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. Sand at the head of it, a handful of fish tavernas along the little harbour, and the last working pottery in a village that once lived by the trade. It is 14.6 km from the port and 23.3 km from Platis Gialos and our house, about half an hour of winding road each way.
The road runs out here. It is the longest drive on the island and hardly anyone makes it. At the end of it there is a bay that stays calm when the north wind is spoiling everything else, fish landed that morning, and a pottery still working by the sea. Go up for lunch and a swim and come back the same afternoon.
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. Drive or take the bus, then 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 come from the sources listed on our sources page, checked in August 2026. This is the one village guide we have not written from our own doorstep. Bus timetable and stops
Is Cheronissos worth the drive?
On a windy day, yes. Cheronissos faces north, but the bay is a horseshoe and the sources have it sheltered from everything except a south-westerly. So it swims well on the days the exposed beaches do not, and in July and August the meltemi closes a lot of them. On a calm week Platis Gialos and Vathi are twenty minutes closer and just as good. Go north for the fish and the pottery, and for a bay with nobody in it.
The last pottery
Sifnos has made pots for as long as anyone has written about the island, and the workshops moved down to the sheltered coastal bays once it was safe to live on the shore. Cheronissos was one of them, with Kamares, Vathi, Faros and Platis Gialos. One workshop by the sea is still working, and the island's own listings call it the last of a trade that once kept the whole village.
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. Nothing is organised the way it is at Platis Gialos, so bring what you need. We had this beach down as gravelly once. That 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
Fyssas has been grilling fish over charcoal here since 1973, tables under the tamarisks by the water, known for the grilled fish, the fish soup and the lobster spaghetti. Ammoudia is the other one on the bay. The fish is as fresh as it gets on Sifnos because it comes off the boats a few metres away, and the kitchens can close early when the catch runs out. Go for lunch, and call ahead if you want dinner. The tavernas run Easter to September, like everywhere on the island.
Getting there
By car it is 14.6 km from Kamares and 23.3 km from Platis Gialos and our house, about half an hour of winding but sealed road, and the last stretch drops down to the bay. The bus runs five times 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. The gaps are long and there is nothing else up here. No footpath connects Cheronissos to 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 on the road there and back before you have swum or eaten anything. We send guests north on a windy day, when the south coast is choppy and this bay is not. Most of them go for the lunch as much as the swim.
Before you drive up
It is not a place to stay unless you want to be cut off. No shops to speak of, a long drive to anywhere else, a bus five times a day. The beach is small. If the sea is flat everywhere, this is a long way to drive for it. And some listings put a taverna called To Limanaki up here. That one is at Faros, and the two get mixed up.
Cheronissos, Sifnos: common questions
How long does it take to drive to Cheronissos?
25 to 30 minutes from Apollonia. About half an hour from Platis Gialos, 23.3 km away, and 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. We had it down as gravelly once, and that was wrong.
Is Cheronissos sheltered from the wind?
Mostly. The sources have it protected from every direction except a south-westerly. So it is the bay to drive to on a day when the meltemi has closed the exposed beaches.
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, so go at lunchtime.
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. The island's listings call it the last of a trade that once kept the whole village. Sifnos pottery moved down to the sheltered coastal bays, and Cheronissos was one of them.
Cheronissos, a day out from the villa
Our house is above Platis Gialos, 23.3 km from Cheronissos at the far end of the island. Write to Elena with your dates and she will tell you which days the north bay is the calm one, and when to go for the fish.