When you first set eyes on Serifos, you’ll be overwhelmed by intense feelings caused by its wild beauty, with the shades of its mountains blending with the greens and blues of its beaches.
Our short escape in Serifos turned into a 3-day tour of the most important spots on the island. We set our headquarters at the emblematic Coco-mat Eco Residence Hotel that is located at the scenic bay of Vagia, one of the island’s south beaches, 6km south of the port.
Here, the owners have restored the mines’ old administration building, respecting the architecture of the stone buildings, and as a result, we’re taken back about 100 years just by looking at it. The rooms are spacious, while the breakfast hall has a great ambience – at least when it’s not windy – with a great view of the Vagia bay.
Day one
After having breakfast, we head southwest, and very quickly come across Ganema beach. It’s protected from the winds and has amazing green-blue waters, perfect for the first dip of the day. There’s a beach bar on the beach, SAAN – a uniquely decorated place with lots of rope elements. It’s ideal for a coffee after your swim and maybe a light meal too.
At the end of the beach, there’s another one: Koutalas, where the miners’ houses were located. Today, the miners’ houses have been turned into private residences. This beach too is protected from the winds, so it’s also a great place to swim. It’s not a serviced beach, and the nature is raw and wild.
We then head toward the secluded beach Mallades. We leave our car at the beginning of a dirt road and walk for about 20 minutes. When we reach the end of the road, we find ourselves on an amazing beach, protected from the winds, that’s a great place, away from crowds, even during high season in the summer. If you look around carefully, you’ll notice that the surrounding hills are a vibrant red shade – something that takes us back a century, when Serifos’ underground was full of ores. Leaving Mallades, after about 10 minutes, we reach probably the most historic place on the island: Megalo Livadi.
With more than 100 years of history, Megalo Livadi was the base of the mining activity in Serifos. Today, you can see part of this history unfold in front of you, since part of the tunnels is accessible, and you can take photos of the old loading docks, and visit the Folklore Museum, and learn about the Miners’ Union and how they organized the first Greek strike. After our visit, we made a stop at Tis Kira Marias coffee shop, where apart from coffee we had a taste of the celebrated local meze.
Following this very interesting experience, we decide to return to Hora following a different route. After about 5km, we turn on an easy dirt road and our off-road experience begins, leading us to the villages Avesalos and Kato Panagia. Here time seems to have stood still, since the daily life of the few remaining locals appears to have stopped at the period 1950-1960, and farming is the only occupation.
We then head to Hora to end our day. We climb a few steps and reach the square of Ano Hora, that the locals call Ano Piatsa. In this scenic corner, where the cathedral of Agios Athanasios is located, is home to many shops, cafés and restaurants. We chose to sit at the all-day café Tou Stratou that serves a wide range of coffees, breakfasts, desserts and ouzo mezze. Having had our fill of nature, local history and hospitality, we return to the absolute calm and quiet of our hotel, where only the sea can be heard from our rooms.
Day Two
The view of the endless blue in front of our at Coco-mat Eco Residence Hotel inspired us to go for a very early morning swim, something that energized us. We then enjoyed the hotel’s amazing breakfast that offers a wide range of options for vegetarians.
We headed northeast, making our first stop at a restored white tower with 3000 years of history and an amazing view of the south and southeast side of the island. After a 15min drive we reach a secluded, impressive spot: the Serifos dam that collects rain water.
After taking many photographs, we leave the damn and in just 5min we arrive at the Agios Sostis beach, with the cute church standing between two small beaches. On the day we visited, the wind was very strong, and swimming was out of the question, but the wildness of the landscape was inspiring. If you’re in Serifos in early September, it’s worth going to one of the festivals honouring Agios Sostis, on September 6.
We then visited the beach Psili Ammos that is just 10 min away from Agios Sostis. It’s a very small beach with bright blue waters, ideal for swimming if it’s not windy. Many think this is the island’s best beach, and it’s the home of the special tavern O Stefanakos.
Next on our itinerary, the beaches of Ai Giannis and Platis Gialos that are very popular in the summer. In Platis Gialos there’s a very cute tavern, Nikoulias, serving local cuisine. We recommend having local wine with your fish there.
Ten minutes away from Platis Gialos, we get back on the main road to get to the picturesque villages of Galani and Panagia. The locals are very friendly and have managed to keep the villages out of the spotlight. Enjoy a Greek coffee and chat with them, getting a glimpse of the alternative side of Serifos.
Next on the list, we could not go to Serifos and not visit some religious monuments. So, we headed to the imposing Taxiarhes monastery, that’s over 500 years old and is home to some incredible frescoes. It’s an important part of local history since it was the main frontier against pirates. Father Evdokimos provides all the details. After the monastery visit, we head to Sikaminia, the longest beach in Serifos that remains unspoiled by man, with just one family tavern, To Akrogiali toy Vitou, on the beach that serves great food.
If you don’t want to eat in Sikaminia, there’s a family run restaurant, Plakes, owned by Antonis Zaharias, serving amazing dishes of the Serifos cuisine on the way to Hora, in the Mili region. While if you want to eat in Hora, there’s Marathoriza, where Vivian Gioula, the owner, serves imaginative dishes prepared with care.
Day three
Up early, despite planning to sleep in, we have breakfast at the hotel and enjoy the view while planning our day. We decide to leave our car in Livadi and before setting out on foot we have a coffee at the Yacht Club, at the Serifos Yatcht Club, right next to the marina.
We begin our hike on the cobbled alley that will help us better experience perhaps the best Hora of the Cyclades. It’s uphill but not extremely difficult, and you can always make frequent stops to catch your breath. On the way, you’ll come across well-preserved traditional houses, as well as about 25 churches of varied size. Each church is maintained by the ktetor’s (founder of the churches) family.
Some churches that stood out were Agia Paraskevi, at the beginning of the path, Evangelismos in Kato Hora, Agios Athanasios in Ano Hora, Agios Ioannis Theologos –standing on columns– and, of course, Agios Konstantinos, at the top, with the amazing view. The churches and the view compose the absolute Cycladic beauty and feature on many postcards and travel brochures all over the planet. Unfortunately, the churches are not open often.
We then visit the high school of Hora: a neoclassical building of rare architectural beauty. Also, on your way towards Hora, under the hill top, you can see ruins of the Venetian castle. After walking for about one hour, just before the top, we need to rest. So, just before reaching Ano Piatsa, we discover Keramio, a workshop with handmade ceramics, made with great care. The owners also have a small café, Balkoni, on the grounds, with a lovely view of the bay of Livadi.
After we have a drink, the owners recommend a 10min hike on the dirt road next to their shop. We follow their suggestion, and, at the end of our hike, we discover the island’s Old Aqueduct. Returning to Hora, we explore its cobbled alleys, and we come across Lontza: a small shop with unique handmade objects and souvenirs.
When we return to Ano Piatsa, we divide in two groups, one goes to the bar-café Barbarossa, while the other, hungry from the hike, go to the tavern O Louis, to enjoy dishes made by the owner, Vasilis Zaharias, who combines island recipes with recipes from all over Greece. He’s also great to have a conversation with about life on the island. There are more options in Hora, which we didn’t get a chance to try, like:
-the atmospheric restaurant Aloni, that’s outside Hora and has a great view.
–Skaraveos and Montague Sandwich Shop for fast food.
-the bars Gaidaros and Ano Piatsa.
As we return to Livadi, in the evening, we stop at Porto Vecchio, a must for Italian food. Massimo Turrini, the owner, left Italy to live in Serifos with which he fell in love the first moment he saw it. His restaurant rivals famous trattorias in Athens. We left there with the best impressions of the food and service.
There are other great options for food in Livadi, like for instance, Thalami, Tis Kira-Marias, and Marina. The latter is a family run cookshop that’s great value for money. We then return to the hotel to pack, full of memories form Serifos. In the morning, we say goodbye to the staff of Coco-mat Eco Residences Hotel, thanking them for the impeccable service that’s well above the average of the island.
Oinomagireio
We head back to Livadi, and as we wait for the boat, we buy traditional products, to remember the island by. We stop at Glikoaromata Serifou where sisters Tzeni and Besi choose homemade sweets made with their family recipes. At Glikisma, we buy traditional Serifos amigdalota (almond sweets). And at Mitata, we get local cheeses, like Serifos graviera, as well as local meat.
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Serifos: The Greek island with the golden beaches
