Once known for its gold and silver mines, today Sifnos is a well known Greek summer resort. The tourists are fascinated by the whitewashed houses, the culture and religion, while enjoying a magnificent day on the beach or visiting some of the museums on the island

Location

Sifnos is part of the Cyclades and lies between Antiparos, Serifos and Kimolos and is located west of Delos and Paros. It’s located about 80 nautical miles (130 km) from Pireus.

How to get to Sifnos

By ferries, Sifnos is connected to to Pireus (Athens), Santorini, Kythnos, Mykonos, Serifos, Kimolos and Milos. During the summer time there is a daily ferry service to Milos and Pireus (about 5 hours). You can get to Sifnos from Crete as well (via Milos) and from any city in the world via Athens (and Pireus).

More information on:
>> Ferries from Paros to Sifnos
>> Ferries in Greece

It’s not that convenient to travel by air as the closest airports to the island are on Paros and Milos.

Once arrived on the island, you can use the bus service or you can get a taxi.

Weather

Like all the Cyclades Islands, Sifnos has a typical Mediterranean climate, with sunny summers and mild winters, infrequent (but heavy) rainfalls and strong winds. The best time to visit the island is in September or in spring time.

>>more information on Weather in Greece

What to do in Sifnos

As a summer resort, Sifnos is known for the natural beauty, its whitewashed houses and churches – the church of the Timios Stavros, the church of the Taxiarchisits-, monasteries and the well-hidden beaches (Kamares, Fykiada, Vlihos and Platis Yialos).

While in Sifnos you can attend one of the religious celebrations or you can choose to take the hiking trails and admire the natural beauties of the island. One of the best hiking trails on the island has a rest stop in Saint Charalampos, where the panoramic view of the Aegean Sea is absolutely magnificent.

The highest mountain on the island is Profet Elias and it has a monastery perched at top (with the same name). Then, of course, there are the beautiful beaches.

There are three museums on the island, all worth spending some time visiting:

• Folklore and Pop Art Museum is located in Apollonia and houses exhibits representing the traditional life on the island, including swords, old traditional costumes and pottery tools.




• The Archeological Museum in located in Kastro and houses collections of Archaic and Hellenistic sculptures dating from the 6th century BC to 2nd century BC.




• The Ecclesiastic Museum is located in Exambella and houses old publications, icons and sacred ware.

Sifnos is also known as “Poets island”, being the birth place of poets such as Ioannis Gryparis, Aristomenis Provelengios, Cleanthis Triantaphillou (also known as Rambaya) Stelios and Theodosios Sperantzas, Nikos G. Stafilopatis Titos Patrikios, as well as the playwright Manolis Korres, the journalist and literary author Georgios X. Manjouranis, the folklorist Manos Philippakis and the academics and authors Antonios G Troullos, Nikos Kalmaris and many others.

Nighlife

Sifnos might not have the magnificent nightlife of Mykonos but here you can find very nice taverns, restaurants, bars and beach clubs to relax and dance the night away. The nightlife is concentrated in the harbor of Kamares and one of the great places to enjoy a night out is the popular Old Captain’s Bar. If you are looking for a modern bar, don’t miss Folie-Folie, located on the beach of Kamares.