Athens, Sifnos and Paros… Three epic areas of Greece combining the capital city’s buzz with laid-back island vibes and the nightlife of Naoussa. It’s one of our most loved trips, needing no more than 5 days of annual leave for a real taste of the Cyclades and our marketing guru, Sarah just got back from experiencing it for herself. Armed with a camera and a keen eye, she’d set out to capture the islands through the nemo lens and the eyes of our travellers, catching up with a few of our favourite hotel teams along the way and unearthing a few new gems. Read on to discover why we send our team out exploring the world, what this means for you as a traveller and catch Sarah’s top tips for a week in Athens and the Cyclades.

nemo’s world adventures

Sarah’s adventure through the Cyclades was part of what the travel industry calls a ‘FAM’ (familiarisation) trip. Everyone at nemo heads to their area of specialisation at least once a year to catch up in person with the amazing teams in our hotels, check out epic new experiences and immerse themselves in the destination – bringing back incredible new gems to share with you, our travellers, and new routes to fuel our collection of trips. This means you’ll only go on a trip that has been personally vetted by one of our team, ensuring you have the highest quality most unique experiences possible… And it’s also an incredible perk of working at nemo.

On to Sarah’s trip… first stop, Athens!

The first 24 hours of the trip were spent in the capital, giving Sarah a night to recharge at New Hotel before hopping on a ferry over to Sifnos the following day. It’s the perfect amount of time to get a flavour of the city, catch a glimpse of the ancient ruins (we’d hold off visiting the Acropolis for a longer visit), and check out some of our favourite local eateries and edgy bars. Highlights were dinner at Bandeira, drinks at Latraac and Wine is Fine, and the following morning chilling in Diomedes Botanical Garden before lunching at Ergon House and heading to the port and across the Aegean for the first island stop.

Hopping over to Sifnos

This was the highlight of Sarah’s trip. Sifnos has such an incredibly warm, authentic soul and locals with whom we could chat for hours about the history of the island. Nights here were spent at Voya Sifnos, a new opening perched above Kamares with the best sunset view in the area (best enjoyed by the infinity pool!). After catching up with the owner, Manoulis, and checking out the breathtaking VIBE suite that would be home for the next few days, it was time to head into the village and taste Sifnos’ famous cuisine. The destination of choice? Isalos – get a table outside for sea views as you munch!

The days that followed were spent driving around the villages in a hire car, swimming and sunbathing in Platios Gialos and Chrisopigi, exploring the whitewashed villages of Kastro and Appolonia (dinner at Drakakis is a must when you head here, incredible octopus orzo) and hiking to see the incredible views from ridge-topped monasteries like Agios Simeon. You’re never far from a bakery or taverna here, and local island dishes like melopita (honey pie) and revithia (chickpea stew) were Sarah’s top orders.

A finale in Paros

From Sifnos, it was a quick 45-minute ferry over to Paros and Anemoi Resort. This larger island has a much buzzier vibe, with celebrated restaurants, bars and beach clubs dotted throughout. Sarah got straight into it, sunset drinks by the harbour at Methystra were next on the cards (Agosta or Barbarossa were great options too, for both drinks and dinner), as the fishermen came in to give the restaurants their catch of the evening.

The following day was spent sailing around nearby Naxos’ beaches, one of our top experiences for travellers exploring Paros whether it’s a sunset private yacht dinner or full-day excursion. For Sarah, it was all about diving into crystal-clear water, snorkelling through reefs accessible only by boat and relishing a delicious Greek barbecue on board.

Exploring Paros

Paros is another island on which we recommend you hire a car, it’s an easy (and super quick) place to drive around and parking is largely free throughout. Sarah headed to Lefkes, savouring incredible orange cake and huge iced coffees at Cafe Marigo, and lunch at Agazi cafe. Decidedly full, it was time to sunbathe and Kolympethres Beach was calling her name. Monastiri Beach and Paros Park are close by, making for an idyllic afternoon and early evening snorkelling, hiking and soaking up that famous Cycladic sun.

And that was the end of Sarah’s week-long foray into Athens and the Cyclades. It’s a great match for minimoons and special couples escapes, needing just 5 days of annual leave to get a real feel of the Cyclades – check out the trip below!