Explore The Cyclades
KÉA (Tziá), the nearest of the Cyclades to the mainland, is extremely popular with Athenian families in August and at weekends year-round; their impact has spread beyond the small resorts, and much of the coastline is peppered with holiday homes built with the locally quarried green-brown stone. Because so many visitors self-cater, there is a preponderance of villa accommodation and not as many tavernas as you might expect. However, outside August or weekends, the island, with its rocky, forbidding perimeter and inland oak and almond groves, is an enticing destination for those who enjoy a rural ramble: ten separate walking paths have been earmarked and are well signposted.
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Ancient Karthaia
Ancient Karthaia
The only remains of any real significance from Kéa’s past are fragments of temples of Apollo and Athena at ancient Karthaia, tucked away on the southeastern edge of the island above Póles Bay, with an excellent deserted twin beach. It is a good ninety-minute round-trip walk from the hamlet of Stavroudháki (on the paved road linking Ioulídha and Havouná), and the inland paved road is worth following along the island’s summit from Ioulídha, as it affords fine views over the thousands of magnificent oaks, Kéa’s most distinctive feature. Kea Paths offers a walking trip (June–Sept Sat only).
