Sifnos is a typical island of Cyclades with little green, fantastic beaches and a beautiful Chora (Apollonia). It is also the birthplace of the famous Greek chef Nikos Tselementes and that is no wonder, as Sifnos has been called the island of gastronomy.

Sifnos is one of the smaller islands and there no more than a dozen beaches. This means that if you stay long enough, you will run out of places to see and beaches to go to. On the other hand, distances are short so you will not think twice about going somewhere.

Sifnos attracts refined tourism, so you will not see people going around with back-packs or young people drinking beers and being loud. It is a destination for rather classy people who are low-profile and want to have a relaxing vacation. However this does not mean that there is no nightlife and bars, but only at Apollonia.

It is quiet impressive that there is a total of 365 churches on such a small island. You will often get to see little white churches on top of mountains as you go around Sifnos.

There are a couple of gas stations and an ATM machine on Sifnos.

It is real mystery why Sifnos is not known for its beaches. There are not many, but most of the beaches are fantastic with an amazing sand that is like it has been mixed with golden fairy dust.

• Vathy (Southwest Sifnos): Vathy, along with Platis Gialos, are the most popular beaches of Sifnos. Much like Platis Gialos, Vathy is a long beautiful sandy beach.
• Platys Gialos (Southeast Sifnos): One of the most popular beaches of Sifnos, large and with golden sand.
• Fasolou (Southeast Sifnos): Fasolou is very different from the others, as it is not pure sand and it is much smaller. As a result it is one of the less popular beaches.
• Chrysopigi (Southeast Sifnos): A lovely rather small beach with sand next to Chrysopigi Monastery, with large tamarisk trees and a tavern.
• Kamares (Northwest Sifnos): A long beach with shallow waters and fantastic sand.
• Heronissos (North Sifnos): Heronissos is a little sandy beach at the north part of Sifnos.

There is a fast ship (3 hours) and a conventional ship (about 5-6 hours) reaching Sifnos from the port of Piraeus. There is no airport on Sifnos.

There are buses for the public, but they are not very frequent so you had better find your own transport.

Nightlife in Sifnos only exists in Apollonia, as all the other villages are dead-quiet at night, so this is where you will be going every night. The good thing is that distances on Sifnos are small, so going to Apollonia, from wherever you are staying, is not a problem if you have some transportation. If you are not staying in Apollonia, Kamares (harbor) is a great choice, as it is only a five minute drive to Apollonia. In fact I would have to recommend staying at Kamares, as this way you are close to the fun but not too close, if you catch my drift.

Sifnos has one of the best cooking schools in Greece. Wherever you eat you will not be disappointed, but I personally recommend Leonidas tavern at the Castle. Sifnos is mostly famous for its Revithada, which is a soup of chick-peas cooked all night long in a traditional ceramic pot. You also have to try the chick-pea nuggets which are fried in a pan and taste delicious as well. Mastelo is another signature dish of Sifnos with lamb cooked for many hours in a traditional ceramic pot until it melts in your mouth. For a salad different than anything you have ever tasted, try the caper salad, which I also highly recommend.

You can buy a lot of things, like honey, olive oil, etc, but Sifnos is mostly known for its pottery. There are dozens of such shops to choose from with lovely pots for cookery, vases, cups, etc.

Apollonia

The capital of Sifnos a beautiful and graphic settlement. Its famous Steno alley is the most popular part of the island.

Artemonas

A beautiful scenic village very close to Apollonia with picturesque alleys.

Chrysopigi Monastery

One of nature's most impressive art works , as the rock Chrysopigi Monastery is standing on looks like it has been sliced in two.

Castro

The Castro (castle) is quite big and make for a great romantic walk. It has little shops, bars and restaurants.

Archaeological Museum of Sifnos

It has a collection of impressive archaeological findings dating from the 3rd millennium BC until the Byzantine era.

Eptamartyron Church

A cute little church under the Castro, after a lot of stairs.