What makes Iraklia Island unique and everything you need to know before visiting it!

Iraklia is the biggest of the four islands that belong to the Small Cyclades complex but it’s probably the less developed one with only 150 permanent residents. The other three islands are Donousa, Koufonisi and Schinoussa. I’ve been to all these four islands and besides all of them being rather small, they’re quite different to each other.

Iraklia on Google Maps

We visited the island during the peak of the high tourist season in Greece, which are the days around 15th of August, the day of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, which is the biggest and most celebrated Greek holiday. As we were already in the area of Cyclades, on Folegandros island, we went to Naxos island (a one-way ticket to Naxos from Piraeus costs 36-60€, depending on whether you take a conventional or high speed ferry) and from there we reached Iraklia with the Express Skopelitis ferry (a one-way ticket costs 7.4€). The trip from Naxos takes a bit longer than an hour and during high season there’s a daily route (except Sundays). You can also reach the island directly from Piraeus in about six and a half hours on a rather big ferry that leaves three times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and the last time I checked, the cost of the ticket was around 36€ one way.

Iraklia: a Cycladic Island Without the Crowds

Upon our arrival we were told by the locals that the island was packed and that all rooms were rented out, something we were already aware of since we had searched for a room in advance. But the only reminder that it was high tourist season was the time we spent on the phone trying to find an available room prior to our arrival! As with almost everything in life, it all depends on your perspective. Compared to what my friends and I are used to at that time of year, the island was empty which was fantastic. Usually around the 15th of August, Athens is completely empty and all the other places in Greece are completely full of people. When you are on an island for holidays this would translate to higher prices, worse service, the necessity to make reservations in restaurants and squeeze yourself into bars. Not in Iraklia though. On 14th of August I had my birthday, which I celebrated at the only bar on the island (which also operates as a café during the day) called Surfin Bird. We were no more than 15 people in the bar and five out of them were my friends. I still had a blast and it was the first time that it ever crossed my mind to buy a round for everyone in the bar. I realized that I would probably never celebrate my birthday in a bar with so few people on a day like the 14th of August which is always a busy evening for bars in Greece.

Though we visited Iraklia with two girlfriends, we were so lucky to coincide with some acquaintances with whom we became friends after sharing the Iraklia experience for a week. As they had already spent some days on the island, they briefed us about the best tavernas, things to do on the island and what the daily holiday routine was like in Iraklia. In short, their advice was “be active as there is no much activity”.

Where to stay and hang out in Iraklia / From Agios Georgios to Livadi beach and back!

If you are an easy-going type of person, you will be dividing your time between Agios Georgios (at the beach or in the village) and Livadi beach. There is a small road that connects the two and it takes around 20 minutes to walk from one to the other. These are the two areas where people stay when visiting Iraklia. We stayed at Agios Georgios and rented some very nice rooms. You’d stay in Livadi beach if you want to free camp (people camped on the south part of the beach). To my understanding when talking with the campers as well as the locals, the community of Iraklia was not very happy with the fact that people camped on the beach. There were some stories that during previous summers the campers were kicked out of the beach. When I was on the island, the mayor had set up some tents before the beach of Livadi in order for campers to camp there and not on the beach (still free of charge). It was a polite way to take the campers out of the beach. Someone might wonder whether free camping is allowed in Greece or not. Officially it’s not, but officially it’s also not allowed to smoke in the bars, yet most people do. Often the law is enforced in a rather discretionary way in Greece. There’s an element of anarchy in our culture, which sometimes can be cute and other times can create chaos.

Natural Beauty: Iraklia’s beaches

I loved the beaches of Iraklia. Both the beaches of Agios Georgios and Livadi have amazing crystal-clear waters. As Agios Georgios is a bit smaller, it felt more crowded. Many people hung out on the beach, including some Italian families that were visiting Iraklia on their sailing boat, spending a day or two on the island. At Livadi beach, even though there were more people on it, it felt less crowded since it was long. There were trees on both, which provided some shade. There were no sunbeds and umbrellas on any of the beaches in Iraklia, which I prefered, given the fact that we could sit under the trees for some shade. At Livadi beach there was also a beach volleyball court that we used. I didn’t excel at it since I hadn’t played since high school, but I had fun!

Another beach we visited in Iraklia was Vorini Spilia. In order to get there you need to follow a trail that starts from the port of Agios Georgios and it takes around 25 minutes. It was really beautiful and we enjoyed the trip. A sad thing was that some garbage had washed up to the shore due to frequent winds. Other beaches that we didn’t visit but heard a lot about them while in Iraklia, are Alimia and Karvounolakos. You can visit them by boat and if you like snorkelling, you’ll be able to see a German airplane from WWII at the bottom of Alimia beach. There’s a rumor that there are Monachus monachus, Mediterranean monk seals, at Karvounolakos beach. Locals say that in Iraklia besides Monachus monachus seals there are also Caretta caretta turtles. Apparently around noon it’s possible to see a Caretta caretta swimming next to the seashore where the Surfin Bird bar is. Unfortunately, we didn’t see it.

Plan a Day Trip to Schinoussa island

Next to Iraklia is Schinoussa island, also belonging to the small Cyclades complex and you can visit it by boat from Iraklia in just half an hour. We organised a day trip to Schinoussa: we arranged with a boat owner to take us there in the morning and pick us up late in the afternoon. The cost was something like 15-20€ both ways per person, as we were a big group of friends. It was nice to get a glimpse of Schinoussa and I think I’d like to return there one day and explore the island more.

Indulge in Iraklia’s amazing local food

The food in Iraklia was surprisingly good. In many taverns the meat they serve is locally nurtured. They have chickens, goats and sheeps. They also produce fava locally, a type of broad bean that you usually eat it in the form of a dip, similar to hummus. You should definitely try it if you visit Iraklia or another island that produces it locally such as Santorini or Amorgos, as it tastes so much better than the fava you buy from the supermarket. Local fishermen also provide fresh fish and seafood to some of the tavernas in Iraklia. As the island is not very touristy, the prices were really good considering the quality of the ingredients/products. I imagine high-end restaurants would charge at least three times more for fish and meat of this quality.

Nightlife in Iraklia

Where do you party in Iraklia? This is a question I can’t answer. Iraklia island is not very active when it comes to nightlife, so If you are up for some crazy nights out, just go to another island. You go to Iraklia primarily to relax, spend quality time with your friends, read a nice book, swim, sunbathe and eat. If you’ve already decided to visit Iraklia and want to have a drink, you can still do it, just keep your expectations low. You can visit the Surfin Bird bar, located just before Livadi beach, or you can enjoy a nice glass of wine at Speires hotel in Agios Georgios. Another thing you can do is to make the most out of your dinner at the tavernas. On smaller islands in the old days, before there were bars, it was common for people to continue hanging out in the taverna after their meal, drinking some wine or ouzo/raki (types of traditional Greek booze) while having long discussions with friends, listening to music, singing and maybe dancing. A good thing about the few options for going out in Iraklia, is that it’s impossible not to run into the same people over and over again. I find this kind of funny and I think it also makes it easier to socialise and meet new people.

Hiking in Iraklia

Hiking is another thing you can do in the island of Iraklia. There are several trails you can follow and if you decide to do it, you could hike to the cave of Agios Ioannis Prodromos (St. John). It is the biggest cave of all the islands that belong to the Cyclades complex. It takes around 2 hours to walk there from the port and about an hour from the settlement of Panagia. Panagia could be reached by car or bus. The first room of the cave is dedicated to Saint John. The legend says that a shepherd was around this area with his sheeps and when he finally got back to the village there was the face of Saint John drawn on his shirt. The villagers were shocked and asked him to take them to the location. When they arrived all together at the entrance of the cave they found the icon of St John.

A mass takes place at this very location every year on the 28th of August. All the villagers walk to the cave and, before the mass starts, they fill it with candles. Unfortunately we didn’t visit the cave because we were too lazy to wake up early in the morning. It’s important not to hike during midday/noon hours in summertime as it’s very hot at this time of the day. And in the afternoon we just always preferred going to the beach instead. Another cave you could hike to is the one that is known as the Cyclops’ cave. It’s easier to get there as it’s just one hour away on foot. The legend says that this cave belonged to Polyphemus, the most famous Cyclops. Cyclopes were one-eyed giants in the Greek mythology and Polyphemus was the Cyclops that Odysseus tricked and managed to blind him in order to escape from the cave he imprisoned him into. Polyphemus was furious after Odysseus had blinded him and, according to the legend, threw huge stones into the sea two of which settled and formed the rocky islands known today as Avelonisia.

Another hiking possibility is to visit the abandoned village of Agios Athanasios which is now inhabited by goats. While hiking, you should look out for Speiras, spirals. The existence of spirals is unique to Iraklia and there’s still a mystery regarding their use. They are carved on stones and rocks and it is believed that they were created around 3000 BC. Though there are several theories trying to explain their utility, the one that prevails argues that they used to be marks showing the way either to a settlement, when a double spiral was used, or to a graveyard, when a single spiral was used.

Express Skopelitis – Feel the Love!

Everytime I visit a place, I always try to imagine what it would be like to live there permanently. Iraklia is a very small island and quite isolated. The connection of the island with the rest of the world depends, to a great extent, on the Express Skopelitis ferry. I totally recommend you to watch this documentary about Express Skopelitis and how vital it is for the islands of the small Cyclades complex. Skopelitis, is the last name of the owner and captain of the ferry. In the western world we are used to businesses running for profits and decisions made according to numbers. In this documentary, you can see that this is not the case for Express Skopelitis. The captain is an honoured member of the local society. Locals love him and this love goes both ways. He always tries to service the locals and stands by them.

Express Skopelitis – The Goods

In the documentary there’s the story of an old guy from Iraklia visiting the island of Naxos during winter in order to run some errands. On his way back to Iraklia he arrived at the port of Naxos too late and the Express Skopelitis ferry had already departed. When the captain saw him, he decided to turn back just for him, so that he didn’t have to spend the night in Naxos and wait until the next day for the ferry to return.

Practical information

In Iraklia there is one ATM, located in the port, but I’d recommend bringing cash along. From my experience in Donousa, another island in small Cyclades with also just one ATM, it was often empty and the rule “first come, first served” applied when it was getting filled with cash. Thus, people often formed long queues in front of it. To be fair, Donousa is much more crowded during summertime compared to Iraklia where I only saw a couple of people withdrawing money from the ATM, once.

I’d say that Iraklia is one of the few islands where you don’t really need a car and chances are that you will not have one either as there are only some motorcycles or bicycles for rent. There’s a minibus service that has some daily routes from the port of Agios Georgios to Livadi beach and to the settlement of Panagia. The ticket is €1,30 one way (last time I checked) and when we visited the island the bus driver was very sweet and did everything he could to help the tourists with their transportation. That included some extra routes (in addition to the scheduled ones), waiting until all passengers arrived, stopping to pick up people in the middle of the journey and so on. This would be very unusual on a bigger, more developed island. Though at first glance this might sound unprofessional, I kind of think it’s quite the opposite. This minibus was the only public transport available in Iraklia and the driver really tried his best to be of service to the island’s few visitors.

The Bus

While on the island you will see a few cars, there are no taxis and there isn’t a gas station. There isn’t a police station either, disputes are handled by the municipality, but there is a doctor, a general practitioner.