A beautiful island in the Cyclades island complex that I totally recommend either if you are a couple, a group of friends or a family with kids or babies.
A medium size island with beautiful beaches and beach bars, wonderful Chora (the main town-capital of the island), delicious food and good road infrastructure .
How you can arrive in Kythnos island?
Kythnos has one port, there is no airport. You can arrive by ferry either from Lavrion port or Piraeus port from Athens.
Ticket from Piraeus is more expensive, around 26 euros per person one way and duration is 3 hours. Ticket from Lavrion is approximately 15-17 euros and duration 1:40-2:40 hrs. The only negative is that Lavrion is far from the city center while Piraeus port is closer. You can book your tickets here: Ferryscanner.com
Angel’s tip: If you arrive in Athens airport, it is very convenient to head straight to Lavrion port – less than 30 minutes drive.
Must have: Car is necessary 🚗 .
Don’t miss: Stroll around Chora (town) day & night .
Accommodation
Stay ideally close to Chora or the Port. Last time I visited the island I stayed in “Chora Kythnos suites”, really awesome and on foot to Chora and nightlife with good restaurants! Really soooo convenient. Previous time, I chose a wonderful hotel called Eternal Blue Kythnos, as you can see below, close to Merichas port with amazing views. I loved it too but you need a car for everything!
Beaches of the island:
- A beach you cannot miss is “Kolona”. You can get there either by boat from Merichas port (10 euros pp round trip) or by car through 2,5 km dirt road. The beach is located at the northwest section of the island and it is unique due to the area’s geomorphological peculiarities. A sandy bank, connecting the island of Kythnos with a small rocky island with the church of St. Luke. You can swim on both sides of the sand strip, thereby resulting in 2 beaches, creating an impressive landscape. Angel’s tip: You can walk up to the church in order to enjoy a wonderful scenery. Fyi the church is usually locked.
- Apokrousi beach: Awesome crystal clear waters in a beach with sand and pebbles. Lots of trees for shade but also sunloungers and umbrellas on different spots. Baiocco and coconut are some famous beach bars there. Check below a beautiful sunset I saw!
- Episkopi beach, a beautiful sandy beach with natural shadow from trees that are very close to the water! Family friendly.
- Antonides beach . Angel’s tip: Lots of steps to go downto the beach.
- Skilou beach : perfect place for friends and families. A little walk to go down but you will certainly enjoy it!
- Flabouriani beach with an amazing sunset and a beautiful cafe shop to drink or eat something. Pebbles and sand.
- Gaidouromantra beach
- Megali Ammos beach
- Aliki beach: 1 km dirt road to arrive by car but the crystal clear waters and the quiet vibes around reward you. Don’t forget your water, umbrella, snacks..
- Agios Sostis beach: a wonderful beach half an hour from Chora, not organized and calm….Be careful of the long dirt road to arrive by your car.
Beach bars:
- Hamsa beach bar in Martinakia beach is one of the most famous in the island with breakfast, good food and great service. Angel’s tip: Please note it is expensive and seabed is average.
- Pountaki beach bar in Episkopi beach.
- Baiocco beach bar in Apokrousi beach.
- Coconuts beach bar in Apokrousi beach.
- Kolona Experience in Kolona beach. A beach bar not exactly on the beach but on a platform on the one side.
Unique experience:
- If you visit Loutra village, you will see something very unique! In the main beach of the village, there is a very small natural hot spring that lead to the sea. The spring is very warm in some spots, so if you want it, it is absolutely lovely to soak in. Angel’s tip: visit early in the morning or late at night to avoid the crowds.
- In Agios Stefanos beach you can wear a mask and explore the seabed. You can see a shipwreck that had happened many years ago and accommodates lots of beautiful fish.
Must do: Kythnos has some beaches that are accessible only by boat. For this reason and not only, I totally recommend to have a boat tour in the crystal clear waters of the island and explore the area. For us, it was the best day of the island!
Angel’s tip: We used @kythnosyachting & I totally recommend it, professionals with excellent service.
Villages
- A must see village in my opinion: Dryopida. You cannot leave the island without visiting Dryopida. A lovely village where you can get lost in the alleys, take a souvenir back to your home to support the locals, have a breakfast/lunch/ dinner, admire the stalagmites and stalactites in Katafyki cave… Angel’s tip: while Dryopida is beautiful at night, it is even more beautiful with daylight. The cave is open every day 10:30-14:30 and 18:30-20:30.
- Panagia Kanala village: Half an hour from the Merichas port, Panagia Kanala is famous due to the beautiful Christian Orthodox church located there with the magnificent view & sunset. 2 great restaurants there as well and beach Antonides close by.
Food
I loved the food in Kythnos island. Below a list of restaurants I recommend;
•Margiora restaurant in Kythnos town (creative cuisine)
•To steki tou Ntetzi for meat in Kythnos town Angel’s tip: Try gourounopoulo here. Delicious appetizers as well.
•Arias restaurant for seafood in Agia Eirini village. Angel’s tip: reservation is a must. Expensive but next to the sea with high quality service.
•Mirra in Merichas port for a modern twist.
•Giagia Koukou in Kythnos town.
•Koutsikos in Loutra village for local Greek food (mainly meat). In Loutra. I ate in “Sofrano” as well next to the sea which didn’t meet my expectations but all around me keep telling me to give it a try again since it is great. Next time 🙂
•Archipelagos in Kanala as a traditional Greek tavern.
•Casa di Crepa in Kythnos town for delicious crepes. Angel’s tip: Open till late night after drinks.
•Iter del Gusto Gelateria , Sourloulou and Gigil in Kythnos town for ice cream & delicious sweets/loukoumades.
Drinks at night
There are great options for drinks at night, all of them mainly downtown in Chora of Kythnos. Some are great for early evening, others are mainly for late drinks and open around midnight. You can see the main ones below:
In Kythnos Chora:
- “The Kraken”, one of the most famous bars of the island for late drinks till early morning hours.
- “TheaTerra” with a small terrace and nice coktails.
- “Panochori” with great coktails in a beautiful , usually crowded spot.
- “Margiora”, when it started it was mainly a restaurant but now it works as a bar as well with delicious cocktails.
- “Stou Mpouranda” for drinks and shisha.
- “Marrakesh” for late drinks and Greek music.
In Dryopida village:
- “Koukos bar” with excellent cocktails in a beautiful spot in the alleys of the village.
Early drinks with nice view
- “Molo all day cafe” in Kanala village, next to the sea where you can enjoy a beautiful sunset.
- “Remezzo cafe bar” in Merichas port, open all day and the port with the boats is so relaxing to have a nice cocktail.
- “Ammos cafe bar” in Merichas port.
- “Arias Restaurant” in Agia Irini village, mainly for food but there is space for drinks as well. Next to the sea and Agia Irini beach.
Planning a wedding?
Are you planning your wedding? Or your friends are looking for a beautiful Greek island to get married? Kythnos is an excellent choice with lovely churches and many options! Locals are talking about few magical ones : Agios Ioannis o Eleimonas, Panagia Flabouriani, Panagia Kanala, Saint Irene church…
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