Folegandros, Greece

• More about your oliver guide: Sterling Boyd
• Trip type: Family, Beach
• Activity level: easy
• Ideal length of trip: 7 - 10 DAYS

to & from

If you are traveling through Europe and want to go to Greece but don’t have a ton of time, this is the guide for you. You can spend months traveling all the incredible Greek islands as they all have something unique to offer. This trip combines visiting Santorini, one of the most scenic islands, with Folegandros – a tiny hideaway island where the Greeks go on holiday.

Start your trip flying directly into Santorini. (We spent three nights in Santorini and one week in Folengandros.) Ferries run from Santorini to Folengandros at least three times a week. The Fast Ferry Sea Jet reaches Folegandros in 45 minutes. Don’t be surprised if the ferries are running late, get there on time with a bottle of wine and wait. This is Greece!

Where to Stay

Anemomilos Apartments (Folegandros). We LOVE this hotel. It sits right on top of the beautiful town of Chora in Folegandros. The service is spectacular, pool is incredible and we dream about the brunch overlooking the ocean. The hotel staff are also amazing. We would pick this hotel every time.

Where to Eat and Drink

• Matsata please! The island specialty in Folegandros is called matsata which is a fresh pasta made with tomato sauce and rabbit. It is delicious.
• Iced coffee every morning. I know this sounds strange, but you can’t beat the iced coffee in Folegandros. I don’t know how they do it, but it is out of this world good.
• I can’t begin to describe the beauty of the main town Chora on top of the cliffs in Folegandros. All of the main restaurants surround a square that is lit up at night under the bougainvillea. You can’t go wrong with any restaurant you choose.

What to Do

• Walk up the cliff to the church of Panagia at sunset. The church is built on a rocky hill above the town of Folegandros. At night, they light up the church with candles. It is pretty breathtaking. If I could sing, you might have caught me humming the toons to Mamma Mia.
• Beaches, beaches, beaches. Given Folegandros is mostly cliff, all the beaches are largely only accessible by boat. So make sure you stay in a hotel with a pool in case you don’t feel like taking a trek to the beach. On one of your first days, rent a boat and driver to take you to the surrounding beaches. You may find that you are the only ones on the beach! It also gives you a good sense of which beaches you want to go back to as you can then take the local boats (that run on schedule) with the locals.

inside scoop

• Check the weather before you take a local ferry. Trips will often get cancelled if the weather is bad.
• Plan to take plenty of cash with you to Folegandros! There is only one bank and one ATM (that sometimes doesn't work) so we changed all the money we needed before our trip and packed cash.

skip it

• Avoid the shops at mid day when all the cruise ships unload. Plan to do your shopping at night before and after dinner. It is much more enjoyable and the locals are in a better mood.