Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
pedestrian street north from the square leads via Áno Petáli to Artemónas, past the
eighteenth-century church of
Panayía Ouranofóra
, incorporating fragments of a
seventh-century BC temple of Apollo and a relief of St George over the door.
Taking the road south to
Katavatí
you'll pass, after a few minutes, the beautiful empty
monastery of Firáyia and - fifteen minutes further along- there is a turning to a vast
Mycenaean archeological site (Tues-Sun 8.30am-3pm; free). Next to it, there is the
church of
Áyios Andhréas
, from where there are tremendous views over the
neighbouring islands.
ACCOMMODATION
6
APOLLONÍA AND AROUND
Anthoússa Hotel
T
22840 31431,
W
hotelanthousa
-sifnos.gr.
A good and solid enough hotel with comfortable
rooms, balconies with views and tasteful light blue decor,
plus a terrific patisserie below: try its home-made cakes,
chocolates and ic
e cre
am for breakfast, if you dare. Free
wi-fi. Easter-Nov.
€60
Mrs Dina
T
22840 31125.
A string of well-furnished
rooms and studios in a peaceful position with panoramic
views, next to the four-star
Petali Village
(see below) in the
cathedral area but at a fraction of the price. The landlady is
almost ne
ver t
here and will leave you to chill out in peace.
May-Oct.
€45
Ì
Petali Village
Áno Petáli
T
22840 33024,
W
hotelpetali.gr.
A luxurious hotel in a quiet position,
easy to fall in love with, offering parking, jacuzzi, pool and
free wi-fi. Its nautical decoration and verandas overlooking
the east of the isla
nd of
er relaxation worth the price tag.
Breakfast included.
€125
EATING AND DRINKING
Mamma Mia
T
22840 33086.
On the Ano Petali steps,
this is the surprising meeting point of the island's teenage
youth, but don't let that put you off. If you find yourself
tired of moussaka and pastitsio and, of course, fish, then
have a large wood-fired pizza here for €10; that's what the
Sifniots themselves do.
June-Sept daily 7pm-2am.
Okýalos
T
22840 32060.
Established as the in-place to
dine, with Hard Rock Café-style music while you eat, this
restaurant on the main street is worth making a reservation
for the roof garden - if you can. The casseroles here (€15)
are worth sampling, especially if they are the dish of the
day.
Daily 7pm-late.
Tou Apostóli to Koutoúki
To Stenó
T
22840 33186.
One of the better eating establishments but rather pricey,
offering island and other Greek specialities. This is the best
place to try the Sifniot casseroles; choose either from its
selection of veal- or pork-baked dishes (€13).
April-Sept
daily 7am-11am.
NIGHTLIFE
Argó
Stenó
T
22840 31114,
W
argobar.gr.
Long-
standing island club, refurbished in 2009 and playing
everything from classical music to modern rock. While
weekdays are mostly the realm of young tourists with their
drink antics, the live music shows on Fridays and Saturdays
attract all ages and are considerably better behaved.
April-Oct daily 11pm-late.
Cosí
Stenó
E
cosisifnos@gmail.com.
Club with live DJs
playing soul and R&B. Its mostly 18-30 clientele tends to
sit down outside, where you can hardly walk through the
chairs and tables sometimes, but there is much less of a
crush on the large indoors dancefloor, should you want to
boogie.
June-Sept daily 11pm-late.
The east coast
Most of Sífnos's coastal settlements are along the less precipitous
east coast
, within a
modest distance of Apollonía and its surrounding cultivated plateau.
Kástro
may be
more appealing than the resorts of
Fáros
and
Platýs Yialós
, which can get very
overcrowded in July and August.
Kástro
KÁSTRO
, the ancient capital of the island, retains much of its medieval character. It's
essentially a sinuous main street along the ridge of a hilltop, the houses on either side,
all of the same height, forming the outer defence wall. Their roofs slope inwards in
order to collect rainwater inside in case of siege. There are some fine sixteenth- and
seventeenth-century churches with ornamental floors; Venetian coats of arms, ancient
wall fragments and cunningly recycled Classical columns are still on some of the older
