Updated on 10/01/2024. Tinos has incredible villages, beautiful beaches and beautiful hiking trails!
So, in this post, we will present you with all the best things to do in Tinos!
#Swim at the beautiful beaches
Tinos has beautiful beaches, but it can be quite tricky to choose a beach as there are, most of the time, intense winds!
But even then, some beaches are more protected, and you can enjoy your swim!
We have written a detailed post about the best beaches.
My top 4 beaches in Tinos
- Agios Romanos
- Kolympithra
- Agios Petros
- Apigania
#Visit the amazing villages
Tinos has the most quaint and picturesque mountain villages in the Cyclades. The list of the best villages in Tinos is endless, as Tinos has beautiful villages; some are pretty developed, but others look like they belong in a different era!
Pyrgos village
It is not a coincidence that this goes first on the list! It is simply fabulous!
Pyrgos (or Panormos) is the birthplace of great sculptors and painters (Giannoulis Halepas, Dimitris Filippotis, Nikiforos Lytras, etc.) and the current marble sculpture centre of the Cyclades!
It has a magnificent square where you can enjoy your coffee, lunch, dinner or even drink! Just stroll around the beautiful alleys, where you will also find modern and well-designed boutiques and local stores.
There are three great museums in Pyrgos – the Museum of Marble Crafts, the Tinian Artists Museum and the Giannoulis Halepas Museum. (for the last two museums, you can get a joint ticket ~3 euros.)
The story behind the sculptor Giannoulis Halepas is quite heartbreaking, as he was fighting his inner demons. After one mental breakdown at the age of 36, he was hospitalized temporarily in psychiatric clinics&his mother has forbidden him to sculpture as she thought that his inclination to art was the cause of his breakdown!
So, after the mental collapse, he lived under his mother protection in Pyrgos village being very poor and grazing sheep and bearing the heavy stigma of the crazy person of the village. This was his life till he was 66 years old when his mother died and he started gradually picking up his art again! Until his death, he moved to Athens, started creating beautiful art and sculptures again, presenting his work in exhibitions and due to this 2nd period of his life he is considered probably the best sculptor in Greece ever (at least in modern Greece!)!
Pyrgos is located 25 km north of Chora and is the largest village of Tinos!
Volax or Volakas
Volax is located in the heart of Tinos, and it has unique geological characteristics.
There you will find numerous granite rocks randomly “thrown” into the area, which is claimed to have been inhabited for 2000 years. The whole landscape reminds the moon, and it is pretty remarkable and unique.
Volakas is a meeting point for climbers from all over the world for bouldering.
The village itself is charming, and you should wander around.
Note that the village is quite famous for its baskets, as there is an old tradition of basket weaving!
It is located in the centre of Tinos, roughly 11km from Chora.
Ysternia
The village of Ysternia (or Isternia) is one of the most beautiful villages in Tinos, and it is built amphitheatrically on the slope of Meroviglia, which automatically gives an edge compared to other villages as it offers magnificent panoramic views of the Aegean Sea and Syros island!
Have a drink at Mayou bar or eat at Exomeria restaurant as both of them have incredible views!
Marble sculpture plays a leading role here, as it is the second most important marble centre of Tinos after the historic Pyrgos.
It is located about 5km from the village of Panormos and 20km from Chora.
Tip: Visit in the afternoon hours as the sun goes down and the village is “painted” with beautiful colours!
Kardiani
Kardiani is a lovely village built right on a slope. You can leave your car at the designated parking spot and walk around the stairs and uneven little streets.
The village has the traditional white-and-blue houses that you would expect to see on a Cycladic island and is really very picturesque.
The village of Kardiani is a picturesque village and possibly the greenest in Tinos, as it is full of plane trees and olive trees and plants!
It is built on the mountain “Pateles” and offers breathtaking sea views and stunning sunsets!
Agapi
I liked it even before visiting as the name Agapi means Love in Greek! What a great name for a village!
This is a beautiful village, full of trees and I think it is less “stylish” than the others. When I say stylish, I mean not everything is well-painted or extremely well-cared. There you will find a more authentic version of the village, as you will notice many abandoned houses and a feeling of a more wild beauty!
Not sure if you fully understand what I mean, but feel free to visit the village and give me your opinion as well!!
You can drink your coffee at the lovely “Oti na nai” cafe or eat something at the “Matzourana” tavern.
Dio Choria and Triantaros
These are two beautiful villages that are very close to Tinos Chora (~12′).
Both are beautiful, and you can walk around.
In Dio Choria, there is a lovely large square under Plane trees, and in Triantaros, don’t miss to eat or drink something at Triantaraki restaurant (location here)!
Other Villages
There are many beautiful villages in Tinos, and we were amazed by that fact!
We followed a hiking trail, and we passed through some villages, and the experience was just unique. For example, we were entering a random village, and suddenly we were passing through a traditional square, with a plane tree at the centre and a super quaint cafe or tavern!
So, if you have any time, rent a car or choose a trail and visit villages like Komi, Kampos, Falatados, Tarampados, Smardakito, Tripotamos, Myrsini.
#Hike
If you are into hiking or walking, then I strongly recommend you select a route and just hike.
Through a hiking trail network that exceeds 150 kilometres, you will discover an authentic, unexplored island of the Cyclades, hospitable and impressive all year round!
You will find the maps in different places in Tinos, like the port, but also online here.
The nice thing about all these routes is that you can combine them and create your own version!
For example, we wanted to hike a circle route passing some of the villages, so we would feel the energy of the place. And as we didn’t find what we were looking for, we created our route!
We combined two trails and we did the route Komi – Smardakito – Tarampados – Kampos – Loutra – Komi and we totally enjoyed it!
#Taste the amazing food in Tinos
Tinos has some amazing taverns and restaurants and the quality of food is quite high!
And even though there are some fine dining places, most of the restaurants are based on Greek traditional refined cuisine based on great local products!
Most of these places are situated in villages and amazing quaint squares, so you might need a car to enjoy the whole culinary experience in Tinos!
To be frank with you, usually, when we visit a place we rarely dedicate a whole post about where to eat and drink, as they tend to change quite often every year.
But for Tinos, we will make an exception and we will highlight some of our favourite cafes and restaurants!
Check our post here and feel free to add a comment with your favourite restaurant or bar in Tinos!
#Taste local beer Nissos or even visit the local brewery
The Cyclades Microbrewery on Tinos was started from zero in 2012, during Greece’s financial crisis by Alexandros and Maya. They decided to set up a craft brewery on their island home, Tinos. And since then they have won numerous awards for the quality of the beer and their business model.
If you are a fan of beer or you are looking to do something different in Tinos, then you can visit the microbrewery (find more information about the opening times here.)
#Surf at Kolympithra Beach
In Kolympithra beach you will find one of the first surf schools that opened in Greece!
Giannis Vidalis, originally from Tinos, after learning surfing in Australia and obtaining the diploma of surf instructor and lifeguard in England, set up in 2010 the Tinos Surf Lessons!
Even if you don’t know surf, there at the Tinos Surf School, you will also find lessons for beginners!
P.S. When we visited the beach it was one of the rare days that there was no wind!
So, if you visit this beach, be prepared for strong winds!!
#Visit the Panagia Evangelistria (Megalochari)
Panagia Tinos, one of the most important sights of religious interest in Greece, but also around the world.
Every summer, it is an attraction for thousands of tourists, religious or not, who visit it just to admire the Holy Temple of Megalohari and of course its famous icon.
The church of Panagia Evangelistria is dedicated to the icon of Megalohari which was discovered there on January 30, 1823, after a vision of the nun Pelagia. It was built exactly at the spot where it was located by the excavators. Its discovery coincided with the founding of the Greek state and was considered a good omen by the entire free country.