Is Serifos Worth Visiting?

Serifos holds somewhere between 40 and 70 beaches depending on who's counting, and that kind of range says a lot about an island most travelers still overlook.

Serifos sits in the western Cyclades between Sifnos and Kythnos, and its hilltop capital, Chora, rises steeply above the port of Livadi in a cluster of whitewashed houses built on the ruins of an ancient town referenced by Xenophon. A stairway climbs from the square to a Venetian castle at the summit, enclosing several small chapels, and windmills along the ridge, no longer in use, still frame some of the island's best views.

The island's real draw is its range of beaches. Sandy stretches like Psili Ammos sit a short distance from wilder pebble coves like Ganema, and most stay unorganized, without sunbeds or kiosks, so visitors bring their own shade and supplies. Largely undeveloped terrain gives Serifos an extensive network of hiking trails, and the Throne of Cyclops, a formation of seven massive boulders arranged like a giant armchair at Cape Kyklopas, gives one of the more distinctive views on the island's southwestern coast.

Serifos built its modern economy on iron ore mining through the early 20th century, and Megalo Livadi, once the island's industrial hub, still holds rusting machinery and neoclassical ruins beside a shallow, tamarisk-shaded beach. The 1916 miners' strike here was one of the first major labor movements in Greece. The 16th century Monastery of the Taxiarches, fortified against raiders and decorated with 18th century frescoes, sits inland and gives the island one of its more significant religious landmarks.

Serifos has no airport, so the only way in is by ferry from Piraeus, running two to five hours depending on the boat. It suits travelers who want a raw, unhurried version of the Cyclades, and locals and repeat visitors generally recommend at least three to four days to work through its beaches and villages properly.