Kythnos, or Thermia as some locals prefer, is a quaint island known for its casual, fun-loving atmosphere and welcoming residents who show a particular zest for life. The landscape is enchanting, and slightly remote, with woods and valleys, caves, mines, and small churches that pop up across the land like flowers in May. The harbour, Merihas, boasts one of the prettiest sunsets of the Cyclades. Hora, the capital, is built amphitheatrically on a slope and features picturesque cobbled lanes, arched paths, stone-built homes with shutters in an array of colours, and several windmills.
At Loutra, the natural spa was once popular with Greece’s first queen, Amalia. The spa’s waters have been famed since antiquity for their help with the healing of gynaecological ailments, arthritic joints, and bones.
The island’s patron Panayia Kanala is a small peninsula of reverence. Kithnos has more than 65 golden-sand pristine beaches.
Gastronomy
Local food specialities include a selection of pies, paximadi with soft kopanisti cheese, tomatoes, and oregano, marinated sun-dried fish, and sfougato, fried morsels of flour, dill, eggs, olive oil, parsley, soft white cheese. Good take-home gifts are small jars of thyme honey, amygdalota, and ceramics.
