Syros
1864 is the year Ermoupoli inaugurated the Apollo Theatre, and the choice was no accident: the hall, built on the model of Milan's...
Updated 10 July 2026
Syros
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The story
The story of Syros
From the ruins of Smyrna to the capital of the Cyclades
Syros's history before the nineteenth century is that of a Cycladic island like many others, with an ancient past (the island is already mentioned by Homer) and a long period of Venetian and then Ottoman rule that deeply shaped its culture, leaving a substantial Catholic community alongside the Orthodox one. The turning point came with the Greek War of Independence: while other islands burned, Syros remained relatively sheltered thanks to French protection of Catholics, and became a refuge for families fleeing Chios, Psara and Smyrna. It was these refugees, often experienced merchants and shipowners, who founded Ermoupoli — the 'city of Hermes', god of commerce — and turned it, within a few decades, into independent Greece's busiest port, before the growth of Piraeus reduced its role in the late nineteenth century.
The Apollo Theatre, the Cyclades' miniature La Scala
Inaugurated in 1864 to a design by the Italian architect Pietro Sampò, the Apollo Theatre is the symbol of nineteenth-century Ermoupoli's cultural ambitions: an Italian-style hall with tiered boxes, explicitly inspired by Milan's La Scala, built when the city wanted to prove itself equal to the great European capitals. It hosted operas, touring companies, the Cyclades' first symphonic concerts, then went through decades of neglect before a restoration returned it to the public. Today it can still be visited and is still used as a concert and festival hall, a small neoclassical jewel tucked among the streets of the centre that tells, better than many history books, how quickly and how ambitiously this port city grew.
Plateia Miaouli and Ziller's town hall
The civic heart of Ermoupoli is Plateia Miaouli, a broad expanse of white marble surrounded by palm trees and cafés, dominated by the town hall designed by the German architect Ernst Ziller, the same architect who designed many of Athens's neoclassical buildings. The square, dedicated to Admiral Andreas Miaoulis, a hero of the War of Independence, is the city's living room: this is where patron-saint festivals, evening strolls and rallies take place. Around it stand the municipal library, the small archaeological museum housed in the same building as the town hall, and the nineteenth-century façades that form the backdrop to an urban life that remains surprisingly lively even out of season.
Ano Syros, the upper town of the Catholics
If Ermoupoli is nineteenth-century, Ano Syros is medieval: a fortified village built by the Venetians in the thirteenth century under the Ghisi family, perched on a hill in a maze of narrow, covered alleys designed for defence against pirates. It is the heart of the island's Catholic community, direct descendants of the Latin settlers established under the protection of the Republic of Venice and then of France, which allowed Syros to remain relatively autonomous even under Ottoman rule. At the top of the hill stands the Cathedral of St George, the Catholic episcopal seat, while nearby the Capuchin monastery and the Ursuline convent hold silent libraries and cloisters. On the opposite hill, mirroring it, rises the Orthodox neighbourhood of Vrontado: the two hills have faced each other for centuries, two faiths on the same island.
The Neorion shipyards, the island's industrial soul
Few visitors expect to find, at the edge of Ermoupoli, one of Greece's oldest still-active shipyards. Neorion was founded in the mid-nineteenth century to repair and build the ships that sustained Greek maritime trade, and for a century it was the island's economic engine, employing thousands of workers and sustaining entire neighbourhoods. It went through crises, closures and reopenings, but today remains a working yard for merchant ship maintenance, visible from the seafront with its cranes and dry docks. It is a living piece of industrial archaeology, not turned into a museum, which explains why Syros has always had a more working-class, less touristy identity than its Cycladic sisters.
The homeland of rebetiko: Markos Vamvakaris
Ermoupoli was the birthplace, in 1905, of Markos Vamvakaris, the musician tradition regards as the 'patriarch of rebetiko', the musical genre born among Greece's working-class neighbourhoods and ports, a cousin of the blues in mood and themes. Vamvakaris learned the bouzouki right in the alleys of Ermoupoli before emigrating to Piraeus, where rebetiko found its consecration. Today a small museum dedicated to him, near the port, gathers instruments, photographs and memories of that era, and his statue looks out to sea not far from where he grew up. In the city's historic venues you can still occasionally hear those melancholic, proud sounds live, a sign of a bond the island has never severed with its most authentic music.
The beaches and the coast: Kini, Galissas, Vari
Syros is not an island designed for mass beach tourism, but its jagged coastline hides notable coves. To the west, Kini is a fishing village turned photographed-sunset destination, with shallow, clear water; a little further south, Galissas offers the island's widest and sandiest beach, sheltered by pine woods. On the southern side, Vari and Megas Gialos alternate small, almost private bays with more organised accommodation, while Finikas and Poseidonia (Delagratsia), with their early-twentieth-century Art Nouveau villas, recall the era when Ermoupoli's shipowners built their summer residences there. The hinterland, hilly and terraced with dry-stone walls, remains surprisingly wild just minutes from the coast.
Island flavours: loukoumia and halvadopita
Syros's gastronomic fame comes above all from its confectionery: for generations this is where loukoumia have been made, the famous gelatinous sweets scented with mastic or rose, and halvadopita, a soft nougat made from sesame and honey kept in the historic shops of central Ermoupoli, some active since the nineteenth century with the same family recipes. There is no shortage of heartier products, tied to both the Catholic and Orthodox traditions: San Michali, a hard, spicy protected-designation cheese made only on this island with cow's milk, and local wines from native grape varieties. It is a cuisine that mixes Latin and Greek influences, just like the population that produces it.
When to go and how to experience the island
Syros is well worth enjoying well beyond the warm months: since it is inhabited all year round and is the administrative seat of the Cyclades, in spring and autumn it offers a mild climate, lower prices and an active city life without the overcrowding of July and August. Summer nonetheless remains the best time for the sea and for the calendar of events, with concerts at the Apollo Theatre and patron-saint festivals in the villages. Those who love history and architecture can visit Ermoupoli and Ano Syros even on a short one- or two-day trip; those also seeking beach and seaside life would do well to stay at least four or five days, perhaps basing themselves in Ermoupoli for bus trips to the coastal bays.
- Strolling among the neoclassical mansions and cafés of Plateia Miaouli
- Climbing up to the medieval alleys of Ano Syros and the Cathedral of St George
- Attending a performance at the Apollo Theatre
- Visiting the small museum dedicated to Markos Vamvakaris
- Observing the historic Neorion shipyards up close
- Buying loukoumia and halvadopita in the historic shops of the centre
- Swimming at sunset in Kini bay
- Tasting San Michali cheese with a local wine
FAQ
Come si arriva a Syros?
Quando è il periodo migliore per visitarla?
Cosa vedere in un solo giorno?
Dove parcheggiare a Ermoupoli?
Syros è adatta a un viaggio con bambini?
Quanti giorni servono per visitarla bene?
Getting there
- Aeroporto di Syros (JSY), a circa 4 km da Ermoupoli, con voli da Atene
- Non essendo collegata alla terraferma, l'isola si raggiunge via mare o via aria; sull'isola gli spostamenti avvengono in auto a noleggio o con gli autobus locali KTEL che collegano Ermoupoli alle principali spiagge
- Il porto di Ermoupoli è anche uno snodo dei collegamenti interni alle Cicladi: da qui partono traghetti per Mykonos, Tinos, Paros e Naxos, comodo per chi vuole combinare più isole in un unico viaggio
Perfect for
Ermoupoli è probabilmente il centro urbano neoclassico meglio conservato delle Cicladi, ideale per chi ama l'architettura ottocentesca.
La convivenza secolare tra comunità cattolica e ortodossa, visibile nelle due colline di Ano Syros e Vrontado, è un caso unico nell'Egeo.
La città natale di Markos Vamvakaris resta un punto di riferimento per gli appassionati di rebetiko e musica greca.
Loukoumia, halvadopita e il formaggio San Michali fanno di Syros una tappa golosa tra le Cicladi.
Le baie di Kini, Galissas e Vari offrono un'alternativa più tranquilla e meno turistica rispetto alle isole vicine più famose.
To see
What to see in Syros
Routes · Trovido Route
