The most extraordinary neo-classical working town in Greece and quiet beach areas make an interesting combination.
Ermoupolis is not only the main town of Syros but is also the administrative capital of the whole Cyclades, but do not let this put you off, as Ermoupolis is arguably the most interesting town in the Cyclades.
A period of great wealth and elegance in the 17th and 18th centuries has bequeathed Ermoupolis with neo-classical style buildings on the grandest of scales. The central square with the massive town hall surrounded by cafes is a good starting point as you stroll from church to museum to market to waterfront and beyond, as each turning reveals something new.
The two hills of Ano Syros with its medieval town and Vrontado topped by the church of Anastasis climb high above the shoreline of Ermoupolis and complete the tableau of what is a Greek Island holiday with a difference.
For a beach-based stay on Syros, the picturesque west-coast villages of Finikas and Kini both have good hotels.
Ano Syros repays the climb. Founded by Venetians and still Catholic, it is a medieval hill town of stepped lanes too narrow for anything with wheels, and the walk up from Ermoupolis takes about half an hour through the older residential streets. The Catholic cathedral of St George sits at the top, and from the terraces below it the whole of the harbour and the neoclassical town are laid out underneath.
The town’s shipbuilding past is still visible at the Neorion yard on the north side of the harbour, which is why Ermoupolis looks industrial in places where other island capitals look ornamental. It is also the reason for the size of the buildings: this was the busiest port in Greece before Piraeus took the trade, and the architecture was built for a town expecting to stay important.