3 Best Sights in The Cyclades, Greece

In the 19th century the most famous sight in the Aegean was the cave of Antiparos, and it still draws many visitors every year. Greece's oldest known cave sits on the southeastern part of Antiparos. It's filled with shapely stalactites and stalagmites of which the oldest is said to be 45 million years old. The natural wonder was first discovered by a French ambassador in the 16th century and myths, legends, and stories have been associated with it along the way. You'll need to take exactly 411 steps down into the cave's 100-meter-deep core to explore. Look for Lord Byron's autograph. Outside is the church of Agios Ioánnis Spiliótis, built in 1774. Audio tours are available.

Sandy, long, and unorganized, Kaminia sits to the north of Paroikía Bay. Beachgoers seeking more solitude can head here, even though it’s right next to the popular Krios Beach. See if you can find the cave of Archilochos, which is a small opening on the rock along the coast. The famous Ancient Greek poet was said to visit the cave for inspiration and wrote poetry there. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; swimming.

Filoti is the starting place for several walks in the countryside, including the climb up to Zas Cave where obsidian tools and pottery fragments have been found. Mt. Zas, or Zeus, is one of the god's many reputed birthplaces; on the path to the summit lies a block of unworked marble that reads Oros Dios Milosiou, or "Boundary of the Temple of Zeus Melosios." (Melosios, it is thought, is a word that has to do with sheep.) The islanders say that under the Turks the cave was used as a chapel, and two stalagmites are called the Priest and the Priest's Wife, who are said to have been petrified by God to save them from arrest.