The far north
Cheronissos, Sifnos
Written by Elena Philippou, who hosts Villa Olivia Clara above Platis Gialos.Updated August 2026
Cheronissos is the northernmost village on Sifnos, a small horseshoe bay at the end of the island with a handful of fish tavernas, a sandy beach and the last working pottery of a village that once lived by the trade. It is 14.6 km from the port and 23.3 km from Platis Gialos and the villa, about half an hour of winding road each way.
This is the longest drive on the island and the point of it is that almost nobody makes it. The road runs out here. What you get at the end is a sheltered bay, water that stays calm when the north wind is spoiling everything else, fish landed that morning, and a pottery still turning by the sea. It is a half-day, not a base.
Cheronissos at a glance
| What it is | The island's northernmost village: a horseshoe fishing bay at the end of the road, with two tavernas and a pottery |
|---|---|
| Beach | Sandy and shallow at the edge, sheltered from most winds except the south-westerly |
| Eating | Fish Tavern Fyssas, tables under the tamarisks, known for grilled fish, fish soup and lobster spaghetti; one other taverna on the bay |
| By road | Kamares 14.6 km · Platis Gialos 23.3 km · about 25 to 30 minutes from Apollonia |
| Bus | Five a day from Artemonas: 10:15, 12:00, 14:45, 16:45 and 19:40, €3.50 from the port |
| Walks | No coastal path in or out; this is a drive or a bus, then a swim |
| Best time | A day the meltemi is blowing, when the north wind closes the exposed beaches and this bay stays swimmable |
Distances are road kilometres routed over OpenStreetMap and bus times are the municipality's summer 2026 timetable. The beach, the taverna and the pottery are described from the sources listed on our sources page and checked in August 2026; unlike our other village guides, this one is not written from our own doorstep. Bus timetable and stops
Is Cheronissos worth the drive?
On the right day, yes. The right day is a windy one. Cheronissos faces north but the bay is a horseshoe, and the sources agree it stays protected in most conditions except a south-westerly, which is the opposite of what happens to the south-coast beaches when the meltemi arrives. On a calm week, Platis Gialos and Vathi are twenty minutes closer and just as good, and there is no shame in skipping it. Go for the emptiness, the fish and the pottery, not for the beach alone.
The last pottery
Sifnos has made pots for as long as anyone has written about it, and the workshops moved down to the sheltered coastal bays when it became safe to live on the shore: Faros, Platis Gialos, Kamares, Vathi and here. Cheronissos was one of the pottery villages. One workshop by the sea is still working, described in the island's own listings as the last survivor of the trade here. That is the reason to make this particular drive rather than a different one.
The beach and the water
A small sandy beach at the head of the bay, shallow where you walk in, with the fishing boats pulled up at one side. It is not organised in the Platis Gialos sense: bring what you need. Our earlier description of this beach as gravelly was wrong, and we have corrected it; the island's own sources describe sand, and shelter from every wind but the south-westerly.
Eating at the bay
Fish Tavern Fyssas is the one every source names, with tables under the tamarisks by the water and a reputation built on grilled fish, fish soup and lobster spaghetti. There is a second taverna on the bay. The fish here is as fresh as it gets on Sifnos because it is landed a few metres away, and the kitchens can close early when the catch runs out, so this is a lunch rather than a late dinner unless you have called ahead.
Getting there
By car it is 14.6 km from Kamares and 23.3 km from Platis Gialos and the villa, roughly half an hour of winding but sealed road, and the last stretch drops down to the bay. By bus there are five a day from Artemonas, at 10:15, 12:00, 14:45, 16:45 and 19:40, €3.50 from the port; check the return before you commit to the outward, because the gaps are long and there is nothing else up here. No footpath connects Cheronissos to the rest of the island's walking network.
From the villa
It is the far end of the island from us: 23.3 km, most of an hour there and back before you have swum or eaten. We send guests north on a windy day, when the south coast is choppy and this bay is not, and usually with lunch as the reason rather than the beach.
What it is not
It is not a place to stay unless you want to be genuinely cut off: no shops to speak of, a long drive to anywhere else, and a bus that runs five times a day. It is not a big beach, and on a calm week it is not obviously worth the distance when Vathi and Platis Gialos are closer. And it is not, whatever some listings say, home to a taverna called To Limanaki: that one is at Faros, and the two get mixed up.
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How long does it take to drive to Cheronissos?
About half an hour from Apollonia, and roughly the same from Platis Gialos, 23.3 km away. From the port at Kamares it is 14.6 km. The road is sealed but winding, and it ends at the bay.
Is the beach at Cheronissos sandy?
Yes. The island's own sources describe a small sandy beach, shallow at the edge, at the head of a horseshoe bay. An earlier version of this site called it gravelly, which was wrong.
Is Cheronissos sheltered from the wind?
Mostly. The sources describe it as protected from every direction except a south-westerly, which makes it the useful beach on a day when the meltemi has closed the exposed ones.
Is there anywhere to eat at Cheronissos?
Two tavernas on the bay. Fish Tavern Fyssas is the one every source names, under the tamarisks by the water, known for grilled fish, fish soup and lobster spaghetti. Kitchens can close early when the catch runs out.
Can you get to Cheronissos by bus?
Yes, five a day from Artemonas: 10:15, 12:00, 14:45, 16:45 and 19:40, at €3.50 from the port. Check the return time before you set out, because the gaps are long and there is nothing else up here.
Is there still pottery made at Cheronissos?
One workshop by the sea is still working, described in the island's listings as the last of a trade that once defined the village. Sifnos pottery moved to the sheltered coastal bays, of which this was one.
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