Of the three lesser-known islands in the Greek Islands that I visited in Greece, Sifnos drew the most blank stares. Some of my friends had heard of Paros or Milos, but no one had heard of Sifnos – and nor had I, before I started researching this trip. Sifnos is a tiny island in Greece, in the Cyclades, floating between larger and more popular islands Paros and Milos.

Why we chose Sifnos

Sifnos is small but mountainous. The island’s villages and pretty bays feel secluded, separated from the rest of the world by towering cliffs. It only has a population of 2500, and is farther off the tourist trail despite it’s proximity to the more popular islands.

Sifnos is known for three things: hiking, churches and cuisine. Wherever you are on Sifnos, you’ll be able to see at least one church – probably several. Sifnos has 365 churches dotted all over the landscape, even in the most unlikely of places. It’s kind of like how you can almost always see five American flags, no matter where you find yourself in the USA. It’s staggering cliffs attract hikers from all over the world, but particularly from Europe. I was not lured to Sifnos by religion or rock climbing, but instead by it’s food. Sifnos is the birthplace of Greece’s most famous chef, Nikos Tselementes. Today, the island honours its rich culinary traditions while quietly pushing the envelope. Farmland blankets the countryside that isn’t rocky and vertical, and the landscape is dotted by almond and olive trees. With more limited access to the outside world than it’s neighbors, local produce isn’t just a fad on Sifnos – it’s a neccessity.

Planning a trip to Greece? Check out my Sifnos Travel Guide for more tips.

Sifnos has a dreamlike quality, and feels a little bit like the island that time forgot. Things move slowly, at least they do outside the beach resorts Vathy and Platis Gialis. Life feels soulful and deliberate here. When we stopped in Artemonas, one of the three major (I use the term loosely) inland towns in the middle of the day, I only saw three other souls: a grey-haired lady who ran the kiosk, her friend who she sat chatting to in the sunshine, and a little boy wandering out of a taverna, which was quiet in the mid afternoon.

Sifnos is more popular with French and Italian tourists than Brits, Americans and Aussies. Even at busy restaurants and beaches, not being able to understand the conversations around me gave the blissful illusion of seclusion.  When we were swimming at the near-deserted beach Cheronissos, we met an Italian man in his early seventies. He was on holiday with his wife and adult daughter, and had been making a family trip to Sifnos for twenty years. I can see how the island would draw you back again and again, over a lifetime.

An evening arrival

Sifnos was our second island of the trip, after spending three days in Paros. Our ferry from Paros was a few hours late, so we didn’t arrive in Sifnos til the evening. When we landed at the port, Kamares, we found only a few taxis – there are just 8 on the island, and they were all pre-booked. Luckily, there was a bus that we could catch to Apollonia, the village where we were staying. From Apollonia it was a 15 minute walk along the side of the road to our accommodation, just outside of town.

At the B&B, the owner’s mother met us, and we made conversation about Melbourne, where she had extended family. Our room was beautiful, with a private terrace that looked over the countryside. We sat outside briefly, but when David rested his glass of water on the marble table, it cracked in half and fell apart! Luckily neither of the large slabs of marble landed on his feet, but we did feel bad about the table. We let our host know, and it was replaced by the time we arrived home the next day.

Breakfast in Apollonia

Waking up in Sifnos was a dream. Surrounded by countryside, in the morning all I could hear was the occasional bleating goat. The walk into Apollonia from our accommodation is scenic enough, but I did get a bit sick of walking to and from town each day in the blazing sun. It would have been quick and easy if we’d had a car, but we didn’t have an International Drivers Permit so we couldn’t hire a car on Sifnos.

We stopped for breakfast at Canova, which has a balcony with beautiful views over the countryside. I had mushroom, eggs and beans, which was delicious. The bus stop was right outside the restaurant, so we kept an eye out for the first bus to Faros, a tiny beach town in southeast Sifnos.

Swimming in Faros

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw the beach at Faros. The beach was quiet, and we had a choice the free umbrellas lined up along the sand. It was the tiniest beach town we’d visited, and we both imagined how nice it would be to stay for a few days in this tiny, idyllic bubble. We spent a few hours here, swimming, reading and collecting pretty, colourful rocks that speckled the sand. (We left them all behind of course). Within arm’s reach, I could mindlessly (or mindfully?) collect dozens of dazzling stones within just a few minutes.

The walk to Chrissopiggi

Sifnos’ bus service runs a lean timetable, and the island only has twelve taxis, so it’s lucky that most of the villages are connected by hiking trails. We followed the path at the end of the beach and over the headland to another beach, Glyfos. The views over both beaches from the path were so beautiful, and it took less than ten minutes to walk between them. We didn’t stop at the second beach, which was busier, but carried on to the the next trail, which led to Chrissopiggi.

Chrissopiggi

One of the most famous churches in Sifnos is Chrissopiggi, which sits on a little peninsula that juts out from the mainland between Faros and Sifnos. We didn’t go down into the church, which was crowded (and it was a scorching day by this point, so we were keen to get to our next swim!).

When we reached Chrissopiggi, we stopped for another swim and spent some time in the shade of the trees lining the beach.

Platis Gialis

Our next stop was Platis Gialis, a beach resort on the southern coast of Sifnos. This walk was longer and less pleasant, although it only took about half an hour. The trail isn’t clearly signed, and often fades away into nothing, so we weren’t always sure if we were on the right path. This is half the fun, when you make it to your destination in one piece. Because Sifnos is so hilly, we couldn’t always get a clear view of where we were going, so we had to hope for the best. Luckily, I’d been trying to learn the Greek alphabet since we arrived in Greece, and was able to read the sign at a crucial fork in the road . At one point, we ended up in a building site and had to double back, and in the process angered a herd of goats over on the next hillside. They started running at us, but they reached a fence before they reached us. They’re speedy on the rocky hills, so I’m thankful for the fence.

It was a relief to reach the water. We cooled off, and found a free pair of chairs at the beach club. We snacked on bread and taramsalata, and spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and reading in the sunshine. Platis Gialis isn’t a town so much as a strip of restaurants, a beach club, a few workshops and some hotels. It’s a pretty spot, although it was definitely the most crowded place that we’d visited so far in Sifnos.

Before we caught the last bus back, we stopped in at Omega3 for a couple of snacks. Omega3 is a trendy restaurant on the waterfront, that is known as one of the nicest places to eat on the island. You can’t read about the place without learning that Tom Hanks is a fan (even here, sorry). We only had a couple of small snack plates, a local dish which I wish I remembered the name of, and a zucchini salad. I usually hate zucchini, but this converted me. Make a reservation if you want to go for lunch or dinner, it’s popular and we were lucky to get a spot as a walk in.

Later that evening, we decided to get a souvlaki for dinner in Apollonia – our first and last of the trip. I think I just had some calamari, as I don’t eat meat, but Dave had a souvlaki and I tried a bit of it. We both felt so sick afterwards – it was so heavy and a bit greasy, which was a harsh contrast to the  lovely, fresh and light meals during the rest of the trip!

Cheronissos

On our third day in Sifnos, we caught the bus to Cheronissos, a remote bay on the northern tip of the island. Cheronissos is stunning, and spending the morning here was one of the highlights of our entire trip for both of us. I’d come back to Sifnos, just to rent a house here for a few days. There are only two tavernas and nothing else in Cheronissos, making it the most idyllic and remote beach we visited.

When we first arrived, I had the water all to myself for about half an hour. Before we left, we had a quick bite at the taverna right on the water. I’m disappointed to say that the food wasn’t particularly nice here, and the service was unfriendly – maybe because we were foreign. It was an anomaly in a trip that was otherwise full of great food and warm people, so it didn’t bother us too much. Luckily, there is a second restaurant on the beach, so if we ever go back to stay we’ll still have somewhere to eat! The setting though, was perfect.

Vathy 

Vathy is Sifnos’ other main beach resort. It has a pleasant beach but lacks the charm of the remote towns like Faros and Cheronissos. We caught the bus there, and had to wade through the ocean for a little bit to reach the main stretch of the beach. There were a couple of beach clubs, but they were completely full! I was desperate for some shade, so we found squeezed in underneath a small tree. We spent a few hours here, before getting dinner at one of the waterfront tavernas. Another meal in Greece, another meal at a prime waterfront table. In most parts of the world, you’re lucky to get a coveted waterfront table and would pay the price to match. In Greece, waterfront tables are easy to snag and more often than not, the food is still cheap and plentiful.

Saying farewell to Sifnos

It was time to leave Sifnos far too soon. On our last morning, we caught a taxi to Kamares and had a pastry breakfast at a waterfront table. Kamares isn’t my first choice of towns to stay at in Sifnos, but it has the cleanest water and most beautiful setting of any of the port towns I visited.

Sifnos is a beautiful island, and I’m so glad I had the chance to explore it a little bit while we were in Greece. It’s so special to see somewhere for the first time with your own eyes, rather than on Instagram. To visit somewhere this beautiful but not find it drowning in Influencers was so refreshing. It made me so glad we chose Sifnos over Santorini.

Next up: 5 days in Milos!

Have you been to Sifnos? Would you like to? Let me know what you think in the comments!