We’ve done a bit more island hopping since we left Andros.

We’ve been to Tinos, Syros and Naxos. We were only on Syros for a few hours so this post is about what we saw on the other two islands.

Tinos

Our Lady of Tinos

When we got to Tinos, we were told one of the main reasons people visit is to see Our Lady of Tinos, a church in Tinos Town.

Our Lady of Tinos church from the front

Apparently, it’s a destination for pilgrims visiting an icon called “The Icon of the Annunciation”. There’s a red carpet on the road leading up to the church so we decided it must be pretty fancy even though we didn’t see it.

The church is a beautiful building and has a lovely patterned floor outside the entrance made of tons of pebbles.

The floor in front of Our Lady of Tinos showing a geometric pattern made of thousands of black and white pebbles

Stepped fields

Most of the fields on Tinos are on the side of fairly steep hills. Each field has been made into steps of flat ground so people don’t have to struggle their way up the slopes all the time.

Hills on Tinos with their stepped fields looking like contour lines etched into their sides

Close up of the hillside steps showing each ending in edge that looks like a stone wall

Apart from being pretty, it’s very handy for walkers like us.

A walking path along the flat of a stepped hill, looking out across Tinos

Tinos Town

Tinos Town (also known as Chora) is the main port for the island and where we stayed. With ferries banished around the corner, the harbour’s delightful.  It’s got amazingly clear, blue water, dotted with small local boats.

Tinos town harbour seen from across the clear water

Tinos town harbour from the dock showing the local boats and the clear water

Naxos

Beautiful beaches

Naxos is another lovely island with some beautiful beaches that are perfect for long walks.

Transparent water and yellow sand on one of Naxos' beaches

An inland bay in Naxos, dry of water because the tide was out

Clear blue water showing the stones of the sea bed near the harbour in Naxos

Sunset over the harbour in Naxos

Temple of Apollo

One of the main Naxos landmarks is the marble doorway you see when you get to the port.

Marble doorway in the Temple of Apollo

It’s part of a temple to the god Apollo from 530 BC. It was started by Lygdamis, who ruled Naxos then, but it was never completed.

Marble doorway and blocks in the Temple of Apollo

Cycladic art

Naxos also has an excellent Museum of Archaeology. It has a lot of the kind of figures and pots we saw in The Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens.

Marble relief showing trees and fishes from the Museum of Archaeology in Naxos

Floor mosaic from the Museum of Archaeology in Naxos

Patterned amphora from the Museum of Archaeology in Naxos

Marble blocks with faces carved knto them from the Museum of Archaeology in Naxos

The difference is how much more power they have when you see them in the same place where they were found.

The staff said there were plans to split the current site into three different museums. This would give them the space and facilities to show the whole collection properly. We thought it was great already and it only cost a euro to get in.

Bargain.