The simple architecture of JSY

If you haven’t yet been to Syros and you’re planning to arrive by air, our guide to everything you need to know about Syros Airport is a great place to start before your trip. Once you land, be ready for a small surprise! And when we say “small”, we mean it. The design of Syros Island National Airport is very much “small Cycladic airport” rather than dramatic international-terminal architecture. But that simplicity is honestly part of its charm.

The terminal is a single small passenger building with direct apron access, meaning passengers often walk across the tarmac to the aircraft, a style common in smaller Aegean airports. You might feel it looks like a bus station, however, its simple elegance will ease you into the architectural style of the island itself: small-scale, calm, slightly old-school, and very human compared to oversized tourist airports.

Architecturally, the airport is:

• compact
• low-rise
• functional
• designed to blend into the Cycladic landscape rather than dominate it

So while the airport itself is understated, it sits at the top of an island known for unusually elegant urban architecture with Hermoupoli’s neoclassical identity leaving its mark in everything. Make sure to visit the Maistrali Car Rental desk at the airport in order to travel around the island and witness firsthand its neoclassical urban planning and the Italian and German architectural influence from the 19th century!