Sifnos belongs to the Cyclades island in the Greek archipelago, which lies in the Aegean Sea to the east of the Greek mainland. It is about 140km from Piraeus, if you sail from there to Sifnos, as a large part of the island’s visitors do. North of Sifnos lies the island of Serifos, to the south Milos and Kimolos, and to the east Paros.
The island’s buildings are almost all in the characteristic Cycladic style with the whitewashed houses beautifully placed in the beautiful nature.
Sifnos is approx. 74 km2 in size, It is 17 km long and 7.5 km wide, and there are around 2,600 permanent residents on the island. The main town on Sifnos is Apollonia, where about 900 people live. Sifnos is a mountainous island, where the highest point is 682 m above sea level. The island’s buildings are almost all in the characteristic Cycladic style with the whitewashed houses beautifully placed in the beautiful nature. Sifnos is a beautiful and cozy island, which fortunately is not yet completely overrun with tourists. There are no large windsurfing resorts on the island and it has the advantage that there is no airport on the island. This naturally limits the number of tourists. The only place we think there were a lot of tourists was in the harbor town of Kamares, but it is now a nice town with a good holiday atmosphere anyway.
The city has a unique location high above the sea, which is naturally due to the fear of pirates in earlier times
The island is lovely to travel around and explore the many small cozy bathing bays. We felt very comfortable on this lovely island. Sifnos, like many Greek islands, does not have any archaeological remains from the past, but it is, on the other hand, known for its ceramics. You will find many ceramics and potter’s workshops around the island. There are quite a few towns and villages on Sifnos. The main city is Apollonia, which is close to Artemonas. Apollonia is located inside the island and is therefore not a bathing/port town. It is a really nice city to walk around in, with beautiful buildings, narrow streets and ordinary Greek daily life. In the evening it is a nice place to look out a nice place to eat. The city’s main street also has several places to eat. The close neighboring town of Artemonas is also a pleasant place to sniff around, in the labyrinthine small streets. The former capital of Sifnos, the ancient city of Kastro. Finally, one must also visit. The city has a unique location high above the sea, which is naturally due to the fear of pirates in earlier times. In the city there are fantastically beautiful old buildings and it is a great experience to walk around here. The city is said to be over 3000 years old. If you have gotten too hot on the city walk, there is a lovely beach just below the city. So a cooling swim is not far away.
The small bay contains two beaches, which are divided by a lovely fish tavern (our favorite place) and some residential houses
We stayed a few days in Platis Gialos on the south coast of the island. The village which is not really a real village, but a long beach with holiday cars and not much else. We lacked some local life here, so we quickly moved on to the very small fishing village of Faros. Faros is located in a small bay on the south-eastern part of Sifnos. There are only about 50 permanent residents in this cozy village. The small bay contains two beaches, which are divided by a lovely fish tavern (our favorite place) and some residential houses. The place also has a small harbour, as well as a small supermarket. A short walk from Faros you will find the long sandy beach Fasolou in a peaceful bay, where there are also trees that provide shade. There was never anyone but us when we were there.
If we should have had more days on Sifnos, it could well have been here
From Faros you can see out to the famous Chrisopigí church, which is located on a headland. You can walk there on a narrow path in the rocks along the bay. We were also around the cozy bay with the village of Vathí. Vathi’ is located on the southwest coast of Sifnos, at a distance of about 10 km from Apollonía. Vathí is quite a peaceful and beautiful place with a nice atmosphere which we liked. If we should have had more days on Sifnos, it could well have been here. The long beautiful beach has calm water, soft light sand and is shallow a good distance out. So very child-friendly. There is also a smaller harbor where sailboats can moor. There is a supermarket, several cozy and good places to eat and in the middle of it all a small church. Recommendation from here (-.
The small village of Cherronisos is located in a long, narrow bay on Sifnos’ north-west side. Here you will find a nice, very small beach, as well as a few fish taverns. We think this little place is a bit like Faros—small and cozy. It is quite easy to get around Sifnos by bus, but we now prefer a scooter or small motorbike, which is perfect for the short distances. Then you also don’t risk being stranded somewhere because the last bus has left. Some of the smaller cities have only a few departures each day. But bus timetable is available everywhere. We came to lovely Sifnos after island hopping from Milos and little Kimolos and traveled from Sifnos on to Paros. There is good ferry traffic to and from Sifnos, but many options. I am pretty sure we will visit this lovely island again.
Nice atmosphere, really good food everywhere, lovely beaches, cozy old towns, local Greek daily life, the warm Greek sun high in a cloudless sky, what more could you want.