Beaches in Serifos: The Best Beaches, Island Guide & Hotels

The beaches of Serifos

Serifos has over 70 beaches, and the east coast is lined with them. By the port, Livadi has a sandy port beach with pine trees for shade, and a short walk south leads to larger, better Livadakia Beach, well sheltered from the Meltemi wind, tree-shaded and shallow enough for children. A path from Livadakia continues to quieter Karavi Beach, where naturists gather when it is not too busy. Psili Amos - "fine sand" - is considered one of the finest beaches on the island and one of the best in Greece, with shallow water ideal for families, an hour's walk from Livadi with a couple of tavernas. Heading north from the port you also reach Lia, Agios Sostis and larger, quiet Agios Giannis, where naturists sometimes go. In the north-east, Platis Gialos is a small sand-and-pebble beach with a taverna, reached over a rough road, and Kentarhos beach is a 20-minute walk down stone steps from its village. Koutalas in the south-west is the island's second official nudist beach, and Aulomonas, north-east of the port, can be busy.

The island and Chora

Serifos lies in the western Cyclades, a little north-west of Paros and Naxos, and is greener than most Cycladic islands. Ferries dock at Livadi, a pretty Cycladic village in a bay on the south-east coast with a sandy beach, a harbour, most of the hotels and the island's main facilities. The crossing from Piraeus takes about 4.5 hours by normal ferry and 2.5 hours by high-speed boat. From Livadi the road climbs to Chora, the hilltop capital - an authentic Greek village of white houses, narrow streets, squares, churches and windmills, crowned by the ruins of a Venetian fortress destroyed by pirates in 1210 and the church of Agios Constantinos with wide views. Chora has an archaeological museum, housed with the 1907 neo-classical town hall on Saint Athanasios Square, and a folklore museum lower down towards Livadi. Serifos is busiest at weekends and in high summer, when Athenians visit, and quiet the rest of the time.

Sights of Serifos

The Monastery of the Taxiarches, 8 kilometers north of Chora, is the most important sight on Serifos - a white, fortress-like monastery with high walls, a blue dome and a clock tower, built in the early 17th century, that was the economic and religious centre of the island under Turkish rule and still keeps important relics and Byzantine manuscripts. Above Megalo Livadi in the south-west stands the Throne of the Cyclops, a nine-by-seven-metre structure of huge stones that myth says was the throne of the one-eyed giants; Megalo Livadi itself was a mining village from just after 1850, where iron and even gold were won, with ruined buildings, a miners' monument to those killed in the 1916 strike, and a large iron loading bridge reaching into the sea. Near the coastal village of Koutalas are the Hellenistic "Kastro tis Grias" fortress, an early Christian basilica and a cave with stalactites once used for worship, while the village of Kentarhos has narrow streets, dovecotes and the remains of a Roman centurion's vaulted tomb.

Walking & activities

Serifos is small but varied, and walking is the best way to see it, with six relatively well-marked hiking trails - though a good map or a guide is recommended. Serifos-Me3 offers year-round workshops and activities, including guided walks of 1.5 to 5 hours in varying difficulty (except in July and August), family walks, historical tours, and seasonal herb-gathering, along with Greek lessons, Greek cooking, juggling and, from April to October, yoga, Reiki, Greek dance, creative writing, wine and music. You can rent a car or motorbike in Livadi to reach the more remote beaches over the island's rough back roads.

Where to stay on Serifos

Most accommodation is in Livadi and neighbouring Livadakia, close to the port, the beaches and the island's facilities.

Naias Hotel, Livadi

Naias Hotel stands in the picturesque seaside resort of Livadi on the south-east coast, just 500 metres from the port. It is a traditional Cycladic-style complex of two whitewashed buildings with touches of sea blue and tastefully furnished rooms, set in a garden of potted flowers where you can sit and look out over the bay, the golden beach and the sunset.