To finish our family trip through the Cyclades, after Santorini and Milos, we spent four days on the island of Sifnos. Sifnos proved to be a lovely island for hiking, with traditional villages and plenty of opportunities to swim at child-friendly beaches. There were fewer visitors than on Santorini and Milos, although almost all the other tourists seemed to be French — perhaps it was fashionable! Here is our day-by-day itinerary, together with our advice about transport, walks and accommodation to help you enjoy Sifnos with children. We chose to explore the island entirely on foot and by bus, and I will share all the practical details.
Children’s ages: 10 and 12
Travel dates: late July. The weather was beautiful, at around 26°C. Fortunately, the meltemi wind often helped cool us down.
Four days discovering Sifnos with children
Day 1 in Sifnos: arrival and discovering Kastro
After our four days in Milos, we caught a SeaJets ferry to Sifnos at around midday. The crossing took two hours. Having just disembarked in Kamares, we took a bus to Apollonia, then another to the village of Kastro, where we had booked our accommodation.
Kastro ❤ is a beautiful village of narrow, paved and sometimes covered lanes. Its little houses are white with blue shutters, as they so often are in the Cyclades. Its position on a headland adds greatly to its charm. In short, we fell in love with this hilltop village! After leaving our bags, we walked down to swim in a cove below the village. It was excellent for snorkelling, especially as the sea was very calm. We ended the day with a superb dinner overlooking the sea at Kaptain George, a taverna run by a fishing family. Highly recommended!
Across Sifnos, as elsewhere in the Cyclades, you often come across old windmills:
Day 2 in Sifnos: Faros, Chrysopigi and Apollonia
After breakfast, we walked to Faros ❤ (1 hour 15 minutes — easy — 4.5 km). It is a pretty seaside village with a family-friendly beach. The children were delighted with this peaceful swim.
We had fresh orange juice on the beach, then continued walking for another 20 minutes to the Chrysopigi Monastery, where we ate lunch at the taverna of the same name.
We returned by bus, changing in Apollonia. This gave us a chance to explore the attractive village through which we passed for every bus connection. We then walked to the Yellow Bicycle patisserie in the neighbouring village of Artemonas. Both villages are typically Cycladic and were very peaceful when we visited.
We walked back to Kastro in 45 minutes and returned to the cove beneath the village for another swim. This time the sea was very rough, however, so only Ticoeur and Papa Voyage went into the water. For dinner, we chose Kaptain George again, and it was just as good! Afterwards, we stopped at the Wine Bar for a drink and a beautiful view over the surroundings of Kastro.
Day 3 in Sifnos: Platis Gialos beach and a hike to Vathi
Platis Gialos
In the morning, we climbed above Kastro for some lovely views. We then took the bus to Platis Gialos beach, which our host had recommended. He told us to go there if we wanted to imagine ourselves in Mykonos. Why? I have no idea! It is a large beach of pale sand, but it was busy. We decided not to stay and instead set off on a long hike. First, we bought plenty of bottles of water, especially as there was no wind that day and the heat felt stronger.
Hiking from Platis Gialos to Vathi ❤
2½ hours of walking — ascents and descents — no shade — beware of the heat!
We began our hike from Platis Gialos to Vathi. After an hour’s walk on the marked trail, we reached a heavenly cove: Fikiada Beach ❤. We swam there because, at 26°C with no wind or shade, it was almost too hot to walk. The place was peaceful and beautiful. We saw lots of large fish underwater, making it a wonderful snorkelling spot. After drinking plenty of water, we continued our hike. The route was very well signposted. One more ascent and descent brought us to Vathi after 1 hour 15 minutes from the cove. It is a sizeable village with a beautiful beach and a small white chapel. We sat down at one of the seafront tavernas and ordered some well-earned fruit juices after this magnificent but tiring hike. Do not attempt this route in excessive heat with young children.
Good to know: without completing the entire hike, you can walk down to Fikiada Beach from a car park two kilometres away. It is still strenuous, but less so!
Day 4 in Sifnos: Kamares and departure
We took our time over breakfast and wrote postcards in the morning, then caught a bus towards the port of Kamares, changing in Apollonia — yes, again! We had planned to arrive well before the ferry departure in case the buses were delayed, so we had time to swim in Kamares, where the sea was beautifully clear. It was perfect for the final swim of our holiday. We ate lunch at a small café on the beach, then caught our SeaJets ferry to Athens. The journey took three hours. We spent our final night in Athens before our flight. We had already visited Athens with children during a spring trip several years earlier, so this time it was only a brief stop — especially as Athens is extremely hot in summer, even hotter than the Cyclades!
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Practical advice for visiting Sifnos with children
How long should you stay on Sifnos?
We spent four days and three nights on Sifnos, leaving for Athens in the early afternoon of the fourth day. We found that three nights in Sifnos was perfect.
Accommodation on Sifnos
We were based in Kastro. The village is magnificent, so we recommend staying there. Our accommodation, however, was genuinely tiny! Most houses in Kastro are very small. See whether you can find a house in Kastro large enough for four people. Otherwise, we recommend looking at accommodation in Apollonia, as the village is larger and has better bus connections. One property I noticed was Dora’s Traditional Houses, a typical house with a large terrace and a distant sea view: one double bedroom and two single bedrooms.
Exploring Sifnos on foot and by bus
Walking around Sifnos was a pleasure because the island has numerous hiking trails that are clearly marked and well suited to exploration on foot. Be careful in summer, however, as it is hot and shade is scarce. Bring hats, sun cream and plenty of water. If hiking is your priority, I think you should visit Sifnos in spring or early autumn.
The buses were not ideal: the published timetables were unreliable during our visit, and we often had to wait for connections, more so than on Santorini or Milos. We managed perfectly well nonetheless and were not in a hurry. Staying in Apollonia would reduce the number of bus changes. Check the current timetable locally, as services are seasonal and can change.
In any case, we have absolutely no regrets about visiting Sifnos without a car. We would happily return to explore more of its hiking trails — they are the island’s greatest strength!
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So, are you tempted to visit Sifnos with your family?
Also worth reading
Family vacation in the Cyclades: Santorini, Milos, Sifnos12 days as a family on 3 of the Cycladic Islands
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Our 10 hikes in Crete with the childrenOur family hikes in western Crete
Family holiday in Crete: our road trip through the western part of the island10 days in Crete with the kids during the Easter holidays
Our 10 family hikes in AragonA week of hiking with the children in Aragon during our campervan road trip in northern Spain
12 family hikes in MadeiraAll the details for our numerous hikes with the kids in Madeira
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