Iraklia is the largest of the Small Cyclades — the group of little islands between Naxos and Amorgos — and the least developed of them.
There are two settlements, a handful of beaches, and no crowds at any point in the year.
What the island does have is a network of eight marked paths covering sixteen kilometres, described as the best in the Small Cyclades, and at the end of one of them the Cave of Agios Ioannis — two thousand square metres of chambers behind a small whitewashed opening in the rock, and one of the most important caves in the Cyclades.
History & Culture
The Cave of Agios Ioannis Prodromos is on the southwestern side of the island, at about 120 metres, where the paths lead away from the villages.
It is one of the largest caves in the Cyclades — around two thousand square metres, of which only part has been explored — and it is full of stalactites and stalagmites. The entrance is deliberately unremarkable: a small opening in the rock, whitewashed, with a chapel just inside it.
Next to it, a much larger mouth opens into a second cave, which islanders call the Cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus.
For the few people who live here the cave is not only a natural monument but a place bound up with local tradition, and the feast of Agios Ioannis is held at it in August.
Elsewhere on the island are the remains of an old fortification above Panagia, and scattered ancient material that has never been systematically excavated.
Nature & Outdoors
Iraklia's paths are the reason to come.
Eight waymarked routes cover about sixteen kilometres, and together they reach almost everything on the island: the two villages, the summit, the beaches with no road, and the cave. They were laid out as a community project and they are properly maintained, which is not true everywhere in the Cyclades.
The main route climbs from Panagia towards the highest ground and then down the southwestern side to the cave — allow about an hour to reach it and a similar time back, on rough ground.
Villages & Inland
Agios Georgios is the port and where almost everyone stays: a small bay with a beach, a few tavernas and rooms along the water, and a handful of shops.
Panagia, inland and up the hill, is the older settlement — whitewashed houses along narrow lanes, a church, and the starting point for most of the walking. It is largely empty outside the summer, and its festival on 15 August is the event of the year.
There is nothing else. No other village, no resort, no development of any kind.
Beaches
The island has few beaches, and they are good.
Livadi is the largest and the best — a wide sandy bay with shallow clear water, ten minutes on foot from the port or a short drive. It has some shade and a little in the way of facilities.
The beach at Agios Georgios is the easiest of all, right at the port, and Tourkopigado is also reachable by road.
Alimia and Karvounolakos, on the far side, need a walk or a boat, and there is nothing at either of them. Alimia is where a German seaplane sank in the Second World War, and the wreck is still in shallow water offshore.
Where to Stay
Prices shown per night for a sample 3-night stay. Rates and availability vary by season — select your dates for live pricing.
Practical information
Getting there
There is no airport. Iraklia is served by the small ferry that links the Small Cyclades, connecting it with Naxos, Schinoussa, Koufonisia, Donoussa and Amorgos, and by longer routes from Piraeus.
The practical way in is to fly or sail to Naxos and take the local boat. Sailings thin out sharply outside July and August — leave a spare day at each end of the trip.
Getting around
The island is small and there is very little road. You walk, and the paths are the transport as much as the recreation.
A scooter or an ATV covers the few kilometres of road between the port, Panagia and Livadi. There is a small bus in summer.
When to go
June and September are the best months.
July and August are the only time when everything is open, and 15 August fills the island for the festival at Panagia.
Outside May to October most things close and the boats run rarely.
Good to know
Bring cash. Services here are minimal.
The cave is unlit. Take a torch, wear shoes with grip, and do not go alone — the path is rough and the last part into the cave is awkward.
There is no shade on the paths and no water. Carry both.
Accommodation is very limited and much of it is arranged by phone rather than online. Book before you sail.
Iraklia Island— been there?Tell others what you saw.
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