Which Islands to Combine with Sifnos (Without Backtracking)
Milos, for most people. It is 40 to 50 minutes away on the fast ferry and the landscape is a complete change of scene. It also has an airport, so you fly home from there. Serifos if you want fewer people. Paros if your group wants nightlife and easy onward ferries.
Written by Elena Philippou, who hosts Villa Olivia Clara above Platis Gialos.Updated September 2026
9 min readAbout half our guests make Sifnos the whole holiday. A week at the house and the beach, then home. The other half have flown a long way for Greece and want one more island in the trip. Which one? We get asked that on WhatsApp every week. Here is what we say, with the 2026 ferry times.
First, the map. The Western Cyclades sit in a line running south from Athens. Piraeus (or Lavrio), then Kythnos, Serifos, Sifnos, Milos, and little Kimolos off the side of Milos. So Serifos is the island north of us and Milos the one south. Keep to that order and no leg of the trip doubles back.
Three rules before you book anything
- 1
Follow the line. Serifos, Sifnos, Milos is the ferry route and it is the order on the map. Take the islands in that order, from either end.
- 2
Finish on an island with an airport. Sifnos has none. Milos, Paros and Santorini do. Spend your last night on one of them and you fly home from there.
- 3
Never end on Folegandros. The connections out are thin. Go in the middle of the trip, in summer.
Villa Olivia Clara
Basing yourself on Sifnos?
If Sifnos is where you slow down, our house above Platis Gialos holds the whole group in one place. Four bedrooms and a private pool, and A La Mer's day boats leave the bay below for Kimolos and the sea caves of Milos, so you can see the neighbours without changing hotels.
- 8 guests
- 4 bedrooms
- The whole house, one party
The five islands that pair with Sifnos
Milos (and Kimolos), the first choice
3–4 nights | 40–50 min by fast ferry, from ~€35 | up to 6–7 crossings a day in peak summer
Milos is 40 to 50 minutes away on the fast ferry and looks nothing like Sifnos. Volcanic, and built around boat days. Sarakiniko, the white moonscape, is as good as the photos, and so are the pirate coves at Kleftiko (no road goes there, so almost everyone arrives by boat). Milos also has an airport, 40 minutes from Athens, so it works at either end of the trip. Taxis on Milos are scarce, so book your port transfer before you arrive. And if you have a quiet day spare, take the little ferry across to Kimolos, the Cyclades as they were.
Serifos, the quiet neighbour to the north
2 nights | about 20–35 min, from ~€6 | several boats a day in summer
The shortest hop of all. Pick it if even Sifnos feels too discovered for you. The Chora is the most dramatic in the Western Cyclades, a cone of white cubes with a chapel on top. Down at Megalo Livadi the rusting ore bridge is what is left of the iron mines. Two nights is enough. The landscape is rawer than ours and there are fewer places to eat.
Paros (and Antiparos), the lively one
3 nights | 55 min on the summer high-speed (~€70), or 2–3 h on the year-round local boat from ~€4.50
Pick Paros when half the group wants the calm of Sifnos and the other half wants cocktail bars. Naoussa is the most polished harbour outside Mykonos. Antiparos has the cave and the day boats, and Paros itself has an airport and a ferry hub, so from there you can get almost anywhere. Take the slow boat over if your luggage and your dates allow. A fraction of the high-speed fare, and the nicer crossing.
Folegandros, for couples
2 nights | about 1½–2 h, from ~€8 | direct most days in summer
After Santorini it has the most dramatic village setting in the Cyclades. The Chora sits two hundred metres above the sea, with a medieval Kastro quarter and a zigzag path up to the church that you walk at sunset. It is tiny, and for couples above all. Go in the middle of the trip, in high season, when the direct boats run most days, and do not make it the last stop before a flight.
Santorini, at the start of the trip
2 nights | fast ferry ~2¾–3 h, conventional ~5¼ h from ~€12.50 | near-daily in peak season
If this is your first trip to Greece and you want to see the caldera, see it. Just put it first. Fly into Santorini straight off the international flight, do the rim villages, the Bronze Age streets at Akrotiri and the vineyards with their basket-trained vines, then take the ferry to Sifnos and slow down. The other way round, you leave a quiet week here for the Santorini crowds.
Five routes that work, depending on your flights
Each of these uses every leg once. The times are from this season's timetables, so check the live ones close to your dates.
- 1
Fly in through Milos. Athens to Milos by air takes 40 minutes and there are several flights a day. Three nights there, the short ferry to Sifnos for your week, then the fast boat back to Piraeus.
- 2
Fly out through Milos. Ferry from Piraeus to Serifos for two nights, the short hop down to Sifnos for the week, then three nights on Milos and fly back to Athens.
- 3
The Lavrio route, new for 2026. Land at Athens airport and skip Piraeus. Lavrio port is closer to the airport, and a daily summer catamaran reaches Sifnos in about three hours, calling at Kythnos and Serifos on the way.
- 4
Santorini first. International flight into Santorini, two nights, fast ferry to Sifnos for the week, then out through Piraeus, or through Milos and fly.
- 5
Out through Paros. Sifnos week first, then 55 minutes east for three nights in Naoussa, and fly out of Paros or take a ferry on to almost anywhere in the Aegean.
Two warnings. The meltemi can cancel the fast ferries in July and August, so never book an international flight for the same day as an island hop. Sleep a night in Athens instead. August crossings sell out weeks ahead, and so does any crossing with a car. The rest of the year a few days' notice is fine. The full ferry detail, operators included, is in our getting-to-Sifnos guide.
How to get to Sifnos, every route verifiedQuick answers
Which island should you combine with Sifnos?
Milos, for most people. It is 40 to 50 minutes away on the fast ferry and the landscape is a complete change of scene. It also has an airport, so you fly home from there. Serifos if you want fewer people. Paros if your group wants nightlife and easy onward ferries.
How many islands can you do in 10 days?
Two. Six or seven nights on Sifnos and three on Milos. Three islands is possible (two on Serifos, five on Sifnos, three on Milos) but every extra island costs you a packing day.
Should you visit Santorini before or after Sifnos?
Before. Fly into Santorini, see the caldera while you are fresh, then take the ferry to Sifnos and slow down. Do it the other way round and you leave a quiet week here for two nights in a crowd.
Can you fly home directly after Sifnos?
No. Sifnos has no airport. Either take the ferry back to Piraeus (about 2.5 hours on the fast boat), or finish on Milos or Paros and fly from there. In meltemi season, leave a night in Athens before an international flight.