Folegandros

Folegandros is hard to find on a map. It is small and almost treeless, on the south-western edge of the Cyclades, and it has resisted nearly every kind of development that has reshaped its neighbours. There is no airport, the ferries are slower than anywhere else in the chain, and fewer than 1,000 people live there all year. It is the closest thing the Cyclades still has to its old self.

The Chora, the main village, sits 200 metres above the sea, its houses arranged around three connected squares shaded by old plane trees. Above it, a marble path climbs in switchbacks to the Church of the Panagia, set against the cliff edge in a position so improbable it seems argued into place rather than built. The view from there is clean and unfurnished, and it explains why people come.

The island has a long history of isolation. Under the Romans, and again under the modern Greek dictatorship, it was a place of exile. Karavostasis, the small port, receives the ferry. Ano Meria, the farming settlement at the northern end, is where you go to eat and to find matsata, the goat-and-tomato pasta the island is known for.

The practical limit is the number of beds. Folegandros has few rooms and limited beach access. That keeps numbers low even in August, but high-season rooms are gone early in the year. Book six months ahead for July or August, or aim for late May, June or September, when the boats run reliably and the heat is reasonable. Three nights is the minimum.

House Notes

  1. Arrival

    The ferry from Piraeus is the only direct route: about four hours by SeaJet, or eight on a conventional ferry. Faster options are a helicopter to Naxos and a tender across, or the crossing from Santorini on the southern Cyclades route. The island’s one road begins at the harbour of Karavostasis and climbs to Chora and Ano Meria. The bus for Chora waits there and meets every ferry, whatever the hour it arrives.

  2. Anemi

    Anemi is 12 two-storey white-cube buildings just above Karavostasi port, a short walk from the ferry. It is designed in a contemporary Cycladic style across a privileged plot, with a poolside restaurant, a fitness centre and a tennis court. The views run east across the Aegean. It is open from mid-May to the end of September.

  3. The kitchens

    Eva’s Garden in Chora serves modern Mediterranean cooking in a flowered courtyard. Sinadisi at Ano Meria, family-run since 1920, is the place for matsata, the island’s hand-made pasta, with rabbit or chicken. Irene’s, the roadside restaurant between Chora and Ano Meria, serves matsata with slow-braised meats. Pasithea, above Agali, has the long Aegean view.

  4. The Folk Museum

    The Ecological-Folklore Museum opened in 1988 in a 19th-century themonia farmhouse, and was the first Ecomuseum in Greece. It shows two periods: a 17th-century house, and a 19th-century stoneware kitchen with its indoor weaving room and workshop. It opens from 10 July to 10 September only, 5pm to 8pm, with a guide on site.

  5. The Panagia, in detail

    The church of the Panagia, built in 1821, stands on the cliff edge above Chora. The marble fragments in its walls and the statue bases in its courtyard were taken from the ancient temple that stood on the spot. The zigzag path from Pounda Square climbs to it in 15 minutes. The view from the forecourt is clean and open, straight out over the Aegean.

  6. The beaches by tender

    Katergo, on the south-east coast, is reached by footpath from Livadi or by boat from Karavostasi. Livadaki is about 15 minutes from Agali by the Island Spirit boat taxi, and Agios Nikolaos is 5 minutes on the same line. Galifos, a nudist-friendly beach, is a 10-minute walk from Agali. Vardia lies behind Karavostasi itself, reached by a stair from the harbour.

  7. Chrysospilia

    Chrysospilia, the Golden Cave, is on the north-east coast, 30 metres above sea level, and can be reached only by boat. Its walls carry hundreds of ancient names, among them Nicagoras, Themistocles, Cleon and Pythagoras. Young adults from across Greece wrote them in clay in the 4th century BC, probably during coming-of-age rites for young men. The cave also holds Roman cistern fragments and stalactites.

  8. Agali, the alternative base

    The southern bay of Agali is the small alternative to Karavostasi or Chora, with rooms and tavernas. It is a sandy crescent in Vathi Bay, with tavernas at the water’s edge and the boat-taxi pier for Livadaki and Agios Nikolaos. The 4-kilometre drive from Chora comes down in switchbacks, and the local bus takes 15 minutes.

  9. The Castro

    The Castro is the oldest quarter of Chora. It is a medieval settlement, raised to shelter the islanders from invasion after Marco Sanudo took Folegandros for Venice in 1207. The outer houses, some held to be over a thousand years old, are still lived in and cared for. The northern side stands at the edge of the cliff. Walk it early, before the lanes fill.

Anchorage Notes

  1. Karavostasis

    Karavostasis is the island’s only port, at the south-eastern tip in the bay of the same name. It is administered from another island: the Municipal Port Fund of Ios, a public-law body seated in the Municipality of Ios, holds the ports of Ios, Sikinos, Folegandros and Anafi, and its remit covers commercial, passenger, tourist and fishing traffic together. Everything that reaches Folegandros by sea arrives here.

  2. Vathi Bay

    Vathi Bay is the island’s second water, 4 kilometres below Chora, the main town. The local boats leave from Angali at its head, 5 minutes to Agios Nikolaos and 15 to Livadaki, and footpaths climb 10 minutes either side to Fira and Galyfos. Tavernas, a café and a mini market stand at the shore, making it the one landing on the coast, apart from the port, where a tender’s party finds a kitchen.

  3. Katergo

    Katergo is a day anchorage and nothing else, 2.5 kilometres from the port. The local boat reaches it from Karavostasis in 10 minutes, or a half-hour path leads there from Livadi. There is no road, no taverna and no water, so visitors carry what they need.

  4. Livadaki

    Livadaki lies on the island’s far side, an hour’s walk down from Ano Meria and 15 minutes by boat from Angali, where the local boats leave every hour through the season. Nothing is sold there, and there is no taverna and no water. The Aspropounta lighthouse, built in 1919 and on solar power since 1986, stands 15 minutes’ walk up from the beach.