Greek National Tourism Organisation Dionysiou Areopagitou Street 18-20 GR-11521 Athens

Tel. +30 210 331 0392 Fax +30 210 331 0640

The Cyclades Archipelago, it's 250 islands, islets and reefs, but 25 islands only are inhabited.

The desert islands, where relatively large, add a little mystery to travels through the archipelago... What are their names? Why are they deserted? Were they once inhabited?...

Three of these islands are particularly interesting:

Delos (Δήλος)

The sacred island of ancient Greece, near Mykonos. A genuine outdoor museum, it is the most famous desert island of Greece, the one you definitely have to visit!

Despotiko (Δεσποτικό)

Southwest of Antiparos, inhabited from the third millennium BC, but uninhabited since 1675, when French pirates massacred the inhabitants. Some nice beaches to discover.

Keros (Κέρος)

Located in the Little Cyclades, it was the heart of the Cycladic civilization, some 5,000 years ago. Here were unearthed the famous flat-face statuettes that inspired Picasso. Beautiful beaches reachable by boat from Koufonissia.

During summer, as you may guess, these uninhabited islands are not so deserted as they should...