Your Unique Story: Experience Kythnos Like the Locals (and with the locals!)

Coming up: pottery, cooking classes, historical hiking, cheese-stuffed local pies, some of the best beaches you’ve ever seen, and experiencing Kythnos like a local.

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You’re traveling to Kythnos.

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You’re looking for a Kythnos travel guide.

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… well, good news: what you’ve found here is so much more.

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We’re Upiria: and we’re gonna to introduce you to Kythnos. But, first, we’re gonna introduce you to 1,501 people.

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Meet Julia Vagiani—and 1,500 others

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Over 80 years ago, Antigone Rizos was born on the little Greek island of Kythnos.

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Years later, she gave birth to a girl named Julia. Julia was raised in Athens, and later lived and traveled around the world…

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… before eventually coming back to Kythnos, the land of her ancestors. 

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This girl, who is now in her 50s, is Julia Vagiani:

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And she’ll show you Kythnos in a way no-one else can.

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When Julia Vagiani was a kid, she spent her summers on the island of Kythnos. And now, she spends half of each year there. 

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…and because she spends half of each year there, she knows the island well:

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She understands its culture, its unique and isolated way of life, and each of its 1,500 inhabitants. This is the type of place where: 

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• Everyone knows everyone
• Long-forgotten traditions still exist
• People say hello to one another on the streets 
• Local folks still grow their own fruits and vegetables
• People invite others into their homes for food, drinks, and family parties 
• Locals still share and exchange—eggs from their chickens, wine and drinks they’ve made at home, and herbs to flavor their dishes with 

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When Greek mainlanders visit Kythnos, even they are surprised by the slow, traditional lifestyle on the island.

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And when you explore Kythnos with Julia, you’ll become part of this big homely wholesome extended family (and, unlike most guests, you won’t be held back by language barriers!). 

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So: Julia is WAY more than just a Kythnos travel guide. 

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And now, she’s working with the Greek locals of Upiria to bring more guests to the island.

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What can I do when I experience Kythnos with Julia?

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Julia offers many things to do in Kythnos. Highlights include: 

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• Cooking classes: you’ll cook up Greek comfort-food classics, including tzatziki, cheese pie, seafood specialities, and regional treats you haven’t heard of (while slurping on wine, beer, or ouzo). Some cooking classes include boatside fishing, while others include traditional homes and old-school cooking technique.

• Cheese-tasting experiences: get your mouth around local artisanal cheeses, from regional small-scale makers. Top tip: some of Julia’s guests like to combine cheese-tastings with cooking classes—the cheeses you try can be used to fill the cheese pies.

• Pottery classes: you take raw clay, and a local potter guides you through the entire process (no matter how much—or how little!—experience you have). When you’re done on the island, you take your cooked-clay creation home with you.

• Hiking: ancestral routes, prehistoric sites, historical areas, ancient ruins, and a visit to the island’s excellent archaeological museum (where you’ll learn about the places you’ve wandered through). One of the best things to do in Kythnos for active adventures—and you’ll see hikes and hills most tourists never do

• Watersports: snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, canoeing, boating, fishing (experience Kythnos the way the locals do!), and plenty more.

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• Wellness sessions: including yoga, pilates, tai chi, massages, and a load of gentle exercise.

• DJ classes: one of the most unique things to do in Kythnos. You work with a real-life DJ (Julia’s partner!) to mix music on professional-grade equipment. You’ll work with your favorite music genres, and create your own personal mix.
• Personal parties and celebrations: head to Julia’s bar, when you’ll celebrate like a lifelong local. Expect seasonal fun, traditions you didn’t know existed, and a completely-bespoke experience. Celebrate your birthday, your bachelor party, your school reunion; whatever you want.

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Question: But what’s even better than these activities?

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Answer: The people you do them with.

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Because: ALL the people you meet during your Kythnos experiences, they’re local people.

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(well, apart from the other guests—obviously)

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Julia finds her expert helpers ONLY on the island: they won’t be shipped from other parts of the world, or other parts of Greece. 

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So: if you meet a yoga teacher, a fisherman, a farmer, a cheesemaker… 

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(... or anyone else…)

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… they’ll always be a local person. 

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And they all understand their craft, the island, its people, and its traditions. This is real local life, with real local people. 

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No-one else offers Kythnos experiences like these.

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What’s the atmosphere when I experience Kythnos with Julia?

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All experiences are fun and casual.

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Expect:

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• Laughter
• Stress-free fun
• … and lots of family vibes.   

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The big focus is on real local life:

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Many of the experiences Julia will bring you, you can’t Google. You can’t find online. You won’t see in a guidebook. Everything is built around real local people, real local life, and real local traditions…

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… and every adventure is crafted by Julia’s travel company Your Unique Story in Kythnos.

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Which languages does Julia speak? And where do I book these Kythnos experiences? 

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You can enjoy all experiences in English, Greek, French and Italian.

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And you can book them on this page, right now—by clicking one of those little buttons to your right.

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As we say in Greece: páme!

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