The wonderful
islands of the Cyclades offer a plethora of options for
cruises and other forms of yacht charters. If time allows a visit to the nearby
Aegean islands of the Dodecanese or the
Argolic and Saronic Gulfs could serve as an extra treat.
Getting there
The most convenient way to enter the Cyclades is from
Athens International Airport, with the
Athens' ports and marinas close by. But several islands also have airports, notably:
Paros,
Ios,
Mykonos,
Santorini. Instead of a domestic flight from Athens to these smaller airports it is also possible to use the extensive greek ferries system which connects all but the smallest of the
Cyclades islands.
Various cruises in the Cyclades
The best known option for
Cyclades cruises is a cabin charter onboard the opulent cruise liners that frequent these waters.
There are however several downsides to such cruises:
- The ships are much too large to visit any lovely bay or port except for the major commercial (ugly) harbours in the Aegean
- The itinerary is predetermined, as a guest you won't have an influence on the schedule and route of your cruising vacation
- Instead of focussing on several must-see islands within the Cyclades, only 2 or 3 (usually Mykonos, Santorini) are chosen, and the rest is neglected
Obviously, there are better cruises possible to truly discover the rich
culture and important ancient history of these
Aegean waters in more depth.
The ultimate cruises can be experienced onboard the fully crewed superyachts and megayachts. Since these are full charters (also known as private charters), you can decide on the itineraries and schedules. Moreover, the crew will serve only you. Both the megayacht and super sailing yachts come in all sorts of sizes.
A more romantic equivalent of such luxurious Cyclades cruises are the motorsailers or gulets. These wooden local ships are also fully crewed with cooks, hostesses and deckhands and resemble the blue cruises or blue voyages along the Turquoise coasts of Turkey. Sometimes cabin charters are possible as well.
To better choose between the various Cyclades cruises please see my yacht charter page.
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