Sifnos, How to Get to Sifnos, Economy of Sifnos

sifnos

Sifnos is part of the Cyclades islands and lies between Antiparos, Serifos and Kimolos. It’s located about 80 nautical miles (130 km) from Piraeus, west of Delos and Paros. The island comprises an area of 74 square kilometers and has a permanent population of about 2000.

Sifnos belongs to the Province of Milos, part of the Prefecture of Cyclades. The main towns are Apollonia (the capital)and Artemon, which belong to the municipality of Sifnos.

Its highest mountain is Profet Elias and it has a monastery perched at top (with the same name). On Sifnos there are beautiful beaches, some of the best in western Cyclades.

How to get to Sifnos

You can get to Sifnos by ferries and speed boats which connect it to Piraeus, Santorini, Kythnos, Mykonos, Serifos, Kimolos and Milos.

During the summer time there is a daily ferry service to Milos and Piraeus (about 5 hours). You can get to Sifnos from Crete as well (via Milos) and from any city in the world via Athens ( Piraeus). The closest airports to Sifnos are on Paros and Milos. Within the island you can use the bus service or you can get a taxi.

Economy of Sifnos

Today the islanders are occupied with dairy farming, fishing and agriculture. Pottery is the most important local trade. The merchant navy and tourism are also very important for Sifnos economy. The local products include wine, honey, manoura and ksinomyzithra (two varieties of local cheese), figs, capers, pottery, woven fabrics, almond cookies, sesame cakes and honey-cheese pies.

Sifnos today

Today, Sifnos is a well known summer resort. It’s known for the natural beauty, its whitewashed houses and churches (the church of the Timios Stavros, the church of the Taxiarchis, the church of the Metamorphosis tou Sotiros and many more), its monasteries and the well-hidden beaches (Kamares, Fykiada, Vlihos and Platis Yialos). While in Sifnos you can attend one of the religious celebrations or you can choose to take the hiking trails and admire the natural beauties of the island. The rest stop in Saint Charalampos offers the most magnificent panoramic view of the Aegean Sea.