Kea, or Tzia as the locals call it, is just an hour and a half from the port of Lavrio. It has a coastline with beautiful beaches, hills with shrubs and some tamarisk trees. The inland will surprise you as it is characterized by dense vegetation with forests of oak and several species of rare wild flowers. Also, the architecture of Kea differs from the other Cycladic islands. You will find small whitewashed houses here as well but you will also see stone buildings. The capital of the island, Ioulida, is the most beautiful town of the Cyclades. It is also quite unique as it consists of the abovementioned architectural mixture.
On Kea you can see fragments of ancient temples, ruins of ancient cities, Byzantine churches, Frankish castles and deserted industrial monuments of modern times. The extensive network of footpaths enables those who like hiking to discover all these historical monuments but also enjoy the natural beauty of the place.
The past years Kea has developed a lot and has become a popular destination for short or long holidays. Due to its proximity to Athens, many Athenians choose this island for their weekend excursions. Furthermore, Kea has quite calm and picturesque bays that attract sailboats and yachts. The most popular and cosmopolitan bays are Vourkari and Koundouros.
How to get there:
Kea is connected with the ports of Lavrio, Andros, Kythnos, Syros and Tinos. The distance from the port of Lavrio is about an hour and a half and the frequencies of the ferries vary depending on the season.
