Ferry from Piraeus, high speed
Seajets
Sifnos has no airport, so everyone arrives by sea at Kamares. Seajets lists Sifnos among its destinations and sells Piraeus to Sifnos on its own site. Discover Greece prints about 2 hours 30 minutes to about 5 hours from Piraeus to Kamares, depending on whether you take a high speed or a conventional ferry, and Matt Barrett's guide says about three hours by high speed. A third party timetable site (Greek Ferry Travel, updated 28 Sep 2026) shows Seajets and Fast Ferries as the two operators on the route this October, with timetables published only as far as 1 Nov 2026. Check times on the operators' own sites; fares are not stored here. seajets.com discovergreece.com greektravel.com greekferrytravel.com greeka.com
seajets.comseajets.com
Ferry from Piraeus, conventional
Fast Ferries
Fast Ferries' own Sifnos page names the Dionisios Solomos and lists crossings to Sifnos from Piraeus, Serifos, Kimolos, Milos, Sikinos, Folegandros, Ios and Santorini. Matt Barrett's guide puts the conventional crossing at about five hours, and Discover Greece notes that the ferries usually have vehicle decks and numbered seats. fastferries.com.gr greektravel.com discovergreece.com
fastferries.com.gr
Ferry links to other islands
Seajets; Fast Ferries
Discover Greece says that in summer there are direct ferries between Sifnos and Serifos, Milos, Kimolos and Paros; Matt Barrett describes year round links with Milos and Serifos and summer links with Santorini, Mykonos, Paros and Naxos. Fast Ferries lists Serifos, Kimolos, Milos, Sikinos, Folegandros, Ios and Santorini on its Sifnos page, and Greeka adds Kythnos. Which links run in winter was not checked on an operator timetable (see What we could not verify, below). discovergreece.com greektravel.com fastferries.com.gr greeka.com
fastferries.com.grseajets.com
Ferry from Lavrio, summer only
not named on the page read
Discover Greece lists a seasonal conventional ferry from Lavrio, in the summer months only, taking about 8 hours to Kamares. The operator was not confirmed on its own site (see What we could not verify, below). discovergreece.com
Arriving at Kamares and moving on by bus
Sifnos bus service (Municipality of Sifnos)
Greeka places the Kamares bus stop on the coastal road a few hundred metres from the port, with buses to Apollonia and Artemonas and on from the capital to Platis Gialos, Kastro, Faros and Vathi; the Municipal Information Office and the Port Authority are by the port. The Municipality's bus page links to the official timetable by QR code, and the 2026 fare list on sifnosbus.gr, built for the Municipality, prints 2.20 euros from Kamares to Artemonas and 3.50 euros from Kamares to Platis Gialos, Vathi, Kastro, Faros or Cheronissos. greeka.com dimos.sifnos.gr sifnosbus.gr
dimos.sifnos.grsifnosbus.gr
Apollonia
The capital since 1836, spread over three hillsides in the middle of the island, with the Steno, its central lane of shops, churches, bars and tavernas, and the Folklore Museum on the central square. Discover Greece notes plenty of choice for evenings out. athensvoice.gr discovergreece.com seajets.com
Kamares
The port village on the west coast, with a large, clean beach organised in places, the bus stop, the information office and ferry agencies close at hand; Athens Voice also points to a campsite at the port. athensvoice.gr greeka.com greeka.com
Platis Gialos
A busy resort 9 km south of Apollonia on the island's largest sandy beach, lined with restaurants, cafes and watersports; Greeka names it with Apollonia and Kamares as the main hotel areas. greeka.com greeka.com athensvoice.gr
Kastro
The walled medieval village on a cliff above the east coast, 3 km from Apollonia, explored on foot, with stepped lanes, the Archaeological Museum and sea views on almost every side. greeka.com cyclades.culture.gov.gr itravelling.gr
Places to stay here: boutique hotels, traditional guesthouses and seaside studios (Discover Greece), rooms and apartments, with Athens Voice pointing readers to the site of the island's rental rooms association, a campsite at Kamares (Athens Voice). General description only; no property, star rating or price checked. Many places to stay close outside the season (see Best time to go, below). See Where to stay and Rentals for prices and booking advice.
Opening hours and ticket prices change by season: each card links to the official page we read on 7 Oct 2026, so check it again before you go.
Sight
Kastro and the Archaeological Museum of Sifnos
Kastro sits on a hill above the east coast 3 km from Apollonia (Greeka) and stayed the island's capital until Apollonia took over in 1836 (Athens Voice). The Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades dates life on the site to at least the 9th century BC and makes it the capital from the Archaic period; its acropolis wall is the only marble one in the Cyclades, and ancient marbles, from funerary stelae to a lion statue, are built into the house walls. The Archaeological Museum fills the upper floor of the traditional Maridakis house in the medieval core: sculpture from the Archaic to the Roman period (6th to 1st century BC), pottery from Kastro from the Geometric to the Hellenistic period (8th to 2nd century BC) and coins, with highlights such as the head of a marble kouros of the mid 6th century BC. Hours on both Ministry pages: 08:30 to 15:30. In winter, 1 Nov to 31 Mar, it opens Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and closes Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and public holidays (Odysseus); summer closing days differ between the two Ministry pages (see What we could not verify, below). Tickets 5 euros full, 3 euros reduced. Free on 6 Mar, 18 Apr, 18 May, the last weekend of Sep, 28 Oct and the first Sunday of each month from Nov to Mar; closed 1 Jan, 25 Mar, 1 May, Easter Sunday, 25 and 26 Dec. Access is by stairs, with no ramp. A path round the village leads to the chapel of the Seven Martyrs on its rock above the sea.
Sources greeka.com athensvoice.gr cyclades.culture.gov.gr archaeologicalmuseums.gr odysseus.culture.gr odysseus.culture.gr discovergreece.com
Official pageGoogle Maps
Sight
Monastery of Panagia Chrysopigi
The island's emblem and patron saint: a 17th century monastery on a rock cut off from the shore by a narrow strip of sea, on the Chrysopigi promontory south of Apollonia (Visit Greece), about 8 km from the capital near Faros (Greeka). Legend says the rock split to save a nun from pirates. Greeka adds that a Cretan monk, Parthenios, named it after the Chrysopigi monastery in Chania, and that its icon, believed to work miracles, was found floating in the sea by fishermen; inside are a carved wooden iconostasis and relics. Its great yearly feast brings pilgrims, a procession of the icon, candles on the steps, food and songs (Visit Greece); the sources give the day differently (see What we could not verify, below). Apokofto bay lies beside it and the Monastery of Stavros stands at Fasolou bay (Visit Greece). Kathimerini says the path from Faros beach gets you there in about 20 minutes.
Sources visitgreece.gr greeka.com kathimerini.gr
Official pageGoogle Maps
Sight
Apollonia, Artemonas and the inland villages
The two main villages have grown into each other in the middle of the island. Apollonia, the capital since 1836, climbs three hillsides, with whitewashed lanes and the Steno, the central walkway of shops, churches, bars and tavernas; the Folklore Museum on the central square covers island customs and traditions (Seajets), and Discover Greece sends visitors there for the story of Sifnian pottery. Artemonas is calmer, with neoclassical homes and well kept lanes. Around them lie Agios Loukas, Exambela, Katavati and Pano and Kato Petali, which Discover Greece says architecture students come to study; Athens Voice singles out Exambela and its whitewashed windmills.
Sources athensvoice.gr discovergreece.com seajets.com
Official pageGoogle Maps
Sight
The ancient towers and the acropolis of Agios Andreas
The Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades has identified 76 ancient towers so far, more than one per square kilometre, most in remote, hard to reach places. All are round, 4 to 13.50 m across, built of local stone and at least two storeys high with a spiral stair inside, and they went up gradually from the 6th to the 3rd century BC. Some of the oldest stand near the mines and probably followed the raid of Samian exiles around 525 BC; with the acropolises and forts they formed the island's first signalling network, mainly to guard the silver and gold mines, passing news through the White Tower (Aspros Pyrgos) to the acropolis on Agios Andreas hill. Discover Greece describes that hilltop as the ruins of a fortified Mycenaean acropolis beside the church of Agios Andreas, with a wide view. Every year on Pentecost Sunday volunteers relight the network with smoke from as many towers as they can (e sifnos).
Sources cyclades.culture.gov.gr discovergreece.com e-sifnos.com kathimerini.gr
Official pageGoogle Maps
Sight
Pottery workshops
Pottery is the island's most significant and continuous craft, says UNESCO, which made Sifnos a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art in 2025: 20 workshops work today, most of them small and family run, making cooking pots, storage jars, tiles and chimney caps as well as decorative pieces, and Sifnos pottery joined Greece's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2022. Discover Greece says you can visit workshops where artisans still use the wheel. The local guide e sifnos notes that the workshops moved from the inland villages down to sheltered bays such as Faros, Platis Gialos, Kamares, Cheronissos and Vathi, where long buildings with curved roofs that once held the kilns still stand. Kathimerini recalls that the island's potters were called tsikalades, after the local word for cooking pots.
Sources unesco.org discovergreece.com e-sifnos.eu kathimerini.gr
Official pageGoogle Maps
Sight
Sifnos Trails
The waymarked network has its own site, which credits the Greek National Tourism Organisation and the Municipality of Sifnos among its sponsors and supporters. It lists numbered routes with length, walking time and a difficulty grade, from route 1, The Eternal Capitals (8.6 km, about 3 hours), to route 10, The Cursed Trail (5.7 km), with filters for loops, coastal walks, swims and children. Athens Voice (16 Jul 2026) says the Municipality has upgraded the paths into more than 200 km of waymarked trails linking villages, chapels and monasteries; totals differ between sources (see What we could not verify, below). The site's advice: spring and autumn are best, July and August too hot, and 12:00 to 16:00 is best avoided; incidents with wildlife are rare, but vipers live here and are protected, so give any snake a wide berth; never walk alone, and carry a first aid kit, a torch and a charged phone. Hiking maps are sold around the island.
Sources sifnostrails.com athensvoice.gr
Official pageGoogle Maps
Sight
Nikolaos Tselementes Cycladic Gastronomy Festival, Artemonas
Every September Artemonas hosts the Cycladic Gastronomy Festival named after Nikolaos Tselementes, the chef born on the island whose name became shorthand for the Greek cookbook (Discover Greece). For three days, delegations from the Cyclades and guest regions set up booths on the central square and offer tastings of their dishes, with music and dancing at night; entry and food are free (e sifnos; Sifnos Home). The 2026 edition, the 18th, ran 17 to 19 Sep 2026, organised by the Cultural Association of Sifnos, the Municipality of Sifnos and the Region of South Aegean according to Discover Cyclades; dates for 2027 were not on the pages read.
Sources discovergreece.com sifnos.e-sifnos.com sifnoshome.com allovergreece.com discovercyclades.gr
Google Maps
Sight
Churches and panigyria
Greeka counts more than 300 churches on the island. Summer brings the panigyria, church feasts where, after the service, wine and Sifnian food such as revithada and cod are offered and everyone is welcome (Athens Voice); Discover Greece notes that the island even has a word, panigirades, for the locals who organise them. Look out for the Seven Martyrs chapel on its rock below Kastro, the 16th century Taxiarchis on the quay at Vathi and St Simeon above Kamares (Discover Greece), Panagia tou Vounou on its hill above Platis Gialos (fly2greece), with a view Discover Greece says stretches to Kimolos, and the Monastery of Stavros at Fasolou (Visit Greece). Kathimerini mentions the panigyri of Agios Sostis at the ancient mines.
Sources greeka.com athensvoice.gr discovergreece.com fly2greece.net visitgreece.gr kathimerini.gr
Google Maps
Platis Gialos
The largest beach on the island (Athens Voice) and its busiest resort: a long sandy shore 9 km south of Apollonia lined with restaurants, cafes and watersports (Greeka). Seajets calls it the most organised, with sunbeds, umbrellas and beach bars. Buses run from Artemonas through Apollonia. athensvoice.gr greeka.com seajets.com sifnosbus.gr
Vathi
A quiet, sandy bay that almost forms a full circle, with calm, deep blue water, the 16th century Taxiarchis church at the water's edge and small tavernas by the sea (Discover Greece; Athens Voice); 10 km south west of Apollonia (Greeka). discovergreece.com athensvoice.gr greeka.com
Faros, Fasolou and Glyfo
Faros has a sheltered beach with calm water and a view of Chrysopigi; Fasolou, its second beach, was once the nudist beach and has tamarisk shade if you come early; a paved lane leads on to quieter Glyfo, with sand and tamarisks, and from there an easy path runs to Apokofto and the monastery (Athens Voice). Greeka puts Fasolou 7 km south east of Apollonia, sheltered from the wind and unorganised. athensvoice.gr greeka.com
Kamares
The port beach is large and clean and organised in places (Athens Voice), one of the three best known on the island with Platis Gialos and Vathi (Greeka). athensvoice.gr greeka.com
Chrysopigi: Apokofto and Saoures
Apokofto is the sandy beach beside the Chrysopigi peninsula, 8 km south east of Apollonia (Greeka); around the monastery you can dive from the rocky ledges (Discover Greece), and Saoures is a small pebbly cove on the far side of the monastery, reached by a path nearby (Greeka; Athens Voice). greeka.com discovergreece.com athensvoice.gr greeka.com
Cheronissos
The fishing village in the far north has a sandy beach sheltered from the wind, with calm water, shade under the trees and fish tavernas by the sea, and is easy to reach by bus (Seajets); Athens Voice likes its little harbour. The 2026 bus fare from Artemonas is 2.50 euros (sifnosbus.gr). seajets.com athensvoice.gr sifnosbus.gr
Vroulidia
On the north west coast: fine pebbles at the edge and sand underfoot in the water, a few umbrellas and sunbeds and two tavernas right on the shore (Athens Voice); Fast Ferries' island page praises its clear emerald water and smooth pebbles. athensvoice.gr fastferries.com.gr
Seralia and Poulati, below Kastro
Plenty of steps lead down from Kastro to Seralia, its little old harbour, for a swim and a seafood meze (Athens Voice; Discover Greece). Poulati, a small rocky cove 3.5 km north east of Apollonia, suits the sporty type (Greeka; Athens Voice). athensvoice.gr discovergreece.com greeka.com
Our venue cards for Sifnos, with Google Maps, Tripadvisor and Review this place buttons, are on the Cyclades food page. Most come from summer 2026 guides, and many places close from late October to April:
Athens Voice (16 Jul 2026) ranks the island's food scene among the best in the Aegean, from traditional tavernas to restaurants Athens would envy.
Apollonia's Steno gathers most of the island's shops, cafes and restaurants (Athens Voice).
After a swim at Seralia, Discover Greece suggests a seafood meze by the old harbour below Kastro.
At the summer panigyria, wine and Sifnian dishes are offered to everyone after the service (Athens Voice).
Spring and autumn are the best walking seasons, says the Sifnos Trails site; July and August are too hot for long walks, and winter brings showers, strong cold winds and muddy paths, though you can hike all year round. sifnostrails.com
The season runs roughly May to October. Outside it most tavernas and shops close and ferries thin out, and from November to April many restaurants and most places to stay are shut, according to the hosts of Villa Olivia Clara (updated Aug 2026). In May, fly2greece found Platis Gialos still closed (its tavernas and rooms open from June) and the tavernas and mini market at Cheronissos shut. No official statement on winter closures was found. villaoliviaclara.com fly2greece.net
From November things thin out: third party timetable sites show ferry timetables published only as far as 1 Nov 2026, and the Archaeological Museum moves to its winter days, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, from 1 Nov to 31 Mar. greekferrytravel.com odysseus.culture.gr
Spring dates: the relighting of the ancient towers on Pentecost Sunday (e sifnos) and the Chrysopigi feast, which Greeka ties to the Ascension, 40 days after Easter (see What we could not verify, below). e-sifnos.com greeka.com