20 Things to Do in Folegandros, Chosen by Locals

Half your best hours in Folegandros will pass inside Chora without going anywhere at all. So we start there.

1. Get lost in the Kastro

Chora's medieval core was built around 1212 right on the cliff edge, its houses joined into a defensive wall with wooden stairs and balconies climbing the upper floors. You walk in from the squares, five minutes from anywhere in the village. Go early in the morning or after eight in the evening, when the daylight drops and the lanterns come on. Walk to the open side and look 200 m straight down to the sea. More in our Chora guide.

2. Climb to Panagia church

The white chapel above Chora is the island's signature image. The paved path zig-zags up in about 15 minutes with no shade at all, starting from the northern edge of the village. Take water and do not pick midday in July. If your dates land on Easter or 15 August you will catch the festival, with a procession, music and the whole island out on the path. Do the climb once in daylight for the view and once after dark, for the lights of Chora below you.

3. The three squares after dark

Pounta, Kontarini (also called Piatsa) and Dounavi: three car-free squares in a row under the plane trees. The evening starts late, around nine, and drifts from one to the next. Sit in two different ones — the atmosphere changes completely. Children run, older men play cards, nobody hurries. It is the most authentic thing on the island and it costs nothing. Pounta and Kontarini fill first, Dounavi stays the quietest of the three, and all of them are two minutes apart on foot.

4. Sunset from the Panagia path

You do not have to go all the way up. Halfway along the climb there are flat ledges facing west with the whole of Chora below you. Head up 40 minutes before sunset, choose a rock and stay put. The alternative is the Kastro edge, where the light lands on the houses themselves. More vantage points in our sunset spots guide.

No beach here is big, and the best ones ask for a little effort. Choose by the wind and by how far you feel like walking.

5. Katergo, by boat or by ATV

The island's most famous beach: three strips of sand and pebble in a sheltered bay on the south side. Two ways in — a small boat from Karavostasi, or 2 km of dirt track from Livadi followed by roughly 30 minutes of downhill path. Go in the morning, before eleven, while there is still shade against the rock. There is nothing down there, not even a canteen. See the Katergo beach page and the full guide.

6. Agali to Galifos and Agios Nikolaos on foot

The loveliest short walk on the island. From Agali the path heads west above the water: ten minutes to Galifos, another ten to Agios Nikolaos, where tamarisks give shade and there is a taverna. Wear shoes with a sole, not flip-flops. Late afternoon puts the sun at your back and the light on the water is extraordinary. It is 20 minutes each way at an easy pace, and in summer a small boat runs back to Agali if the heat has done its job.

7. Livadaki or Ambeli, off the map

Two western coves for people who want to be alone. Livadaki takes 3 km of dirt road plus a 15-minute path; Ambeli takes 2 km of dirt and a 10-minute descent. Both want an ATV rather than a scooter. Carry water, shade and food, because there is absolutely nothing there. More in the hidden beaches guide. Set off before ten so you swim while the cove is still in shadow, and never ride that last stretch after dark.

8. Swim at Karavostasi and eat at the harbour

The easiest option of all. Karavostasi has pebbles, shallow water, tamarisks and tavernas within a minute's walk, 3 km below Chora. Perfect for the first or last day, when you are waiting on a ferry. Try the fish at Kati Allo or Kalymnios. See also the port guide.

Folegandros is more dramatic from the sea than from the road. Give it at least one morning.

9. The excursion boat around the island

In summer small boats leave Karavostasi to circle the island, stopping to swim in coves that no road reaches. The trip usually takes most of the day and is cancelled when the wind gets up. Book it for your first or second day so you have room to reschedule if the weather turns. Take a hat and sunscreen: there is no shade on board. Most trips include a stop or two in coves no road reaches, which is the whole point of going.

10. See Chrysospilia from the sea

Below Chora, inside the cliff, opens the ancient cave of Chrysospilia. It is closed to visitors, but the mouth is clearly visible from the water and the excursion boats pass right in front of it. That is the moment you understand how vertical this rock really is. Have your phone ready early, because the boat does not linger. Ask the skipper before you leave whether the route passes it, because in a swell the boats stay further off the rock.

11. Snorkelling and diving out of Karavostasi

The water is clear and the rocky edges of the coves are full of life. In season, diving trips and boat excursions run from the port; ask locally, because the programmes change from year to year. With just a mask, the best edges are at Agios Nikolaos, Galifos and Katergo. Wear water shoes for the pebbles. Mornings are best, before the meltemi stirs the surface and drops visibility on the exposed side of the island.

12. A day trip to Sikinos

Sikinos sits just across the strait and is quieter still. In midsummer there are usually connections that let you go and return the same day, but check the timetable locally the day before. You get another castle-village, vineyards and almost nobody else. Details in our Sikinos day trip guide. Take cash and something to eat, because the village sits up a hill and options at the harbour are limited.

Five kilometres north-west of Chora the island changes character: agricultural, spread out, with a kitchen of its own.

13. Ano Meria and the Folklore Museum

The village straggles along the road in clusters of houses, with windmills and dry-stone terraces around it. The Folklore and Ecological Museum occupies a restored farmhouse and shows how a household here actually worked: threshing floor, oven, tools, cistern. Opening times change with the season, so ask locally. Come by scooter or on the bus and pair it with lunch. See our Ano Meria guide. Give the village an hour on foot as well; each cluster of houses has its own chapel and threshing floor.

14. Matsata in an Ano Meria taverna

Matsata is hand-rolled pasta served with rooster or rabbit, and it is the island's own dish. In Ano Meria they start rolling it in the morning, at Mimi's and Synantisi. It is a heavy plate for a sunny lunchtime, so save it for the evening. In August phone ahead or drop by early to secure a table. More options in our where to eat guide. Order one portion between two if you also want salad and cheese, because the plates arrive generous.

15. Souroto, capers and thyme honey

Souroto is the island's fresh cheese, light and faintly sour, and it turns up in salads and savoury pies. Capers are picked off the rocks in spring and kept in brine. Add thyme honey and local wine. Ask for these by name in the taverna, because they are not always written on the menu. They also make far better presents than fridge magnets.

The island hides a network of old footpaths and exactly one paved road. Both deserve a whole day.

16. The Aspropounta lighthouse walk

The 1919 lighthouse stands on a headland in the south-west. You start from Ano Meria and walk roughly an hour on a path lined with dry-stone walls, no shade, the sea opening up ahead of you. Go in the late afternoon and turn back before full dark, because there are no lights on the return. Closed shoes, water, torch on your phone. The path is easy to follow but the ground is loose in places, so take the descent slowly.

17. Follow the numbered trails

The island has a waymarked network of old stone paths, numbered 1 to 8, linking villages, beaches and country chapels. The classic is the old Chora to Ano Meria route, around two hours at your own pace. Walk in April, May, October, or early in the morning in high summer. Routes and timings are in our hiking in Folegandros guide. Pick up the free island map when you collect your vehicle from us; the numbered junctions are marked on it.

18. Ride the paved spine end to end

The one asphalt road runs Karavostasi–Chora–Ano Meria, roughly 12 km, curving above the sea with the view changing every few minutes. On a scooter it is half an hour of actual riding, but you will stop ten times. Fill up at the island's single petrol station and set off early. Which vehicle suits whom is covered in ATV vs scooter and in our rental prices.

Two more things that need nothing at all, and then the whole list in one table.

19. A slow drink on the Chora squares

Folegandros nightlife is a handful of bars on the squares of Chora, with the music at a volume that still lets you talk. There are no clubs and nobody is asking for any. The evening peaks around midnight and fades out by itself. Sit outside, order slowly and let the village walk past you. Nothing opens early, so eat first and drift over afterwards; the outside tables fill from about eleven.

20. Look up at the stars

With no light pollution and sea on three sides, the sky here is among the best in the Cyclades. Get a little away from the lights of Chora: the road towards Ano Meria, the Panagia path, or the edge above Agali. August has the warmest nights, September the clearest air. Take a jacket, because the breeze cools fast. A new moon makes the difference, so check the phase before you pick your night.