following Internet Cafe: "InSpot".

You can find it easily, because it is on the main road facing the port, a stone's throw from the place where boats embark or disembark to the port of Hermoupolis-Syros.

For the fascinating sea view and some sightseeing, climb on the slopes of Agia Pakous Hill. Walk the sea promenade past Dolphin Hotel and ascend to the little white church which adorns the top of the hill. Just below the church, on the hillside you will see the archaeological site of ancient Galessos, an ancient settlement first inhabited in the 8th century B.C.

From there you can descend to the Church of Agios Stefanos, which is situated within a cave by the sea. The church has also access from the sea: you will row for 10-15 minutes and then follow the footpath which will get you to the cave after a few meters of walking. According to the legend, the church was built by a fisherman who was saved after struggling against a giant octopus. The church was an offer to the Saint who had his name, Stefanos, for his salvation.

The coastal settlement of Poseidonia named after the god of the sea, Poseidon, and owes its second name from the Catholic Church Santa Maria Della Grazia.

Located 12 kilometers south-west of Ermoupolis, Poseidonia is full of gardens, pine trees and beautiful neoclassical houses. The village was very popular among Greek nobility during the 19th and 20th centuries, who built their retreat mansions there, which explains the beautiful buildings still standing today. I was told that Aristo Onassis himself frequented to Poseidonia to play in its casinos.

Domenicos THEOTOCOPOULOS or EL GRECO (as he is worldwide known), the famous Greek painter from Crete, but made a lot of his masterpieces in Toledo (Spain)-(Herakleion Crete 1541-Toledo 1614), left in Syros a "unique legacy": an icon, made by him and depicting the Dormition of the Virgin.This important icon is housed on the (Orthodox) Church of Koimisi (pronounced: Keemeessee), dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin.

It is El Greco's only icon, housed in an Orthodox church in Greece and not in a museum!

It is a unique treasure and the inhabitants of Syros are very proud of this religious legacy.

Here is an alphabetical list (almost exhaustive) of the best beaches of SYROS.I am going to write different tips about them later.For the first approach, take a good note of their names:

AGATHOPES
AZOLIMNOS
AMBELA
ARMAIOS or ARMEOS
ACHLADI
DELFINI
FABRIKA
FIRO-LAGONI
FOINIKAS or FINIKAS (meaning: Phenix)
GALISSAS
KINI
KOKKINA
KOMITO
MEGAS YIALOS
SANTORINII
POSSEIDONIA or DELLAGRAZIA
SOUSSOUNI
VARI

In front of the port of Hermoupolis, there is the small island of Didymos or Didymi (English transcription: Didyme).The island is very small and completely barren, but there is something special on it: a huge stone Lighthouse, maybe the oldest in Greece and certainly, one of the most impressive!

The stone house was built in 1834, under the supervision of the Bavarian architect: Erlacher.

During the summer period, it is possible to get there by small boat from Azolimnos.

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this very picturesque bay provides a shelter and privacy for all "goddess" and "gods" who prefer natural way of sunbathing. in other words, it's a nudist beach :) it's indeed very private (pebble) beach. there is no entrance from the main beach (the rocks are too sharp to walk on) you can get there only by following a mountainous path between the Dolthin Bay Hotel and old settlement of Galissa. the beach apparently is popular with campers - there were several tent "holes." nevertheless, the bay will not shelter you from wind. we were hoping to hide from meltemi there, but it was still too windy to swim or sunbath.