General information about the island of Syros
Strengths:
Points of interest, suitable for families with children.
Average:
Sea and beaches, excursions, connections, prices, crowding, nightlife.
Weaknesses:
-
- Capital: Ermoupolis
- Population: 22000
- Area: 86 km²
- Port: Ermoupolis
- Airport: yes
- Public transportation: yes
- Car and motorcycle rental: yes
- Campsites: yes
Syros (from Greek Σῦρος) is located at the center of the Cyclades and is their capital with one of the main ports of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It can be reached both by sea and by air (Syros International Airport). The island is 83 nautical miles from Piraeus, 62 from Rafina, and 85 from Lavrio, and it is connected with many other Cyclades islands as well as more distant islands like Crete and Rhodes.
It has an area of 86 km² and about 22,000 inhabitants.
The northern part of the island is almost uninhabited, without roads, and mountainous, although there are no high peaks.
The highest mountain, Pirgos, is 431 meters. The most frequented beaches and coves, especially by Greeks, are located in the southern part and on the western coast.
The small plains of Syros are mainly cultivated with orchards, while in terms of industry/crafts, there are cotton mills, tanneries, and ironworking. The sweets are very good.
The capital of the island is the beautiful Ermoupolis with its still lively and frequented port.
Syros can be considered a cultured island; in Ermoupolis, there is the Apollo Theater built in imitation of La Scala in Milan for operas and concerts. It is an island that in the past was always frequented by merchants and shipowners and still retains its ancient splendor, especially visible in its squares, beautiful neoclassical buildings, and restored old villas. Its port, once the busiest in all of Greece when it supplied passing ships with coal, has allowed the island to become rich and industrious over the centuries, always bustling with merchants. Now the main port is Piraeus, and coal has been replaced by petroleum products, but the island remains different from the other Cyclades. It is also different due to the prevalence of Catholics among its inhabitants, at the expense of the Orthodox, due to the long Venetian rule. It is still an episcopal see.
The sea of Syros is transparent with shallow, sandy bottoms.
The island's road network is good, and the main villages are all connected by local buses. There are several car and scooter rental services on the island.
