Iraklia: one beach, few rooms and the quiet that is the point
It is difficult to imagine a more peaceful and remote holiday destination. Few places to stay, few places to eat, blissfully quiet, lovely beach and scenery. Glorious walking.
Iraklia is the southern most island of the eastern small Cyclades. Measuring just 19 sq. km., it is possible to walk the entire length of the one, 3.5 km. asphalt road which runs from Agios Georgios, the port of arrival, to Chora, also known as Panagia, the town of the Virgin. For the jaded, desperate to escape the pressures of modern living or if one is just tired of the conventional destinations in the eastern Mediterranean, this island has to be a strong contender. However, do not expect this solitude to come with such creature comforts as taxis, buses or a wide choice of shops and tavernas.
With just 100 permanent residents, there is certainly no problem switching off and relaxing on Iraklia. One can visit sandy, Livadi beach, the best on the island and sit in tavernas shaded by pine trees in Agios Georgios. Maybe the walk on the surviving mule path from Agios Georgios along the west coast to the cave with stalactites near Vourkaria bay will lure the more sprightly. After exploring the cave to a depth of 120 metres one can continue on the path to sandy, Alimia beach.
Iraklia can be combined with Athens, Amorgos, Donoussa, Koufonissia, Naxos & Schinoussa. Excursions & Activities: Occasional caiques to beaches and Schinoussa island.
Getting there
Travel between the mainland and Iraklia is by ferry (6 hrs. 30 mins.).
Getting to Iraklia
Leg
By
Roughly
London → Athens
flight
—
Athens (Piraeus) → Iraklia
ferry
6 hrs 30 min
Crossing times are the scheduled durations of the route, not a timetable. Sailings vary by
season and operator.
By ferry from Piraeus, roughly six and a half hours, or on the Minor Cyclades boats from Naxos. There is no airport and no fast alternative.
How do you get around an island with one road?
On foot. The single asphalt road runs 3.5 kilometres from the port at Agios Georgios to Chora, and the whole island is nineteen square kilometres. There are no taxis and no buses, which is worth knowing before arriving with heavy luggage.
What is there to actually do?
Livadi, the best beach on the island, and the old mule path north along the west coast to the cave near Vourkaria bay, which runs about 120 metres deep and continues to the sand at Alimia. With a hundred permanent residents, the list is short by design.
Is there enough choice of places to eat and stay?
Not much, and that is the honest answer rather than a complaint. A few tavernas under pine trees at Agios Georgios and a handful of rooms. In August that scarcity is the constraint on the whole trip, so book before travelling.
Is Iraklia a good first Greek island?
Only if the appeal is genuinely the quiet. For a first visit it works far better as the second or third stop on a route through the Minor Cyclades than as a fortnight on its own.
