Things to Do in Sifnos

Sifnos is a quietly sophisticated island in the western Cyclades, loved above all for three things: its food, its pottery and its walking. It is the culinary capital of the Cyclades, the birthplace of the chef who wrote modern Greece’s most famous cookbook, and its tavernas serve some of the best traditional food in the country. It has a 3,000-year pottery tradition still practised today, over 100 kilometres of ancient stone paths to walk, and a string of beautiful whitewashed villages and golden beaches. It is calm, authentic and elegant, an island for slow travel. Here is what to do when you visit.

The best things to do in Sifnos at a glance

• Wander the medieval Kastro, the fortified former capital on a headland
• Visit the Chrysopigi Monastery, the iconic chapel on a rocky islet
• Explore Apollonia and Artemonas, the elegant central villages
• Taste the island’s famous food, from revithada to mastelo
• Try the pottery, at a traditional workshop with a wheel-throwing class
• Hike the ancient paths, including the climb to the Profitis Ilias monastery
• Relax on the golden beaches of Platis Gialos and Vathi
• Walk the seaside path from Faros to Chrysopigi

The main things to do in Sifnos

Wander the medieval Kastro

Kastro is the most atmospheric place on Sifnos and one of the most beautiful medieval villages in the whole Cyclades. The fortified former capital clings to a rocky headland above the sea on the east coast, a labyrinth of narrow alleys and layered white houses, with Venetian-era loggias, ancient marble fragments built into the walls, and the tiny Byzantine chapels tucked between the rooftops. Walking through it feels like stepping inside a painting, and it has the best clifftop sunset vantage points on the island.

Below the village, on a rock jutting into the sea and reached by a causeway, stands the whitewashed Church of the Seven Martyrs, the Eptamartyres, one of the most photographed spots on Sifnos, especially beautiful at sunset with the waves breaking around it. Kastro also has a small but well-kept Archaeological Museum displaying finds from the island’s ancient tombs and sanctuaries. Below Kastro is the little ancient port of Seralia, a lovely spot for a swim followed by a seafood meze. The photography here is superb.

Visit the Chrysopigi Monastery

The Monastery of Panagia Chrysopigi is the iconic image of Sifnos, the most photographed site on the island, and one of the most dramatically set monasteries in Greece. It stands alone on a small rocky islet on the south east coast, connected to the main island only by a narrow spit of land with a small bridge across the gap. Established in the 1600s, it houses the island’s miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, and its wild, wave-lapped seaside setting, with little caves and clear swimming spots nearby, makes it uniquely beautiful.

The monastery is reached from the beach area near Faros, and one of the loveliest things to do on Sifnos is the seaside walk from Faros to Chrysopigi, a well-marked coastal path best done in the late afternoon to catch the light over the sea. On the feast of the Ascension, the icon is carried in a great procession, one of the island’s most important festivals.

Explore Apollonia and Artemonas

Apollonia, the capital, is the lively heart of the island, a maze of marble-paved streets, cafes, small galleries, tavernas and shops where locals still gather. The main pedestrian street, known as the Steno, is the centre of island life, wonderful for people-watching, hunting for ceramics, and getting a real feel for daily life. It is also the hub of the island’s surprisingly good nightlife, with bars staying open late in summer.

Just north, joined to Apollonia across the hillside, is Artemonas, the island’s wealthiest and most elegant village, distinguished by grand neoclassical captains’ mansions, ornate bell towers and manicured gardens. It has a refined, unhurried atmosphere, with traditional pastry shops serving the island’s famous almond sweets in leafy squares, and it is the starting point for the hike up to the Profitis Ilias monastery. For more, see our guide to the villages of Sifnos.

Taste the island’s famous food

Sifnos is the culinary capital of the Cyclades, and eating well is one of the main reasons people come. This is the birthplace of Nikos Tselementes, the legendary chef whose cookbook shaped modern Greek cooking, and the island takes its food seriously. The signature dish is revithada, a slow-baked chickpea stew cooked overnight in a traditional clay pot in the village oven, served on Sundays, and the other great speciality is mastelo, lamb or goat baked with red wine and dill on vine branches, traditionally eaten at Easter.

Look out too for the chickpea meatballs called revithokeftedes, the local caper dishes, the island’s manoura cheese aged in wine, and the almond sweets of Artemonas. In September the island hosts the Cycladic Gastronomy Festival in honour of Tselementes. Seek out the island’s cheese making experiences and wineries, and consider a cooking class to learn the island’s dishes at the source.

Try the pottery

Sifnos has a pottery tradition stretching back around 3,000 years, thanks to its rich clay and abundant schist rock, and it is still widely practised across the island today. The port at Kamares and the villages are lined with family-run workshops where you can watch potters at the wheel shaping the characteristic red clay into the traditional cooking pots, chimney ornaments and tableware for which the island is known. Many workshops welcome visitors, and some run short classes where you can try your hand at the wheel and take home a handmade piece. It is a lovely, hands-on way to connect with the island’s living craft heritage.

Hike the ancient paths

Sifnos is one of the best walking islands in Greece, with a network of over 100 kilometres of marked ancient stone paths, the old kalderimia and mule tracks that linked the villages, chapels and bays before the roads were built. The trails wind through terraced hills, olive groves and wildflower-strewn ridges, past countless little chapels, and they range from easy seaside strolls to more demanding climbs.

The classic climb is the flagstone path from Artemonas up to the Monastery of Profitis Ilias, which sits at the island’s highest point. It takes around two hours, best done at dawn or in the cooler hours, and the panoramic views from the top stretch across the whole Cycladic chain, with the wild herb-scented air making every step a pleasure. Other lovely routes link Apollonia to Kastro through olive groves, and descend through a lush valley to the turquoise bay at Vathi for a post-hike swim. There is also the Mycenaean acropolis of Agios Andreas, an ancient hilltop site with fine views, reachable on foot. Take water and a hat, and check the Sifnos weather page before setting out. See the caves of Sifnos too.

Relax on the golden beaches

Sifnos has a good spread of golden sandy beaches, most of them on the sheltered south coast. Platis Gialos is the longest and most organised, a Blue Flag beach with tavernas and facilities, while the sheltered bay of Vathi has calm, shallow water perfect for families and a lovely village feel. The port beach at Kamares is sandy and convenient, and around Faros are the quiet coves of Faros and Glyfos, Fassolou and Apokofto below the Chrysopigi monastery.

Further afield are the fishing village beach at Cheronissos at the northern tip, the hidden Vroulidia, and the beautiful Fikiada, reached only on foot along a trail. The full Sifnos beaches guide covers all of them.

Watch a sunset and experience a festival

Sifnos has beautiful sunsets, and the best spots are the two windmills above Kastro, with panoramic views, and the clifftop lanes of the medieval village itself. If you visit around a saint’s day, seek out a panigiri, one of the island’s famous church festivals, where the whole community gathers for food, homemade wine and music that goes on late into the night. Sifnos even has a special name, panigirades, for the locals who organise these feasts, a sign of how central they are to island life. They are the most authentic and joyful experience the island offers.

Best things to do in Sifnos for…

Foodies

Sifnos is a food lover’s dream, the culinary capital of the Cyclades. Eat revithada on a Sunday, seek out mastelo, take a cooking class, try the pottery that the food is cooked in, and if you can, time your visit for the Cycladic Gastronomy Festival in September. The tavernas of Apollonia and the pastry shops of Artemonas are the heart of it.

Couples

Sifnos is a romantic island for couples who value beauty, food and atmosphere over nightlife. Watch the sunset from Kastro, walk the seaside path to the Chrysopigi monastery in the evening light, hike to a hidden bay for a swim, and enjoy long dinners in the elegant squares of Artemonas.

Walkers

With over 100 kilometres of marked ancient paths, Sifnos is one of the best hiking islands in Greece. The climb to Profitis Ilias, the walk from Apollonia to Kastro, and the coastal paths around Faros are the highlights, and the network is so good that many people happily walk between villages and taxi back after dinner.

Families

Sifnos suits families well, with the calm shallow water at Vathi and Platis Gialos, the fun of a pottery workshop, and the safe, friendly villages. Check the Sifnos weather page before travelling.

Planning your visit

Sifnos is a compact island and its highlights are spread between the central villages, the coast and the hills, so how you get around matters. A good bus network centres on Apollonia, connecting the capital to the port at Kamares, the beaches at Platis Gialos and the medieval Kastro. Because the island is such a good walking destination, many visitors travel between villages on the ancient paths on foot. A hire car or scooter helps for the quieter beaches. See our guides to getting around Sifnos, the bus timetable and taxi and car hire for full details.

To decide where to base yourself for the things you most want to do, read our guide on where to stay in Sifnos. To plan your arrival, see how to get to Sifnos and the main ferry page. To see how everything on the island fits together, use the Sifnos map, and for the wider region, the Greek islands map shows how Sifnos connects to the rest of the Cyclades.