Syros

Syros is the capital of the Cyclades and, uniquely among them, a genuinely urban island — a place of grand mansions, marble plazas and an opera house rather than whitewashed simplicity. In the 19th century Ermoupoli was the busiest port in Greece, and the wealth of that shipping and trading boom built a neoclassical city that still feels like a small piece of mainland Europe set down in the Aegean.

Ermoupoli rises in tiers around its harbour. At its heart is Plateia Miaouli, a vast square paved in marble and framed by a colonnaded town hall, cafés and palm trees. Above it stands the Apollon Theatre, a miniature replica of La Scala in Milan, and the hillside districts climb steeply on either side — Orthodox Vaporia, where sea-captains' houses hang over the water, and Catholic Ano Syros, a medieval hilltop settlement of stepped lanes crowned by a cathedral.

That dual identity, Orthodox and Catholic, sets Syros apart and gives it a rich calendar of festivals shared between the two faiths. The island is also known for its own tradition of rebetiko music and for loukoumia, the Turkish-delight sweets made here since the 1830s.

Beyond the city, Syros is smaller-scale and low-key. The resort of Galissas, the fishing village of Kini and a string of sandy southern bays such as Vari and Agathopes give the island its beaches, quieter and more local than the Cycladic hotspots. It stays lively and inhabited year-round in a way few islands do.

Syros has a small airport (JSY) and, as the regional hub, exceptionally good ferry links — around two hours from Piraeus by fast boat, and easy connections onward across the Cyclades. Two or three days is enough to enjoy the city and a few beaches; spring and early autumn are the most comfortable, though its year-round life means it never truly closes.