Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
What it has, disproportionately, is coastline. The island is so indented that it carries something close to eighteen beaches, none of them developed.
The village
Chora, also called Panagia, runs along the ridge in the middle of the island, a single main lane with tavernas, a couple of shops and rooms. From it you can see water on both sides.
Mersini, the port, sits below in a small bay, and the walk between them takes about fifteen minutes uphill.
That is the whole settlement pattern. There is no second town.
The beaches
They are the reason to be here, and the way you use them is by walking. Paths run from the ridge down to coves on every side:
- Tsigouri, the closest to the village, with the one taverna on a beach.
- Almyros, sandy and shallow, on the south.
- Lioliou, Fykio and Psili Ammos, progressively more effort and progressively emptier.
None is organised. There is no shade you did not bring, and on most of them there will be nobody else.
What it is not
There is no nightlife, no car hire worth the name, no cash machine you should rely on and no supermarket in the usual sense. The island runs on the boat that brings supplies.
That is not a warning so much as a description: people who like Schinoussa like it precisely for this, and people who arrive expecting a resort island are unhappy within an hour.
Getting there and how long
Ferries from Naxos and along the Small Cyclades chain via Koufonisia and Iraklia. No airport.
Three nights, which is roughly what it takes to walk to most of the beaches without hurrying.
Last checked August 2026. Ferry services are seasonal and weather-dependent - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
Where is Schinoussa?
In the Small Cyclades, between Naxos and Amorgos, reached by ferry along that chain.
How many beaches does Schinoussa have?
Around eighteen, because the coastline is heavily indented. None of them is organised.
Do you need a car on Schinoussa?
No. The island is small enough to walk, and paths run from the ridge village down to the coves.
Is there anything to do on Schinoussa besides beaches?
Not much, and that is the point. There is one village, a handful of tavernas and a walk to the port. There is no nightlife.
How do you get to Schinoussa?
By ferry from Naxos, or along the Small Cyclades chain via Koufonisia and Iraklia.
Next
Read Koufonisia, Iraklia, or Naxos.