We loved Folegandros! A quiet, unspoiled island with one of the prettiest towns in Greece – Chora (Hora).
Folegandros is a small, friendly island where everyone seems to know each other.
We arrived in the little harbour town of Karavostasis on the ferry from Santorini (a 2-hour and 50-minute trip) and took a taxi (Marinakis Ioannis, telephone +30 6944 693 957) for the short drive to our accommodation – Antheia Hotel on the edge of Chora, the main town on the island.
We were met at the family run Antheia Hotel – by lovely Lilly who provided us with a map of the island and suggestions on what to see and where to eat. The rooms are spotlessly clean at Antheia Hotel and it is well located. We can highly recommend a stay.
Lilly also works at Folegandros Travel – one of the local travel agents who do hotel and room bookings, boat and ferry tickets, car and moto rentals. Her parents have the little grocery store next door. Lilly’s father was mayor of Folegandros for 30 years and has done a fabulous job at keeping the island neat, tidy and unspoilt.
We take a walk around the very pretty town of Chora. The first stop is Pounta Square where the view is spectacular – the town sits at the top of a high cliff from where you can see neighbouring islands of Sikinos, Ios and Santorini in the distance.
Chora is dotted with picturesque squares shaded by beautiful trees under which several restaurants offer alfresco dining. It is so pretty!
Recommendations on what to see and do on Folegandros:
- Explore Chora and the oldest part of town – Kastro.
- Enjoy a meal at one of the local restaurants in Chora – our favourites were Araxe restaurant and Chic restaurant
- In the village of Ano Meria, have lunch at Irene’s. Try the local pasta and meat dishes. In season Irene also has an eatery at Agali beach.
- Take a walk up to the Church of Panagia – a stunning place to watch the sunset.
- Explore the port town of Karavostasis – good eateries, shops and beaches nearby.
Visit the beach:
- Agkali beach – reached by car on a narrow, sealed road. There are some attractive cafes and accommodations here.
- Ambeli beach – very small beach accessible by boat
- Katergo beach – reached by a 45 to 50-minute walk or by boat.
- Ag Georgios beach – reached by boat.
- Livadi (near the port of Karavostasis) – easily reached by car.
Boats based in Karavostasis take tourists to hard-to-access beaches, but only run during the tourist season.
To explore the island, we rented a car from Folegandros Rent a Car – Ottomotion. Tel +30 694 260 5348. Email: folegandrosrentalcars@gmail.com run by Andronis. Andronis hires out new cars and we rented a lovely white Renault Clio. Lilly and Andronis advise us on which roads are okay to drive.
The drive out through the village of Ano Meria offers amazing views. The road is sealed with bitumen but narrow in places.
Folegandros was one of our favourite islands. Don’t miss it!
The next island on our trip was Milos.
18-20 May 2023
Best Month of Your Life