Schinoussa, Cyclades
Harbor Schinousa, Greece.jpg · Charles Haynes · CC BY-SA 2.0

Cyclades

Schinoussa: beaches and walks the tourists have never found

It is hard to understand why such a charming, unspoilt island with beaches, pretty village and lovely walks, has been so thoroughly ignored by tourists, and long may that last.

Guide books rarely agree about the Greek islands. Schinoussa is the rare case where they do. Charm, unspoilt, even dreamy are just some of the epithets showered on this diminutive island in the eastern Cyclades.

The Lilliputian port of Mirsini is the island’s gateway. The principal village, Chora, is only 15 minutes’ walk away. The one main street in the village is home to the usual mix of tavernas (four at the last count), cafes, mini-markets and residential dwellings. From here, various donkey tracks lead to umpteen beaches that vary in consistency from pebble to gritty sand. The nearest of the dozen or so beaches that are worth frequenting is Tsigouri taking about 10 minutes down and 20 minutes back up to Chora, depending on the number of breathers you take!

Walkers will relish the paucity of motorised transport on Schinoussa, taking to the tracks and venturing further afield to beaches such as Psili Ammos, Fikio & Bazeou, but be sure to take food and water with you as there are no tavernas in these areas. Schinoussa is the sort of island people rate highly after the fact, once the lack of things to do turns out to have been the point.

Mirsini is a port in the technical sense only: a quay, a slipway and the boat. Everything that makes a day on Schinoussa happens either in Chora, fifteen minutes above it, or on the tracks that leave the village in every direction. In practice that means the island has one decision to make each morning, which beach, and no way to get to it other than walking.

Getting there

Travel between the mainland and Schinoussa is by ferry (6 hrs. 50 mins.).

Getting to Schinoussa
LegByRoughly
London → Athensflight—
Athens (Piraeus) → Schinoussaferry6 hrs 50 min

Crossing times are the scheduled durations of the route, not a timetable. Sailings vary by season and operator.

Islands that pair with Schinoussa

4 routes

Schinoussa: the practical questions

How do you get to Schinoussa?
By ferry from Piraeus, about six hours fifty minutes, or on the Minor Cyclades services from Naxos. The port is Mirsini, which is small even by the standards of these islands.

How far is the village from the port?
Fifteen minutes on foot uphill to Chora, which is where the tavernas, the cafes and the mini-markets are. Four tavernas at the last count, on one main street.

Which beaches are worth the walk?
Tsigouri is the nearest, ten minutes down from Chora and twenty back up. Psili Ammos, Fikio and Bazeou are further out along the donkey tracks, and there are no tavernas at any of them, so carry food and water.

Do you need a car?
There is almost no motorised transport on the island and no need for it. The tracks between the village and the beaches are the transport network, and walkers are the visitors who get the most out of the place.

What kind of week is this?
One where the absence of things to do turns out to be the attraction. People tend to rate Schinoussa highly afterwards rather than on arrival, which is a useful thing to know in advance.

More of the Cyclades