Last Updated on 31/12/2025 by Ting Dalton
Wondering if Folegandros is worth visiting? Well, if you’re looking for an idyllic Greek island escape, Folegandros fits the bill perfectly. It’s only an hour’s fast ferry ride from Santorini (three if you take the slower, cheaper boat), but this teeny island feels worlds away from the chaotic crowds of Fira and Oia.
Why is Folegandros worth visiting?
Folegandros has just the right amount of laid-back hustle and bustle. It doesn’t have an airport and doesn’t allow cruise ships to dock, so its whitewashed houses, higgledy-piggledy lanes and rugged beaches are reserved for those willing to put that extra bit of effort into reaching it.
It’s quieter than the big-name Greek islands, but not completely crowd-free. In early September, the mid-morning bus to the beach was standing room only. And come evening, restaurant terraces were packed.
If you’re thinking of a holiday here, this Folegandros travel guide offers an easy introduction to the island’s highlights. It includes where to go and what to do in Folegandros, which beaches to visit, and which other islands pair well with Folegandros. Let’s start with the basics…
Where is Folegandros?
Folegandros is a tiny speck in the Cyclades, a group of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. It’s one of the more southerly islands in the group – nearby islands include Milos, Sikinos and Santorini.
How do I get there?
Folegandros island doesn’t have an airport, so you’ll need to book a ferry to reach it. Santorini is the easiest option, with an international airport and regular ferries to Folegandros. The fast ferries take around an hour and cost approximately £60pp. The slower ferries are a fraction of the price but can take up to three hours (if you get seasick, opt for a slower ferry – they’re bigger and much more stable when the seas are rough). There are plenty of websites selling tickets, including Ferryhopper and ferries.gr. Other islands with ferry links to Folegandros include Milos, Sifnos, Serifos and Mykonos.
What to do in Folegandros
The beauty of Folegandros travel is that there isn’t actually a huge amount to do here. Embrace slow living and spend your days unwinding on beaches, swimming in gin-clear seas and wandering through the twisting lanes of Chora. Here’s what you shouldn’t miss in Folegandros…
Spend an evening in Chora
Chora, the main town in Folegandros, reminded me a little of Mykonos Town. Only instead of Louis Vuitton and £500-a-bottle champagne bars, there were rustic restaurants and charming little boutiques displaying delicate Greek jewellery, handmade bags adorned with seashells, and the softest of beach towels in soothing pastel shades. Bring a half-empty suitcase and load up – there’s nothing like a haul of beautiful holiday buys to cheer you up when you get home.
Kastro, the oldest part of town, is a warren of tight-knit lanes. It was a great place to wander in the early evening. We strolled past the church just as a service had ended, and sat quietly outside as locals streamed out, chatting and laughing as they headed for home. A snapshot of everyday Greek life that you don’t often see in tourist resorts.
Most of Chora’s restaurants cluster around the edges of the town’s series of squares. Wobbly wooden tables and chairs are squeezed onto terraces beneath leafy plane trees, their branches looped with strings of festoon lights.
The evening’s menu is scrawled on propped-up blackboards. Local favourites like matsata (thick pasta strips, usually coated in a rich, meaty sauce) sit alongside the usual lamb stew, moussaka and sun-dried octopus.
If you’re not staying in Chora, try and head in at least twice: once in the morning, when the crooked lanes are cool and quiet; and once in the evening, when the shops and squares come alive.
Watch the sunset from the high cliffs
High above Chora is the tiny, whitewashed Church of Panagia. It’s got the best sunset views on Folegandros. Each evening, dozens of people trundle up the zigzag path to watch as the sun dips below the horizon, the lights of Chora begin to twinkle, and the sky shifts from peach to pink to mauve.
It’s a fairly steep walk, but easily do-able. It took me around 20 minutes with a few photo stops en route. Find the most comfortable rock you can and settle in for one of the most magical Greek sunsets ever (I actually preferred the sunset experience here to both Santorini and Mykonos).
Have a beach day at Agios Nikolaos
There are plenty of beaches on Folegandros, including some really remote, wild spots that can only be reached by boat or a lengthy hike.
We opted to spend a morning at Agios Nikolaos, one of the easier beaches to get to. The bus from Chora took around 15 minutes to get to Agali Beach, a beautiful spot that’s home to a handful of tavernas, cafes and hotels. From here, we hopped on a little boat for the five-minute trip around the headland to Agios Nikolaos beach.
It’s a sheltered bay with coarse sand, the clearest waters and a sprinkling of olive trees to set up camp beneath. You’ll instantly see why it’s been labelled as one of the best beaches on Folegandros. There’s a taverna right on the sand, plus a fancier one up above the bay with outstanding views (see where to eat in Folegandros).
You can buy a return ferry ticket from Agali Beach, but we opted for a single so we could walk back via the rocky cliff path. It was an easy 20 minutes or so, and well worth the extra effort for the postcard-worthy views.
Where to stay in Folegandros
When it comes to choosing where you’re going to stay, decide whether you’d rather be up high on the cliffs or down by the water. Up high, you’ll find Chora and Ano Meria, while the two main settlements by the water are Agali and Karavostasis (the port town). There’s also a tiny village called Petousis, which is where you’ll find the ultra-luxe Gundari hotel.
Anemomilos Boutique Hotel
We stayed at Anemomilos, a family-run hotel on the edge of Chora. It was less than a five-minute walk to the main squares, and you’re at the start of the path up to the Church of Panagia (though you also get killer sunset views – and killer cocktails – at the hotel’s cliffside bar).
There’s a gorgeous pool area, generous breakfasts (freshly squeezed juice, homemade cake and savoury pie, just-baked bread and jam, plus a ‘main’ – creamy Greek yoghurt with fruit and honey, bacon and scrambled eggs, etc) are included in the room rate, and studios have handy kitchenettes for prepping snacks/keeping a bottle of wine chilled to enjoy on your private terrace. I’d highly recommend it.
Polikandia Hotel
We met a couple who were staying at Polikandia (and had done several times before), and they raved about the hotel and the warm welcome from the staff there. It’s a short walk to the centre of Chora and has a lovely big pool area fringed by hot-pink bougainvillaea.
Blue Sand Boutique Hotel
Set right on above the sands at Agali, this boutique hotel is perfect for beach lovers. The rooms are beautifully decorated and there’s a lovely restaurant (also open to non-guests) for dining overlooking the water. The owners also run two gorgeous clifftop villas with private pools, which I drool over every time I go on the i-escape website.
Anemi Hotel
This luxury hotel is in Karavostasis and is well set up for couples and families. There’s a photogenic infinity pool, a spa (rare on Folegandros) and a sea-view restaurant.
Where to eat in Folegandros
Eating out was probably the highlight of my trip to Folegandros. We didn’t have a single bad meal, and the settings – whether we were dining in Chora or down by the beach – were always beautifully atmospheric.
Traditional dishes to look out for on your Folegandros travels include matsata, a thick tagliatelle-like pasta often served with a rabbit ragu; and Sourotenia pie, made with local souroto cheese and onions. Other dishes to try include tomatokeftedes (deliciously crispy tomato fritters), dolmades (vine leaves stuffed with herby rice) and chlori (an island-made goats’ cheese) salad.
If you’re looking for restaurant recommendations for Folegandros, here are a selection of places we loved.
Eva’s Garden
The best meal we had during this particular Greek islands holiday. It’s down a little side street rather than on one of the squares, but it’s got its own quiet garden where you can dine on melt-in-the-mouth lamb and herby fish by candlelight. You can find them on Instagram here.
Anemomilos
If you tire of Greek cuisine, the restaurant at Anemomilos Boutique Hotel does amazing Mediterranean cuisine with a side order of spectacular sunset views. Book ahead – it fills up – and come early to enjoy a cocktail on the deckchairs.
Piatsa
Piatsa is set beside the prettiest (in my eyes) square in Chora. I had the most delicious plate of matsata, and the house wine was great value (and very drinkable).
Irini
Drive or bus (or hike, if you’re feeling energetic) up to the small village of Ano Meria and enjoy a meal at Irini, a simple, traditional taverna that serves up tasty dishes like courgette fritters, cheese pie and matsata with rabbit.
Papalagi
Fancy fresh fish for supper? Clamber up the stone steps from Agios Nikolaos and you’ll reach this seafood-focused taverna. Stop by for lunch or dinner, and book a table in advance if you can – it books up quickly, especially the best sea-view tables. The restaurant offers complimentary boat transfers from Agali Beach if you’re visiting after dark. Find them on Instagram here.
Planning your trip to Folegandros
When to visit Folegandros
Folegandros doesn’t see anything like the high-season summer crowds that gather on Santorini. It’s at its busiest during August, when a lot of Greek visitors stay, but it’s still pleasant and not overcrowded at all. September is great for warmer seas, cheaper prices and fewer crowds. For hikers, aim for cooler times of year: May, early June and late September. Just bear in mind that not everything will be open at these times. In the winter months, a lot of places will shut down and the island will be very quiet.
Weather-wise, like many of the Cycladic islands, Folegandros does experience the meltemi wind during the summer. These winds are often nice and cooling during the hot summer months, but occasionally will be strong enough to cancel ferries and whip up sand on the beach.
How long should I spend in Folegandros?
Folegandros is a fairly small island, so three days is probably enough to explore Chora, visit a couple of beautiful beaches and soak up the laid-back lifestyle here. Add another day or two and you could do a hike, explore some of the more remote beaches or take a day trip – maybe join a small boat tour around the island to discover secluded coves and caves.
Which are the best islands to combine with Folegandros?
Santorini is the obvious choice and the easiest island with an airport to reach. For a one-week itinerary, you could stay a night on Santorini (it’s always a good idea to spend a night on the island you’re flying from/to, as ferries can be cancelled at short notice due to the weather), ferry to Folegandros for three nights, then finish back on Santorini for three nights.
For a longer itinerary, combine Santorini and Folegandros with Milos, just an hour by ferry from Folegandros. Coming from the north, you could take the Seajet from Athens’ Piraeus port and stop off at Sifnos and Serifos en route to Folegandros. Slower ferries also link Folegandros with Kimolos and Sikinos – a glorious trio if you’re looking to explore lesser-visited Greek islands.
Is Folegandros good for families?
If you’re looking for kids clubs, aquaparks and all-inclusive buffets, then Folegandros probably isn’t the island for you. There’s nothing here like the big resorts you’ll find on the bigger islands like Corfu, Rhodes and Crete.
But if your family loves relaxed beach days, crystal-clear waters, boat trips, ice-cream in tree-shaded squares and dinners in friendly, family-run restaurants, then Folegandros is spot-on. While staying at Anemomilos, I got chatting to a family with two school-age children and a baby, and they had nothing but good things to say about the island.
Is Folegandros expensive?
Not particularly, especially when compared to Santorini and Mykonos. There is a good range of accommodation here, so you can opt for luxury or budget – whatever suits you. Restaurants are generally good value, too. We found that most places accepted credit/debit cards, but I’d recommend taking some euros with you as well (especially as there aren’t many ATMs on the island).
Should I hire a car?
We stayed in Chora and found that we didn’t need a car or scooter to get around. The bus service was pretty regular, and we were able to walk into town easily for dinner. If you’re staying in Karavostasis or down by the beach, you might want your own transport to get to and from Chora easily, especially in the evenings. There are taxis available, but not many, so it’s wise to book in advance. Many hotels will offer transfers to and from the ferry port.
Find more inspiration for your trip in our Greece travel guides.