Relaxed walks in Sifnos

Artemonas - Pano Petali - Apollonia

A pleasant route that connects Artemonas with Apollonia.

Here, the beautiful images alternate so quickly that you will catch yourself stopping frequently to admire them. You can start from the square of Artemonas and then turn left on the downhill alley which passes by Chrysogelos square with the big pine trees. Shortly after you will see the church of two natures, namely “Panagia ta Gournia” beside a river with running water - even in summer. The name of the church comes from the natural water basins that have been formed in the river. Years back, the river was the place where housewives used to wash their clothes.

Pass over the bridge that marks the end of Artemonas and continue to the settlement of Pano Petali. Here, an uphill road begins but don’t let this dread you, as it doesn't last long. At the end of this uphill road, on your right hand, you will find "Felos" café, the oldest café of the island.

If you want, you can exit the main trail towards Apollonia and wander around the narrow streets. The area still maintains elements of its rural character. You will see small farms with trees and minor crops.

Just before exiting the square of Apollonia, you will see the church of “Panagia Geraniofora”. From the courtyard of the church, the view towards Kato Petali and the sea is magnificent. Back in times, the women of the village used to meet in the courtyard of Panagia to gossip and exchange news.

If you got tired, just at the end of the path you can stop for a quick refreshment at Lakis café. It will surely recharge you.

A stroll through the narrow streets of Apollonia is a perfect continuance. Taking the central strait of the settlement as your basis, wander around the many vertical small narrow streets and admire the layout of the settlement. Well-cared alleyways, courtyards with geraniums and roses, whitewashed churches and somewhere squashed between these, some shops, restaurants, patisseries etc.

A stroll at the narrow streets of Artemonas

This is a one of the most pleasant, relaxing and full of rich images and scents trail you could choose. The ideal time to wander in Artemonas is early in the evening when it’s not too hot.

Old mansions with big well-cared yards, houses with flowery gardens, churches with blue or white domes, windmills, cobbled streets with whitewashed walls and joints, shopping stores with ornate items are some of the images you will see. If you want to make a stop, Artemonas has traditional cafés, patisseries, ouzo-tsipouro restaurants, bars and restaurants.

Feel free and discover its narrow streets, turn where you feel like and do not be afraid... you will not get lost!

Glipho beach - Chrissopigi

A very easy, short trail, with slight variations in altitude and one of the most walked trails of the island. The entire route is paved (floodlit at night) and on the seafront.

En route, you will pass the old mine facilities and the loading ladder of the metal ores on ships. The view from here towards the settlement of Faros is absolutely amazing. Continuing, you reach the church of Agios Charalambos. In front of you now, emerges the impressive rock of Panagia Chrysopigi, protector of the island, with its tearing which is attributed to Her miracle.

Ideally, once you reach Apokofto, the beach of Chrysopigi, you can take a refreshing swim and sit for lunch at one of the taverns.

Exabela

A worthy walk is at the narrow streets of Exambela, although it’s not one of the walks that most visitors of the island make. The village is situated just after Apollonia and is almost entirely flat without major uphill and downhill streets.

Right at its edge you can locate one of the most famous ancient towers of Sifnos, the Black Tower, which is a very impressive building, considering the size of the building materials that compose it.

Walking through the alleys of Exambela, you will find the house of the great chef Nikolaos Tselementes, who originated from Sifnos. Finally, the church where the tomb of the poet Aristomenis Provelegios is situated, is really beautiful offering spectacular views.

Kastro

Of course, Kastro’s settlement can not be omitted from this section.

A stroll through the narrow streets of the old capital of Sifnos will take you back to another era while its distinctive architecture will surely enchant you.

Kastro is a settlement where the concept of vertical property does not exist. Some of the main features of Kastro are, houses built on both sides of the paved streets which are connected with little bridges, narrow winding alleys, which in essence are public roads leading to the upper level, rooftops, ancient columns embedded in houses and ancient entrances. Feel free to wander around and it is certain that Kastro’s breeze will take you back to another era.

Except the alleys of the settlement, it’s worth to walk the peripheral street of Kastro. In essence, it is a paved path that surrounds the settlement. Underneath, on the rock, you will see the much-photographed church of the Seven Martyrs which looks like floating in the sea with the deep blue Aegean Sea to surround it. At one of the ends of the route, you will see Seralia unfolding before you, namely the beach of Kastro with the turquoise waters, where the ancient port of Sifnos used to be.

Kamares - Churches of Agia Marina and Agia Katerina

The chapel of Agia Marina is actually a balcony to the Aegean. It is located in Kamares, on the right side of the bay at the foothill of Agios Simeon. About 95 low and broad steps will lead you there. Do not let the number put you off. It takes only five minutes to climb up these steps. The ideal time to go is at sunset and that’s because as the sun sets into the sea the colors opposite the church are simply breathtaking.

At a little bigger distance, but without steps lies the chapel of Agia Aikaterini. Once arriving in the village of Agia Marina turn left. At the end of the asphalt road, a narrow dirt path begins which is almost on the seafront. The route to Agia Aikaterini takes about 15 minutes but the view will really captivate you as the bay of Kamares unravels before your eyes.