A Folegandros itinerary: three days, a cliff

Three days is right, four if you walk. This plan is an order rather than a timetable and prints no ferry times or prices. Everything else is in the Folegandros guide.

Before you book: three places, and not much else

Fix three names before anything else, because they shape every decision. Karavostasi is the port, a small village on the south-east coast where every boat lands. Chora, the capital, sits up on the cliff just above it. Ano Meria is a long, spread-out farming settlement strung along the road to the north-west. Between them is not much except rock, terraces and old footpaths.

The quiet has a cause you can point to. There is no airport, there is one small ferry harbour, and the big cruise liners that unload thousands onto Santorini’s caldera each morning do not call here, because Karavostasi is a harbour built for ferries rather than cruise ships. So the island never fills the way its famous neighbours do, even in August.

Athens to Folegandros and Santorini to Folegandros cover the ways in, and the second is the one most people use.

Day 1: the Chora, and the edge

Get up to Chora and stay there. It is one of the most beautiful capitals in the Cyclades and it is the entire reason to come: a whitewashed town of linked squares standing on the lip of a cliff, with the drop on one side and shaded plane trees on the other.

Do nothing on the first evening except walk between the squares and eat in one of them. The town is small enough to learn in an hour and good enough to keep returning to, which is why staying in it beats staying at the port.

Day 2: the climb to Panagia, early

Above the Chora, a zigzag path climbs the hill to the church of Panagia, whitewashed and visible from the whole town. It is a short, steep walk and the view back down over the Chora on its cliff is the picture everyone comes for.

Go at first light or late in the afternoon. There is no shade on the way up and the hill faces the sun for most of the day.

Spend the rest of the morning on the old paths that run out from the town, then take the middle of the day off. The island keeps that rhythm and so should you.

Day 3: Ano Meria, and a bay

Take the road north-west to Ano Meria, which is less a village than a scatter of farmsteads along several kilometres of road, with a folk museum and a couple of tavernas. It is the working half of the island and it is where Folegandros stops being scenic and starts being agricultural.

From there, old footpaths drop to the northern bays, including Agios Georgios, which is a proper walk down and back rather than a stroll. Take water and something for your feet: this is a rocky island and the bays are pebble.

The alternative is the boat. Several of the better beaches are easier by sea than by road, and small boats run from Karavostasi in season.

How to adapt this

Two days. The Chora and the Panagia climb. That is the essential Folegandros, and it is more than most day visitors get.

Without a car. Perfectly workable. The bus links Karavostasi, Chora and Ano Meria, and the footpaths do the rest. This is a walking island rather than a driving one.

With Santorini. The obvious pairing and the best one: the loudest island in the Cyclades and one of the quietest, an hour apart. Do Santorini first and finish here.

In August. Busier than its reputation but still not full, and rooms in Chora go early precisely because there are not many. Book ahead rather than assuming a quiet island has spare beds.

Where this leaves you

Three days on Folegandros: the Chora on the first, the climb to Panagia and the paths on the second, Ano Meria and a northern bay on the third. Stay in the Chora rather than at the port, walk rather than drive, and take the Panagia climb early. The island is small, steep and mostly empty, and that is the whole proposition.

Quick answers

How many days do you need on Folegandros?

Three, or four if you want to walk properly. The island is small and the pleasure is concentrated in one town and the paths around it, so it does not need a week, but it rewards more than a single night.

Where should you stay on Folegandros?

In the Chora, not at the port. The town on its cliff edge is the reason to come and it is a much better place to spend an evening than Karavostasi below. Rooms are limited, so book ahead.

Do you need a car on Folegandros?

No. A bus links the port, the Chora and Ano Meria, and old footpaths connect the rest. It is a walking island, and several of the better bays are easier by boat than by road anyway.

Why is Folegandros so much quieter than Santorini?

Because of what it never built. There is no airport, there is one small ferry harbour, and the cruise ships that unload thousands onto Santorini each morning do not call, since Karavostasi is built for ferries rather than liners.