Ikaria Island Agios Kirykos, Greece
2
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Frequently Asked Questions
By tender. Ships anchor off Agios Kirykos, the small capital on the southeast coast, and passengers land a few steps from a shaded square.
The town, the square and the hilltop church in two hours, then the hot springs at Therma and a taverna meal. With more time, a taxi ride to the mountain villages reveals the pines, vines and gorges of the interior.
Thermal springs that rise directly into the sea, 2 km from the landing. People came here to be treated in antiquity; they still slip in among the rocks, into water warmed by the island's volcanic depths.
A taxi or a coastal walk of about thirty minutes. No booking is needed for the bathing: slip a swimsuit and towel into your bag before leaving the ship.
Because it is one of the few places on earth where longevity far exceeds the averages. Researchers point to the diet, the slopes people climb on foot, the naps and the social bonds.
From the legend of Icarus, who fell into these waters when his wax wings melted in the sun. The island kept from that mythological baptism a singular relationship with time: people live long here and hurry little.
Two- and three-storey neoclassical houses with flowering balconies and slate roofs, stepped lanes, and a small Archaeological Museum housed in the former harbourmaster's building. Climbing to the hilltop church opens a panorama over the Aegean.
Soufiko, a stew of garden vegetables, the morning's fish, goat cheeses from the uplands, local honey and the dense, generous island red wine the ancients already praised.
Yes for a quiet call. The town needs no map, the springs at Therma amuse children, and nobody hurries anybody. The stepped lanes do make strollers awkward, though.
The euro and Greek. The island sits off the main tourist routes: bring cash. English is spoken in the waterfront tavernas, less so in the mountain villages.
