Famous among the Orthodox faithful who come to its Chora (the capital) from all over the world to make the pilgrimage to the important church of Panaghia Evanghelistria, Tinos remains one of the last secrets to be discovered by those in search of the most authentic Greece. Less than half an hour’s ferry ride from Mykonos, on this island of the Cyclades where everyone says hello, you can happily go back to being a traveller and not just a tourist. Deserted beaches, small villages scattered in the mountains where you feel at home, art and heritage between sacred and profane. Here is the muse of the Aegean.
The coastline of the island is very steep, but this gives rise to the formation of numerous small bays with sandy or pebble beaches, but still enchanting. Among the special features of Tinos are the cotes, structures for housing pigeons. Tinos, the capital of the island and its major port, is the busiest town. A wide road leads from the harbour to the magnificent Church of the Virgin Mary. Next to the church is the Tinian Gallery and the Archaeological Museum of Tinos, which houses finds from the temples of Poseidon and Amphitrite. The mountain villages are also very beautiful, about forty in all, some of them tiny, with traditional architecture of stone houses, cobbled streets and charming little squares. The island boasts numerous beautiful beaches, in particular Agios Fokas, Kionia, Porto, Panormos bay, Kolimbithra, Agios Sostis and Pahia Amos.
