Sifnos is a beautiful island of West Cyclades with numerous natural beauties, many churches and monasteries, traditional settlements, endless sandy beaches with crystal waters and hospitable residents. Sifnos has a lot of things to offer and it is a very popular travel destination. The island is famous for its fine pottery and the good food. The tourist infrastructure is excellent.
APOLLONIA , the picturesque capital of Sifnos, in the interior of the island, which derives its name from the god Apollo, has the appearance of a single white mass spreading over a low hill. The cubic houses are adorned by colored doors and windows, sills, eaves, water-spouts, clay chimneys, staircases leading up to the flat roofs, and tiny courtyards full of flowers.
There is a folklore collection in the square, with representative examples of folk art. In Apollonia there are many gift shops with products of traditional pottery and jewelry shops.
The heart of the island beats in the capital where you will find restaurants, taverns where you will taste local recipes, café bars and night clubs.
Beyond lie Kato Petali and the picturesque village of ARTEMONAS, spreading over a hill with a superb view. This village was named after the goddess Artemis. It has interesting architecture with traditional Cycladic houses and several neoclassical mansions.
Artemonas is characterized as one of the quietest and ideal places of the island for vacation. In the village there are hotels, many apartments and rooms to let, traditional taverns, and gift shops. In this village you can find the best traditional pastry workshops and bakeries with traditional sweets.
AGIOS LOUKAS is a small graphic village in the region of Artemonas with many churches. Its name is due to the homonym church. In the village you will find an hotel and rooms to let.
The graphic village Pano Petali is on the road from Apollonia to Artemonas. It is worth visiting the church of Saint John.
A short distance to the south-east of Chora is the inland village of EXAMBELA, while to the west is Katavati.
In the entrance of Exambela you will see “Arades”, series of about ten wind mills. This village is the birthplace of the Greek poet Aristomenis Provelengios, of the great master of cookery and pastry making Nikos Tselementes, and of the painter Nikolaos Maroulis.
In Exambela you will see the churches of Geros, Agios Nikolaos, Agios Athanasios, Agios Dimitrios and Panagia. In the village there are rooms to let, shops, traditional taverns and snack bars.
In Katavati it is worth visiting the church of Agios Georgios and the three-aisle church with the cone-shaped dome of Panagia Angeloktisti.
The oldest monastery on Sifnos, Profitis Elias Psilos is in this area.
In Katavati you will find rooms to let, traditional taverns and coffee shops.
The road to the north-west leads to KAMARES (6 kilometers), the sheltered harbor of Sifnos. Here there are numerous shops, travel agencies, car and motorcycle renting offices, pottery workshops, hotels, rooms to let, traditional taverns, restaurants, patisseries, coffee shops and bars. The village has a beautiful and well organized sandy beach with clear waters.
Opposite at the foot of the mountain of Agios Symeon is situated the homonym monastery, and almost next to the monastery of the Prophet Elias of Troulaki, there is the quarter of Agia Marina (or Pera Panta) where you will find hotels, rooms to let, taverns, and café bars.
KASTRO, almost in the middle of the east coast, is the old capital of the island (until 1836). It is a fortified settlement and still preserves its medieval fortress structure, with the rows of houses forming defense walls following the configuration of the terrain.
In the middle of the settlement is the Frankish Cathedral of Agios Antonios (or Frangantonis), and most of the mansions, which have 17th and 18th c. coats-of- arms built into them.
On the hill at Kastro are preserved traces of the ancient acropolis, 8th and 7th c. BC house foundations and remains of 6th c. BC fortification.
A short distance away (about 20 minutes by foot), is the little church of the Panagia Poulati.
In Kastro there is an Archaeological Museum which houses marvelous collections of Archaic and Hellenistic sculptures.
Here, you will find some apartments and rooms to let, traditional taverns, shops and café bars.
At the south side of Kastro you will find the small beach of Seralia.
The road to the south leads to the superb beach of PLATYS GIALOS which is considered one of the longest beaches of Cyclades and is the most cosmopolitan beach on Sifnos. Here you can find hotel units, rooms to let, municipal organized spaces to camp, traditional taverns, coffee shops, bars and pottery workshops.
In the north part of the beach, on the top of the hill is built the monastery of Panagia Vounou dated from 1813. The view from up there is magic.
Not far away is the monastery of the Panagia Chryssopigi, the patron saint of the island, set at the edge of a peninsula with a magic view. The monastery was built about 1650 on the foundations of an ancient temple. From Chryssopigi peninsula you can admire sceneries of unique beauty. This region is considered one of the most beautiful in the whole island.
The little harbor of FAROS north-east of the monastery is a beautiful village with three continuous sandy beaches: Fassolou, Faros and Glifo.
On the beach of Faros stands the country church of Ai-Giorgis and about ten steps over the foundations of the ancient tower is the picturesque church of Agios Nikolas. At the past Faros was a vivid settlement of potters.
At the central beach of the village and in Fassolou beach there are hotels, apartments and rooms to let, traditional taverns and coffee shops.
The settlement of VATHY nestles in the bay of the same name on the south-west coast and is reached by boat from Kamares. Vathy has a beautiful sandy beach with deep blue waters. Here there are hotel units, apartments and rooms to let, traditional taverns, confectioneries with local traditional sweets, coffee shops as well as pottery workshops.
Inside Vathy bay you can find the beautiful sandy beach of Tsopos.
The remote HERRONISOS is in the north part of the island. At the past it was a very vivid settlement of potters. Today it is a beautiful village of fishermen. Here, you can find apartments, rooms to let and fish taverns.
On the hill over Herronisos is the monastery of Saint George where is held a traditional feast in Easter, with sweets and traditional dances.
TRADITION – EVENTS
At Artemonas, the old Sifnian custom of Kyr-Vorias is revived on the last Sunday in Lent and the “Burning of Judas” takes place on Easter Sunday.
The most important festivities are those of Panagia Vounou in the 24 of March, of Profitis Elias in 19th July, of Agios Panteleimonas in Herronisos in the 26th July, of Agios Ioannis in 28th August, of Taxiarchis in 5th September, of the Panagia in 7th September, of Agios Nikitas in 15th September, of Agios Galatis in the 5 of November, and of Panagias Vounou in the Ascention where participate the entire island. Traditional food that is served at this feast is chick pie soup that is accompanied with meat and wine. The food is followed with dance singing and local traditional music.
LOCAL PRODUCTS – CUISINE
Sifnos is famous for its fine pottery, which is still made by local artists at Kamares, Platys Gialos and the capital.
Don’t miss buying ceramic items and decorations.
The inhabitants of Sifnos keep the traditions at the traditional cuisine. Sifnos people are gourmands and good cooks. It is not by chance that the well known cook chef Nikos Tselementes came from Exambela of Sifnos. Famous dishes and pastries are chick pie balls (revithokeftedes), chick pie soup, chick pie in the oven, caper salad, fresh fish and seafood, the sweets nougats with honey and honey pie. Don’t miss to taste the famous local cheeses manouri and mizithra.
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