If you are seeking genuine, unspoilt Greek island life, Anafi is the one! Sail directly east from Santorini for about 90 minutes and you will hit this pumice blanketed, majestic former berth of the legendary Argonauts. Being one of the least accessible islands of the Cyclades, Anafi does not offer hotel accommodation, excursions by motorcoach or clubs. Instead, one can experience the delights of Agios Nikolaos, the small, cliff-backed port of arrival with its couple of tavernas and cafe and the truly unspoilt hilltop Chora, just a short bus ride (4 km) from Agios Nikolaos. With only a few tavernas, bakery, small shops and post office, your weekly visit to the out of town hypermarket at home will become a distant memory as you stroll the enchanting, narrow alleys of Chora. If you prefer not to travel by bus, a 1.5 km donkey track is still used by enthusiastic walkers.
The string of beaches that run the length of the south coast of Anafi are nothing short of impressive. From the cliff-sheltered sands at Agios Nikolaos, a short walk leads east to Klissidi, 200 metres of gently shelving, fine sand, two tavernas and most of the island’s rooms, Apollon Village among them. Even more splendid are the dune backed sands of Roukounas, an hours walk east of Klissidi. Monastiri beach and the coves of Katalimatsa are even further east but all within walking distance.
If you are feeling lazy, a small excursion boat operates between Agios Nikolaos & Monastiri from where it is possible to walk to the Monasteries of Zoodogou Pyrgi & Panaghia Kalamiotissa. Whether Anafi keeps its unspoilt character is an open question. A government building restriction covers the Chora, but the island now appears in a number of guide books, and the arithmetic of that rarely runs the other way. The obvious conclusion is to go early.
Getting there
Travel between Santorini and Anafi is by ferry (1 hr. 10 mins.).
What is left on the island
The 2021 census counted 293 residents on forty square kilometres, and that ratio is the whole character of the place. Anafi is administered from Thira, and Santorini is both the ferry gateway and the reason the island is quiet: almost everyone sailing past is going the other way.
The name is older than the settlement. In the myth Apollo made the island appear to the Argonauts as shelter from a storm, and Anafi is read as coming from the verb for that revelation, which puts it in the same family as Delos. Above the east end, at the top of a climb that is the standard day’s walk here, the monastery of Panagia Kalamiotissa stands on the site of a temple to Apollo Aegletus, and inscriptions from the island name the god. There are further ruins at Kasteli, on the south coast below the Chora.
| Leg | By | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| London Gatwick → Santorini | flight | — |
| Santorini → Anafi | ferry | 1 hr 10 min |
Crossing times are the scheduled durations of the route, not a timetable. Sailings vary by season and operator.