{"id":342647,"date":"2025-12-13T21:29:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T21:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/syros-greece-with-teens-travel-babbo\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T21:29:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T21:29:12","slug":"syros-greece-with-teens-travel-babbo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=342647","title":{"rendered":"Syros Greece with Teens – Travel Babbo"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Why Syros? <\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve written a lot about Greece over the years. It\u2019s our favorite country<\/a> after all. I first visited in 1990 and 1992 with friends in college (Athens, Olympia, Delphi, Hydra, Poros, Aegina and Mykonos) and then my wife and I traveled to Athens and Santorini in 2009. We stopped at several islands in 2014 off a Disney Cruise (before we knew that cruises were a terrible way to see the islands). Then in 2015 we started taking annual trips to the islands. We\u2019ve visited Naxos<\/a>, Paros<\/a>, Mykonos and Santorini several times, and Antiparos and Crete once each. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve said it before, but Mykonos and Santorini aren\u2019t enjoyable in the summer. Mykonos Town is still charming despite all the upscale shops, but not when there are 10,000-15,000 people in town off cruise ships. And Santorini still has one of our favorite restaurants, but Oia gets so crowded with day-trippers that it\u2019s not worth visiting anymore. <\/p>\n

The other islands of the Cyclades are much calmer \u2013 because they don\u2019t get cruise ships. Naxos<\/a> is our favorite island, but it\u2019s a little repetitive to go back every year. So this year we switched to Syros. It\u2019s close to everything else, but definitely (refreshingly) in a lower tier of Greek island tourism.<\/p>\n

Traveling to Syros<\/h2>\n

Syros and a lot of other smaller islands have airports, but they don\u2019t get a lot of flights, those flights are mostly just to\/from Athens, and they don\u2019t always connect well to international flights. The alternative is to fly into Mykonos or Santorini, which are far better connected, and then take a ferry to neighboring islands. <\/p>\n

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\"Always\"Always
Always get a window seat when flying into the islands! This is Tinos, on the way to Mykonos. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Mykonos is easier than Santorini, simply because the main town is also near the airport and ferry port. This year we flew from Florence<\/a> to Mykonos via Munich. Given the likelihood of flight delays, and the traffic on Mykonos, I\u2019m always hesitant to book a flight followed by an immediate ferry. And sure enough, our Discover Airlines flight arrived late. Instead we booked two nights in Mykonos Town. I purposely chose days with only 1-2 smaller ships in port (you can see cruise arrivals here<\/a>), and we had an enjoyable time on the island. FYI, I highly recommend staying at Matina Hotel<\/a> in town \u2013 great location and not expensive. We rented a car for a day to explore the rest of the island, which wasn\u2019t exciting, but lunch at Kiki\u2019s Tavern<\/a> made the excursion worth it.<\/p>\n

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\"Walking\"Walking
Walking around Mykonos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Mykonos\"Mykonos
Mykonos is best in the early morning and in the evening \u2013 great light, and most day-trippers have left.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Lunch\"Lunch
Lunch at Kiki\u2019s Tavern is a highlight. Worth renting a car for.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Then our last morning we walked to the harbor and took a 10-minute Sea Bus (\u20ac2.50\/ticket) to the port and hopped on the 45-minute ferry<\/a> to Syros. Super easy trip.<\/p>\n

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\"The\"The
The Sea Bus is the cheapest, easiest, fastest way to get from Mykonos Town to the new port. Sea Bus tickets are sold from a booth at the harbor. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Where to Stay on Syros<\/h2>\n

We always want to stay in, or within easy walking distance to, the main town on any Greek island. And we opt for family-run boutique hotels over chains or fancy places. I found Arion Boutique Hotel<\/a> on TripAdvisor and it seemed perfect. It\u2019s a few minutes\u2019 walk from town, but we never mind a little walking, and it turns out that the location was perfect. It\u2019s near a couple of beaches and restaurants and near the swimming spot, and it\u2019s close to a parking lot, which made renting a car multiple days really easy. I wrote to the hotel with our needs \u2013 two rooms, one with a single bed, one with two beds \u2013 and they suggested a setup which worked perfectly. Our kids were downstairs in a large room with a great patio and view. We were upstairs with an even better patio and view! Whenever we went into town we met in front of the hotel. <\/p>\n

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\"Syros\"Syros
Our balcony at Arion Boutique Hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Syros\"Syros
Our room \u2013 simple but perfect for us<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Our rooms included breakfast. Every day we had fresh eggs, fruit and bread, with pastries and Greek yogurt. Plus coffee. Excellent food and service. And the hotel also picked us up from the ferry when we arrived. When we departed six days later, we simply walked from the hotel to the ferry<\/a> \u2013 downhill, and by that point we knew exactly where we were going.<\/p>\n

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\"Loved\"Loved
Loved our table at breakfast, and the old women who would walk by and wish us good morning every day!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"There\"There
There are a lot of breakfast options. We generally went for Greek yogurt, toast and fruit. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

I booked directly with the hotel for the best rate. <\/p>\n

What To Do on Syros<\/h2>\n

Exploring Ermoupoli<\/h2>\n

Syros is a Greek island for the Greeks. Most tourists were Greek. We heard very little American English. All of that was nicely refreshing. The flip side is that there really isn\u2019t much of a tourism infrastructure, there aren\u2019t many tourist activities per se, and the shops in town are mostly for locals. There are a couple stores with local products, but not many artisans. Naxos and Paros, and even Mykonos, are better if you\u2019re looking to take home ceramics, olive wood items, etc\u2026<\/p>\n

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\"Syros\"Syros
Walking into town from our hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Window\"Window
Window shopping in Ermoupoli <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Quiet\"Quiet
Quiet in town on a Sunday<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

We relaxed a lot, with leisurely walks into town for coffee in the late morning, lunch, and dinner. We walked all of the shopping streets many times, even if we didn\u2019t buy much. Ermoupoli (aka Ermoupolis or Hermoupolis) is a great town to simply wander around. Don\u2019t miss a walk through the Town Hall. <\/p>\n

Exploring the Island<\/h2>\n

We rented a car for two days, organized by the hotel. The first day we drove to Galissas Beach, which wasn\u2019t exciting. We then did some quick online research and headed over to Vari, which was much better. Not only was the beach more enjoyable to spend time at, but there were SUP and kayak rentals. My daughter hopped on a paddle board for an hour, while my son and I rental a clear-bottomed kayak and went towards Antiparos. In reality we made it just to the open Aegean in half an hour and turned around and headed back for the beach. We dined at Vox Grill on the beach, which was very good, and drove back to town.<\/p>\n

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\"Vari,\"Vari,
Vari, Syros<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Kayaking\"Kayaking
Kayaking from Vari Beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

That night we drove to To Plakostroto<\/a> restaurant, which was one of the places that had really been recommended to us by locals. The restaurant is perfectly situated for sunset, and as we watched the sun go down over the islands of Kithnos, Kea and Giaros, we had maybe our best meal of the trip. Highly recommended. My son called and was able to make a same-day reservation, but it\u2019s better to book earlier than that.<\/p>\n

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\"Dinner\"Dinner
Dinner with a view at To Plakostroto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"This\"This
This guy hung out at our table all night<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The next day we took the car over to Kini, which didn\u2019t excite us. Apparently it\u2019s a great beach to watch the sunset from. We had lunch there and headed back to town, feeling comfortable that we had gotten our money\u2019s worth from the Syros rental car. <\/p>\n

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\"Seafood\"Seafood
Seafood for lunch in Kini \u2013 good but not worth the drive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Swimming<\/h2>\n

Swimming was a highlight. I should note that the swimming spots near our hotel weren\u2019t sandy beaches. Walking directly down to the water from our hotel, there were two rocky coves. We went down a couple times, but the much better spot was a concrete landing, Vaporia Beach, roughly a five-minute walk towards town. If you want a Greek island summer vibe, this is the spot. Bring a towel, find a spot for it and then jump in the water. The water\u2019s not Hawaii-warm, but it\u2019s a lot better than California, and it\u2019s super easy to float. It was easy to spend hours there \u2013 with sunscreen of course. <\/p>\n

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\"One\"One
One of the swimming coves, photographed from our hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"At\"At
At the (stone) beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Vaporia\"Vaporia
Vaporia Beach from above. Note everyone floating in the water.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Vaporia\"Vaporia
Vaporia Beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Ano Syros<\/h2>\n

Ano Syros is above Ermoupoli and looked cute in Instagram stories. Mapping a walking route, it looked fairly easy \u2013 uphill, but only about 20 minutes from our hotel. So we walked up and\u2026regretted it. It was hot and the walk was exhausting, with A LOT of stairs. We explored a church and sat at a cafe for a while, but really there isn\u2019t much to see there. Skip Ano Syros. Or go, but don\u2019t walk up!<\/p>\n

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\"Ano\"Ano
Ano Syros \u2013 cute, but don\u2019t walk up! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Ano\"Ano
Ano Syros<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The Cats of Syros<\/h2>\n

Like other Greek islands, Syros has a lot of cats \u2013 which was the highlight for my teens! We got to know a lot of cats over the course of our six days on the island, feeding them and naming them. Randy, Popcorn and Scuba were our favorites. They like Temptations and Purina more than the healthier cat food that the stores in town will try to sell you. <\/p>\n

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\"The\"The
Our friends<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"We\"We
We bought a lot of cat food<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Where to Dine on Syros (Syros Restaurants)<\/h2>\n

My friend Kat (Traveling Greek<\/a>) is from Syros and gave us a long list of restaurant recommendations. We made it to most of them. I should note that a lot of menus are similar, and just like on other islands, most restaurants are good. It really is hard to go wrong. The nice thing about Syros is that our meals were roughly half the price of Mykonos, Santorini, Paros or Naxos. Our average tab was around \u20ac50 for appetizers, three main courses (we always order one less meal than the number of people, since portions are huge) and wine, and usually dessert is thrown in free. <\/p>\n

Our best meals were at To Petrino<\/a> and \u0399\u03b8\u03ac\u03ba\u03b7 \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u0391\u03ae<\/a> in town, and at To Plakostrato<\/a> 15 minutes away (with the rental car). Lunch at Vox Grill in Vari was great. When we wanted to have something other than Greek for a night, we went to Kin Khao<\/a> for Thai, which was excellent. Also had dinner at Mammo Food and Wine Bar<\/a> at the harbor, which was good but the portion sizes were ridiculously large. We could have ordered just two things for the four of us.<\/p>\n

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\"To\"To
To Petrino and \u0399\u03b8\u03ac\u03ba\u03b7 \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u0391\u03ae are both in this charming stretch of restaurants in the middle of town<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Our last night on Syros we went to Astakos<\/a>, near our hotel and right above the Vaporia Beach swimming spot. The food was good. Loved the setting and service.<\/p>\n

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\"Astakos\"Astakos
Astakos Syros near our hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"One\"One
One of the only places that gave us complimentary drinks after dinner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

We also went to several cafes and coffee spots in town. Box of Bush was our favorite. <\/p>\n

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\"We\"We
We had coffee at Box of Bush several times<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Departing Syros<\/h2>\n

I mentioned above that we really don\u2019t like to book ferries and flights back-to-back, since it\u2019s risky if there\u2019s a delay. However, we didn\u2019t want to spend the night on Mykonos again when we were leaving, so I took a chance. Our Blue Star Ferry was supposed to arrive in Mykonos at 1:20pm and our flight to Munich was at 4:05pm. That seemed safe. And just to be extra sure, I booked a port-airport transfer (through Welcome Pickups<\/a>). That turned out to be the smartest thing I did. When we arrived in Mykonos half an hour late, there were 80+ people in line for taxis, and there were no taxis. We would have missed our flight. Instead our driver got us to the airport around 2:40pm, even with considerable traffic, so we had plenty of time.<\/p>\n

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\"The\"The
The traffic between the port and airport in Mykonos can be terrible. Plan accordingly. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Syros \u2013 What We Spent<\/h2>\n

The Arion Boutique Hotel<\/a> was \u20ac530\/night for two rooms and breakfast. Some meals were as low as \u20ac15 if we just grabbed food from a bakery, otherwise lunches and dinner averaged \u20ac50-60. Our amazing meal at To Plakostroto<\/a> was \u20ac90. Our rental car was \u20ac100.<\/p>\n

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\"Meals\"Meals
Meals were seriously inexpensive compared to the rest of the Cyclades <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Spinach\"Spinach
Spinach pies are perfect for lunch and maybe \u20ac2. We loved this bakery. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Swimming\"Swimming
Swimming and relaxing were free<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Matina Hotel<\/a> on Mykonos was \u20ac430\/night for two rooms. Our rental car was \u20ac50. The Sea Bus transfer to the port was \u20ac10 for all four of us. Round-trip ferries<\/a> between Mykonos and Syros were \u20ac180 for all of us \u2013 on Seajets going over and on Blue Star coming back. Lunch at Kiki\u2019s<\/a> was \u20ac110 and worth it.<\/p>\n

Our transfer<\/a> between the Mykonos port and the airport was \u20ac61 (through Welcome Pickups<\/a>), and I tipped \u20ac20 since our driver had to wait for our late ferry, and then we hit a lot of traffic.<\/p>\n

Syros \u2013 Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n

I really enjoyed Syros. If you want a laidback Greek island experience without the expense of the other Cyclades and the crowds (and influencers) of Mykonos and Santorini, it\u2019s a great choice. Ermoupoli is charming, but not as Instagrammable as Mykonos, which I really appreciated! <\/p>\n<\/div>\n