SIFNOS

Sifnos is an island of West Cyclades, at Aegean sea in Greece.Using the links that are beside this text, you will be guided to the main villages of Sifnos island.

There are well preserved roads to all these destinations, and Sifnos car rental "Sifano" will give you all additional information you may require, as soon as you get to Sifnos Island. Information on the villages distances and the petrol stations can be found here.

SIFNOS MOST POPULAR DESTINATIONS:

Kamares
The name 'Kamares' emanated from the big number of caves that existed in the rocky southern coast of bight. Kamares is the bigger coastal village and the harbour of Sifnos since the end of passed century. The central settlement unfolds in the right side of the inlet that shapes the bight of Kamares. Here it is located the dock of harbour, agencies of boats, shops, groceries, restaurants, laboratories of pastry making, pottery, rented rooms, offices of car and motor cycles renting, agency of newspapers, kiosk, private space of camp (camping) and in the western fringes of the settlement the Villas of affluent people.

Opposite, in the foot of mountain of 'Saint Simeon', it is developed the district of 'Saint Marina' or 'Pera Panta', where taverns and rented rooms exists. The two inlet of the harbour separates the sea and links the golden sandy beach.

From the older buildings of Kamares it is the temple of 'Saint George' and 'Saint Barbara' (construction 1785, renovation 1906) in the central settlement , Lantern (1896), relic from forge and the scale of mineral loading (1883) and the old dock (1909). Also it worth to visit the Church of 'Saint Marina' at 'Pera Panta', where the sunset can be seen.


Artemonas
Artemonas is situated one kilometre north of Apollonia. It is a real jewellery of Sifnos, with mansions of neoclassical architecture, with gardens and courtyards full of flowers. In the top of the hill a number of old windmills are saved but only two remains in good condition. From here the view of Sifnos is panoramic. The spectator can attend the adjacent islands, 'Kastro' village, the central settlements, even 'Kamares' village.

It is speculated that in the location where today 'Panagia Kochi' is located, according to the legend the ancient years existed center of adoration of 'Ekvatirias Artemis', who protected during the disembarkation from the boat, but also gave good result in each affair. The name of the place is problematic, because in the ancient years the holy and the dedicated places to the adoration 'Artemis' was called 'Artemisia'.

Artemonas is the village where 'Nikolaos Chrisogelos', the significant teacher and national fighter, was born as well as the poet and philologist 'Ioannis Gryparis'. From 1914 until 1998 was the capital city of homonym community of Artemona.

Visitor worth to see except of the classic mansions the house where 'Ioannis Gryparis' was born and the Churches of 'Panagia Kochi' which has a very interesting architecture, the church of 'Panagia of Ammou', where exists the Virgin Mary the Monk, an infrequent depiction of Virgin Mary without Divine Infant, the church 'Panagia of Bali' and the church of 'Agios Spiridon'.

Apollonia
Apollonia (also called 'Stavri') is the capital city of Sifnos since 1836 and the seat of Municipality of Sifnos. The name of the place is ancient and means a city dedicated in the god 'Apollona'. For the origin of popular name 'Stavri' that is faced since 1677 various versions exist: a) from a man name 'Stavros', b) from the holy name 'Stavri' (Saint Stavros, old church of the settlement), c) from the topical geographic location that possesses the settlement, as it constitutes obligatorily crossroad to any direction of the island, d) from the form of cross that the houses of the settlement appeared to shape.

Apollonia, which is the administrative centre of island possesses also the geographic centre of Sifnos. It is build amphitheatrically on three small hills. Here can also be found the public services as Police, Greek Telecom Organisation (O.T.E.), Town hall, Greek Post (ELTA), the Banks branch of Alpha Bank, Bank of Piraeus, National Bank of Greece, as well as the three fuel stations.

Making a small walk in the small roads of Apollonia the visitor can find souvenirs, taste local food, visit the folklore museum, the Heros Square, the old schools of Saint 'Artemisiou', Catholic of Saint Artemisou, the church of 'Panagia of Barou' and in the taller top of the homonym mountain dominates the monastery of Prophet Ilias (1114) in which the art of painting holy pictures was cultivated. The view of Sifnos from the monastery is panoramic. Particularly fascinating is the way in which the central settlements are developed on the small hills, that give the impression of 'field bloomed with lily'.

Vathi The local name Vathi (it is mean harbour or ground) comes from the adjective deep and it means that the harbour is found in deeper, in lower point, concerning το the around region or that the sea has big depth near the land in order the boats to approach easy and safe.

The opening up of the new road, as well as the manufacture of the new dock render today this graphic and calm coastal settlement reachable to the visitor from the land as well as from the sea. The old footpath as well as the main road to Vathi, that is old settlement of potters in the SW beach of island, starts from 'Katavati'. On the road to Vathi the traveller can see the monastery of 'Fyrogia' and after a short while the church of Saint Andrea, built in 1701 in the homonym prehistoric citadel. The archaeological discoveries here testify the continuous living from the 'Mycenaean' until the Hellenistic years. In the means of roughly way is found the monastery of 'Taxiarchis of Mersini' (1738).

On the right side of the big petal-shape beach with the calm sea it is built (17th century) the Church of 'Taxiarchis' and 'Evaggelistrias'.

Kastro
The name of the place means fortress. In its current state the settlement constitutes sample of castle of Enetic period. Is built on ancient citadel, the 'Asty' that reports the 'Herodotus'. It is lived since the ancient years and it is an open museum. The first line from the possessed two-stored or three-stored houses constitutes the exterior medieval wall. Here lived the popular class, while in the internal line that is found in the taller part of castle resided the aristocratic class, in order to be safer from the piratical raids and pillages. The visitor enters and today in Kastro from the old entries - galleries called 'Lotzies', which previously was secured and protected from martial towers. Due to the closeness of space in the buildings is observed the horizontal property. Moreover streets and squares in Kastro are above the roofs of single-floored houses that are used today as deposits, while the old chimneys of residences on a level with the ground for the export of tobacco from the fireplace were manufactured in the vertical wall that delimited the street.

Kastro was capital of Sifnos during the ancient, the medieval and newer period until 1836, as well as seat of Archdiocese of Sifnos (1646-1797) and Bishopric of Sifnos and Milos (1797-1852). The metropolitan residence was in the top of citadel, current 'Despotika'. At this place was previously located the metropolitan temple of Catholics too, today 'Frankantonis' (1460). In the entry of the village, where today the cemetery of Kastro and the temples of Saint Stefanos and Saint Ioannis (1629) is found, functioned the eminent Faculty of 'Agiou Tafou' (1687-1835), known as 'Paideftirion of Archipelago'.

The visitor deserves to make a walk in the roundabout footpath, to admire the graphic small church of 'Eftamartiros', and to visit the Archaeological Museum too. In the southern rice of hill of Kastro is found the 'Seralia', the ancient harbour of Sifnos, the name of which means palace, perhaps from the noble buildings that existed in the years of Ottoman domination in the valley of seashore.

Faros
The name of the place is obviously owed to the installation of a lighthouse, a big coastal lamp, in the entry of harbour for the navigation. The lighthouse is found today in the SE entry of the harbour and adjacent to the monastery of 'Stavros', from which the view is magnificent.

Faros located in the SE part of Sifnos and it is considered the safest harbour of island. Faros was the official harbour of the island until 1883. It is a quiet fish village with graphic possessed sandy beaches called 'Fasolou', 'Faros' and 'Glyfo'. From here begins the path that leads to Chrysopigi. In the western inlet of the gulf ruins from the facilities of mineral are saved where the boats where loaded to transport the minerals to 'Lavrio'. In the bight and in the western end of sandy beach of Faros exists the foundations ancient 'friktorias'.

In the entry of the harbour it is extended the peninsula of Chrysopigi, a rocky island broken away from the land, on which the monastery of 'Panagia Chrisopigi' (1650) is found, the boss of Sifnos.

Platis Gialos
The name of the place comes from the local speaking phrase 'Wide Seashore' and it means a seashore that has relatively big width, a spacious beach.

It is one of the busiest beaches of the island and it is considered one of the bigger beaches of Cyclades. North in the top of the hill dominates the monastery of 'Panagia Vounou' (1813) from where the view is magnificent. SE is found the 'Aspros Pirgos', the most famous from the 57 ancient towers of Sifnos. Southerly in the promontory of Platis Gialos a prehistoric cemetery was discovered. SE in the entry of bight is found the privately-owned and uninhabited islet of 'Kitriani', on which the unique building is the Church of 'Panagia Kipriani' (1732).

Cheronissos
The name of the place comes from ancient Greek and it means the department of land that is washed by sea and is only connected with the mainland by the one side. It is found in northern utmost of the island. Is a traditional fish village, with small sandy beach and previously was live settlement of potters.