Athens and the Cyclades

12 days Greece tour


Athens - Paros Island - Naxos Island - Santorini Island

Your journey at a glance

Before travelling to the islands, immerse yourself in the vibrant life of Athens between antiquity and modernity. With this in mind for your round trip through the Cyclades, take the ferry from Piraeus to the incomparably beautiful island paradise of Paros, Naxos and Santorini. Here, the blue of the roofs on the gleaming white houses competes with the azure of the sea on the endless beaches. The warm terracotta of the rocks rises from the sea to form bizarre formations along the coast and further up to the barren beauty of the sparsely vegetated hills, around which the small villages with their friendly people are dotted. Enjoy the sunset on the islands on the terrace of one of the small restaurants and fall in love with the unique play of colours that the evening gives you here.
Before travelling to the islands, immerse yourself in the vibrant life of Athens between antiquity and modernity. With this in mind for your round trip through the Cyclades, take the ferry from Piraeus to the incomparably beautiful island paradise of Paros, Naxos and Santorini. Here, the blue of the roofs on the gleaming white houses competes with the azure of the sea on the endless beaches. The warm terracotta of the rocks rises from the sea to form bizarre formations along the coast and further up to the barren beauty of the sparsely vegetated hills, around which the small villages with their friendly people are dotted. Enjoy the sunset on the islands on the terrace of one of the small restaurants and fall in love with the unique play of colours that the evening gives you here.
  • The stops on your journey
  • Athens (3 nights)
  • Island of Paros (3 nights)
  • Island of Naxos (3 nights)
  • Island of Santorini (2 nights)

Geotoura – Hotel concept

When we include a hotel in our programme, it is not only a high standard of quality that is important to us. We prefer typical local accommodation, often boutique hotels with a special ambience. They emphasise the character of an individual trip: Panoramic views, particularly lovely furnishings, a location in historic centres, no mass tourism and, of course, exceptionally friendly hosts – these are important criteria for us.

We divide our hotels into four separate Geotoura categories. Of course, you have the choice and can also combine the categories on one trip.

Boutique Hotels – Four categories

Encantador (“Charming”): Our most affordable option. Lovingly furnished rooms that offer everything the discerning traveller expects.

Especial (“Special”): Hotels with a special ambience – historic palaces, monasteries, haciendas or beach hotels with exceptional charm. Perfect for the classic cultural tour.

Extraordinario (“Extraordinary”): Luxurious hotels in excellent locations and with the highest level of comfort, often in centuries-old aristocratic palaces, old oil mills or haciendas.

Luna de Miel (“honeymoon”): For the honeymoon – span. Luna de miel – or if you want to treat yourself to something out of the ordinary …

Character of this travel idea

The Cyclades are at their most beautiful in the evening, when the sun bathes the white facades of their villages in countless facets of yellow, red and violet. Then the islands hold their breath for a moment while the wind blows through your hair and the sea murmurs over the beach. Now is the time to reflect on the day you spent hiking through a landscape millions of years old, exploring the City of the Dead Tsikalario or experiencing the ancient world with the ruins of Alt-Thera. Out here on the islands, the pace is leisurely – in stark contrast to Athens, the global metropolis that invites you to embark on exciting adventures through the past and present on your individual trip.

Experience culture

Stroll through the historic streets of Athens. Let yourself be seduced by the scents of its oriental-style markets. Visit ancient Greece at the Acropolis before entering another world on your round trip to the Cyclades.

You will be greeted by Paros, the island of ancient monasteries, five of which are still inhabited today. Discover the time of the Venetians and other peoples on Naxos with the mighty castle, the striking residential towers and the enigmatic statues, which you will discover everywhere on your walks across the island. Incidentally, the Portara, the stone logo of National Geographic, is also located here.

Finally, the volcanic island of Santorini with its almost black beaches, from which the whitewashed houses of its small villages literally shine out.”

Experience nature

On your tour of the Cyclades, you will discover marvels of the sea: the Kolymbithres. These bizarre yet almost soft-looking granite rock formations are the work of forces from the earth’s interior and the waves that make the beaches of Paros a fascinating experience.

No less impressive are the cliffs of Naxos, which in some places look as if giants have carefully stacked stone discs on top of each other. Finally, on Santorini you can trace the island’s volcanic origins as you walk over the black, rusty brown or light grey stone that bears witness to the eons.

Which landscape particularly appeals to you? Simply decide for yourself on your trip and let your soul dangle a little longer in your favourite place.

Cyclades - culinary delights

The sun-kissed Cyclades produce a wealth of fruit and vegetables, as well as excellent wines. Each island has its own character. Try the tasty psevdokeftedes on Santorini, tomato balls or cherry peas. On Naxos, enjoy the island’s cheese specialities or beef and goat meat with local vegetables, while on Paros you can expect typical maritime cuisine.

After such a sumptuous meal, an ouzo or perhaps a kitro on Naxos or a souma on Paros is just the thing. Do you like sweets? Then you should try koufeto, almonds glazed with honey, or melitinia, a pastry with mizithra cheese and honey. Your trip to the Cyclades will also be an unforgettable culinary experience.

The authentic Cyclades

Paros is home to a very special treasure that only reveals its soul from June to September: the Butterfly Valley. The green valley with its refreshing stream takes its name from the strikingly marked moths that populate this divine spot of earth by the millions in summer.

Experience the fascinating spectacle of the countless butterflies in the light of the setting sun and dream yourself away for a few moments in a wonderful fairytale forest.

Why can't I find any prices on geotoura.com?

We do not offer standardised packages. Your Geotoura trip is customised according to your wishes.

We make this possible thanks to our high level of expertise and in-depth knowledge of the country as well as our excellent network of partners. You can look forward to extraordinary experiences, charming boutique hotels and very special insider tips on site.

Geotoura stands for the perfect planning of your personalised dream trip. Your individual price will therefore only include what really enriches your holiday.

Compared to standard holidays, this price is competitive. You will usually receive the comprehensive holiday design within 24 hours on working days.

Highly personalised trips are our speciality and the pleasure you deserve.

The special moment ...
... our hike through the Butterfly Valley on Paros, simply marvellous.

Experiences
of our customers

October 2022
Rolf K.
Bavaria
As with our first trip with Geotoura in 2016 to Andalusia, we were completely thrilled this time too and will recommend Geotoura to our friends and acquaintances.
October 2021
Anna H.
Baden-Württemberg
We found the trip to Greece wonderful. We were able to discover places that we would never have found on our own, and we really enjoyed having everything organised for us.
July 2024
Gabriele B.
Germany
We were very satisfied with the overall organisation of the trip through Northern Greece. We were particularly surprised by Kastoria, where we saw an amateur theatre performance in the municipal museum, which is next to the hotel. From our room, we had a beautiful view of the performance. Away from the tourist routes, Kastoria is a place worth discovering.
Mai 2024
Annette H.
Germany
The Peloponnese is very beautiful, with friendly and open-minded people. Compared to many other European countries, Greece is very clean.
November 2023
Alexandra K.
Germany
Highly recommended! The planning was carried out according to our personal ideas and adapted again in a personal conversation with valuable tips. And that at short notice, just two weeks before the start of the trip! The result thrilled us! Great, charming accommodation in the Peloponnese, and an all-round carefree package as promised. Any time again.
November 2022
Sabine S.
Germany
We spent three wonderful weeks in northern Greece. Thanks to Geotoura's perfect planning, we were able to switch between hiking, beach and sightseeing in a very individual way. The selection of hotels was excellent, we would not have found many of the places on our own, and we would not have chosen some of the places ourselves – we would have really missed out.
May 2023
Barbara M.
Germany
Northern Greece is definitely worth a visit. The landscape is incredibly impressive and the local people are very friendly. The area has not yet been affected by mass tourism. The boutique hotels booked by Geotoura all had a special charm and were centrally located. A great tour, perfectly planned by the Geotoura team. Thank you.
October 2022
Alexandra S.
Switzerland
Wonderful, exciting weeks in Greece with many special impressions and experiences. Everything was perfectly organised by Geotoura. Definitely again.
September 2021
Martina B.
Germany
Thank you very much for this wonderful trip to Crete. From the organisation and advice, to the beautiful hotels and the various excursion options. We would love to come again!
June 2021
Peter S.
Germany
The composition of the round trip route with the four locations we specified, the hotels you suggested, the advance information about travelling in the times of ‘Covid 19’, the tips and recommendations on places of interest and much more were appropriate and helpful. Since we were in Crete for the first time, the travel programme exceeded our expectations. The itinerary and the selected hotels are recommended.

Many other options are waiting for you

What kind of traveller are you? Just a few steps to your individual round trip
With our vacation planner, you can easily customize your own trip.
Individual planning
We accompany you to your personalized dream holiday.

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