Folegandros with Kids: Family Beaches, What Children Love and How to Get Around

Yes, with one condition: you must not need water slides. Folegandros is small, safe and slow. Chora is pedestrian, so children run free on the three squares while you eat; the beaches of the south and east coasts are shallow and sheltered; there are goats on every bend, small boats, a monastery on top of the hill and a farmhouse museum.

What there is not: big hotels with kids' clubs, organised parks, many shops. Shade is rare, most beaches are pebbly and some need a path. With an umbrella, water shoes and the right vehicle, the island works wonderfully with children from toddlers to teenagers.

For the overall picture start with the Folegandros travel guide and for the timing see the best time to visit guide: June and September are the family months, with warm sea and none of the August crush.

Four beaches make up 90% of family days on the island.

Agali is the first choice: sand, shallows, shade under an umbrella, food above the beach and the small boat to Agios Nikolaos, which for children is half the fun. Karavostasi and Livadi are the beaches with trees, ideal for whole days with small children. Vardia on calm days is the empty bonus, ten minutes on foot from the port.

On meltemi days stay on the south coast: Agali and Agios Nikolaos are sheltered, while Karavostasi gets a little choppy. Katergo, Livadaki and the Ano Meria beaches are for teenagers who walk, not for pushchairs. All of them in detail in the beaches guide.

• The small boat: from Agali to Agios Nikolaos and Galifos, or the big tour from Karavostasi around the island, with Chrysospilia opening in the cliff below Chora. For children it is the event of the week.
• The Panagia: the zigzag path with its 380 steps, 15 to 20 minutes, is the perfect "mountain" for children from about five, with the sunset as the prize.
• The squares of Chora: ice cream, running, cats. It is pedestrian, so the children are set free and the parents dine.
• The Folklore Museum in Ano Meria: an old farmhouse with a threshing floor, an oven and tools, an hour that teaches children how the island lived. Hours change, ask locally.
• The goats: on every bend of the road to Ano Meria. Stop safely on a lay-by.
• The campsite at Livadi: for families who want a tent, trees and the beach next door.

More ideas in the things to do guide and the Chora guide.

The bus covers Chora – port and, in summer, Chora – Agali, with a few departures a day; taxis number one or two. For a family that wants to change beach according to the wind, your own vehicle is the difference between a holiday and patience.

The two-seat ATV is the island's family vehicle: stable, driven on a car licence, with room for a bag and an umbrella, and it reaches both asphalt and dirt track. Two adults and a child usually mean two vehicles or taking turns; tell us the ages when you book and we will say what is allowed and what we recommend, because the Greek road code restricts young passengers on two-wheelers. Helmets are included for everyone.

Ride slowly, stay on the asphalt with a child on board, and do not take a dirt track with a baby in your arms. See the driving guide and the licence guide.

• Where to stay: Chora for the evenings on the squares, Karavostasi or Livadi for the beach at your door. See the where to stay guide.
• Pharmacy and doctor: both in Chora, for everyday needs; bring your own children's medicines.
• Shopping: the mini-markets in Chora and at the port have the basics, not every brand; bring specific nappies and formula with you.
• Shade and water: beach umbrella, hats, sunscreen, two litres of water per person; tap water is brackish.
• Pebbles: water shoes for the whole family.
• Cash: many tavernas cash only, two ATMs in Chora.
• Timing: Greeks eat late; with small children ask for a table early, around eight, and you will almost have the place to yourselves.