Irakleia

Irakleia is the smallest of the inhabited Small Cyclades, and it is a place of pure, wild beauty. The ferry from Naxos docks at Agios Georgios, the little port, a bay of white houses and a couple of tavernas at the foot of green hills. The island is steep and rocky, with a few scattered settlements and a network of stone paths that link the coast, the hills, and the fields. On foot from there: the cave of Agios Ioannis, a great cavern where a chapel stands among the stalactites, and the Hellenistic walls at the Kastro in the north of the island. Swims are taken at the long beach of Livadi, one of the most beautiful in the Small Cyclades, and evenings are spent at a taverna by the port as the ferries and fishing boats come in. Irakleia is an island for walkers, for swimmers, and for anyone who loves the deep peace of the real Cyclades.

Irakleia has been inhabited since antiquity, when it was called Heracleia, though no ancient author attaches a story of Heracles to the island. A Hellenistic fortified settlement survives at the Kastro in the north of the island, near Panagia and the port. In the Middle Ages Irakleia, like its neighbours, was a base for pirates and a refuge for the small communities of the region, and a cave of Agios Ioannis on the south-west coast, the largest in the Cyclades, holds an endemic fauna of its own. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Irakleia was a poor island of farmers, shepherds, and fishermen, and its population fell to a few hundred. From the 1980s, the Small Cyclades were discovered by travellers, and Irakleia has become a favourite of walkers and of those who love the wildest, quietest islands of Greece. Today it is a small, welcoming community, living between the sea, the stone paths, and the wind.

Irakleia has a handful of beautiful beaches, all of them calm and quiet. Livadi, on the south coast, is the most beautiful: a long stretch of pale sand with clear, shallow water and a couple of tavernas behind the dunes. Agios Georgios, at the port, has a small beach in the bay. And the coves of the coast — including the little beaches below the hills — are wild and almost always empty. The water is deep, clear, and warm, and the swimming is some of the most peaceful in the Cyclades. Bring water and a picnic, and you will have the beaches of Irakleia to yourself.

Irakleia food is the honest cooking of a small island. The tavernas of Agios Georgios serve the daily catch — grilled fish, octopus, and the tiny fried fish of the island — with the local wine and the classic Greek table. The island produces excellent honey, cheese, and vegetables from its terraced fields. For a real Irakleia meal, order the fish of the day and the island's cheese with bread, and eat by the port as the boats come home. The island's few tavernas are famous among travellers for their warmth and their simple, excellent food.

May, June, and September are the best months on Irakleia: warm, quiet, and beautiful, with the beaches empty and the island at its most peaceful. July and August are livelier, but Irakleia is small and its calm holds. Spring is lovely, with wildflowers on the hills, and autumn lingers warm into October. Whenever you come, stay at least a couple of nights, and walk the island's paths — they are the way to see its wild, quiet beauty.

Irakleia has no airport, and ferries are the only way in. The crossing from Naxos takes about an hour and a half, with connections from Piraeus, Paros, Amorgos and the other Cyclades.

The island is small — walk, or hire a scooter. Swim at Livadi, walk to the cave of Agios Ioannis from Panagia, and look for the Bousoules spiral rock carvings, which are cut on the slopes on the island's west side. Bring cash, water, and good walking shoes. And take a day trip to the neighbouring islets if you can — the Small Cyclades are a world apart, and Irakleia is one of their wildest and most beautiful.