Evaluation: this hike leads you through the magnificent interior of the island of Sífnos, an interior which you can also explore on the hikes to Vathy. In addition, though, during the second part of the hikes, you will be able to admire some exceptional views, as well as the unique location of Agios Andréas. This hike definitely deserves an evaluation of ***!

Estimated time: this is another hike for a fairly long day; to find a nice picnic spot you might take the turn to Agios Nikólaos T' Aeriná. Make sure to take enough water with you, because there is no well, nor an opportunity to swim on the way...

Route description: [A large part of this route is also described in the hike Apollonía - Vathý via the well of Kalamítsi (for the part until you have passed Taxiárchis tis Skáfis) and in the hike Apollonía-Vathý via the monastery of Agios Nikólaos T' Aeriná (for the part till Agios Nikólaos T' Aeriná).]  

The bus from Kamáres stops on the Platia Iroöon (the Square of Heroes), where you can relax for a while on a bench in the shade. On this square you will find the museum of folklore (closed on Sunday mornings), the war monument and the post office. The pedestrian street to Katavatí begins on the right of the square, in between the bar I Gonía and a pay phone. The pedestrian street to Artemónas begins in between the little store To Flaráki  and the bar Lákis.

Two hikes by themselves are to walk up and down from Apollonía to Katavatí and to Artemónas, while enjoying all of the beautiful churches and all of the picturesque spots. But in fact, you can as well explore these streets on the hikes from Apollonía to Vathý and to the Agios Simeoón.

So, for the trail to Agios Nikólaos T' Aeriná and Vathy you take the very picturesque street to Katavatí, in between the bar I Gonía and a pay phone. After some ten metres this street curves to the right and it continues past the beautiful churches of Stavrós and Taxiárchoon. About five minutes later you get to the Mitrópoli, the main church.

The little church of Stavrós, on the way to Katavati.

You then go straight, up the long staircase, and after another five minutes you get to the gymnásio, the secondary school. You continue up this street, you walk on the right hand side of a curve in the asphalt road for a couple of metres, going further towards Katavatí (sign-post). On the right you pass the street which leads to a church with a white dome and you walk past the hotel Galíni. You continue to go up slightly (you pass another path off the right) until you have passed another little white church with a white dome, the Panagia Angeloktisti – there is a beautiful sarcophagus in front of this church. The street goes further down for a little while, but then you have to take a street off the right with a sign-post to the Profítis Ilías – some fifteen minutes after your departure.

You then follow the broad concrete path. You pass a little concrete road on the left, an earth path again on the left, and a little further another earth path on the right. The trail then turns into a typical donkey path. It runs in between walls and after a couple of minutes it reaches the bypass around Apollonía. You cross this road, slightly going to the right, and there you will find the beautiful monopáti with a big sign the Profítis Ilías and Mávro Chorió. It has now been almost 20 minutes since you have left Apollonía.

You take this path, with first goes up along a marvellous paved staircase for about five minutes – you just have to ignore the little side roads. Afterwards, the trail continues rather flatly. After ten minutes you pass a path which goes up to the left to Agii Anárgyri, and after some fifteen minutes - you are already right into the magnificent interior Sífnos – you get to the path which goes up to the right towards the Profítis Ilías. At this point you cannot yet see the monastery on the top of the mountain.

Today, you don't have enough time to climb to the top, and you go straight, towards the left. The path then continues through a small gorge and after some three-four minutes you get to a kind of rocky plateau – in front of you you will see the corner of a wall. On the opposite hill you can distinguish the beautiful church of Agios Eustáthios. 

[At this point there is a path off the left towards the south; this is an other and shorter possibility to visit the interesting site of Agios Andréas and to return to Apollonía – this route is described in the two alternative hikes Apollonía - Agios Andréas .]

In order to go to Agios Nikólaos T' Aeriná though, you have to follow the main path to the right. You keep thus to the right hand side of the wall and you go up slightly (you will find a sign and there is also an old indication for this hike: a red cross in a square with dotted lines). The trail is still very clear, it curves to the right, following the valley and very soon you will see some ruins and also the beautiful old church of Taxiárchis tis Skáfis in front of you.

Taxiárchis tis Skáfis, on the way from Apollonía to Vathý.

Before the church you pass a little road off the left.  You then walk on the right hand side of a palm tree and you cannot help thinking: “Where does this tree come from?”. A staircase on the right leads towards the monastery. This is a very pleasant place to have some rest: the door is often open, there are some wall paintings behind the ikonóstasis, and there is a strong smell of incense.

The actual monopáti runs underneath the monastery and during the next 20 minutes it goes up gradually, sometimes like a staircase. Often, the path is narrow, in between a wall on the left and the rock on the right – in Summer time this is really a very hot spot! After some eight minutes you descend for a little while into a green valley, on the right hand side you have a nice view on the Profítis Ilías and the monastery. A little further, though, the trail goes up again steeply. Twenty minutes after Taxiárchis you will thus get to a platform with a lot of bushes. Just before this platform there is even some shade underneath a couple of trees – you better take advantage of this!

Immediately after you get to the end of the wall and on the open platform, there is a junction: you DO NOT take the broad path straight ahead, but you go left, more or less along a wall (there are blue dots). After some three minutes there is another junction and at this point you have to watch out - to the right, there is a path going to Vathý via the Kalamítsi-well. 

You have to take a left now, guided by some blue arrows and dots.

However, in order to pass Agios Nikólaos T' Aeriná, you have to go straight. You walk on the right hand side of a wall (which surrounds a couple of large fields with two white buildings) and you follow this wall for about four to five minutes (notice the orange-red dots). By continuing in this way you get to a rocky plateau and at this point you have to watch out again: you have to follow the path along the wall until you have turned towards the south east and until you see red arrows on a three-forked junction. 

The walk to Agios Andréas goes to the left, following the wall.

[If you first want to go to Agios Nikólaos T' Aeriná, a really beautiful spot, you first have to take a right. After your visit, however, you do have to turn back the way you came till you reach the wall again.  
You follow thus a vague path to the right (with some dark red arrows), in southwestern direction in between juniperus bushes. All of a sudden you will get to the rim of the plateau, where you have a beautiful view on the bay of Vathý.

The bay of Vathý.

You can now see the path more clearly again; it goes in western direction and Vathý remains to the left of you. After a couple of minutes, by following the red arrows and dots, you reach the picturesque and very white monastery of Agios Nikólaos T' Aeriná. The nickname of this monastery refers to the fact that this spot is often very windy.

The beautiful monastery of Agios Nikólaos T' Aeriná.

It is perfect to have your picnic on this refreshing place.

After some rest, you return to the three forked-junction near the wall surrounding a large field with two small white buildings.]

At this point, you continue on the path along the wall in south eastern direction. Already after a couple of minutes, though, you have to watch out: there goes a path off the right, more or less flat and on the right of the hill, heading south. This – otherwise really beautiful – path gets to the white church of Panagía tou Kariávli after about 20 minutes. This is almost the only trail that is not indicated on the map of John Birkett-Smith! 
But at this three-forked-road you go upwards on the left alongside the wall, in the direction of the little houses – you will also see an orange-red arrow. Some thirty metres before the corner of the wall you slightly turn to the right and in this way you walk for about 4 minutes to the edge of the hill.

When you get to the edge you will again see the bay of Vathý; you now go a little more to the left, towards some walls higher up on the hill. The trail (with orange-red dots) goes on the left hand side of the first circular wall and higher up it goes on the right of the second wall – you still have a beautiful view on Vathý and on the islands in the distance. After about seven minutes you cross the ridge of the hill amidst green bushes: Vathý disappears and at the same moment you will get a nice view over Platís Gialós, Folégandros and Síkinos. The trail continues in front of you (now with blue dots) straight towards Agios Andréas.  

You now walk on a wonderful trail with a magnificent view on the changing coast line: Platís Gialós from two or three different sides, the monastery of Taxiárchis at the new road to Vathý, and the fortress of Panagía tou Vounoú on the left of the bay of Platís Gialós. After about twenty minutes and after you have opened two gates you will arrive at the little chapel of Agia Ekateríni.

Immediately after the second gate the road splits up: the path on the right also goes in the right direction, but you have to take a left now. The rocky path goes up gradually on a green slope, to the left of a hill with a pyramid of rocks on top. Some 6-7 minutes later you will discover another great panorama: the hill of Agios Andréas with behind it the village of Kástro in the distance. Further to the right you can distinguish the bay of Fáros. The trail now goes to the right of the wall which surrounds the fields in the valley before the hill of Agios Andréas. After another minute you get to a three-forked-road and there you follow the wall to the left. You continue to walk along the wall until you get another beautiful view on the village of Kástro after five minutes – high up on the left you will see Agios Andréas. The trail gets a little vague and it continues to go around the hill gradually. It then descends slightly until you finally get to a staircase (with a sign to Agios Andréas). 
The staircase meanders upwards and you will definitely have to climb seriously for about 15 minutes. Finally you will get on top of the akrópolis, about half an hour after you have passed the gate. From this spot, at an altitude of about 400 metres you have a magnificent view on the east side of the island, from Artémonas over Kástro to Platís Gialós. When the weather is clear you can even discern Sýros, Páros, Antíparos, Ios, Síkinos and Folégandros! On the summit there are ruins from the bronze age, surrounded by a double wall. And in the middle you will find the church of Agios Andréas, dating from the 13th century.

Agios Andréas and in front the ruins from the bronze age.

On the way back you have to descend on the staircase and then even further past the junction, until you get to the road (after going down for about 20 minutes) - the altitude is now only 230 metres.

The best is then to follow the asphalt road for about 10 minutes till you reach a junction: the road on the left leads to Kamáres, before the crossing lies the little church of Firógia. You take the path going straight, in between the two asphalt roads and between walls. Some five minutes later you get to the first houses of Katavatí. At a crossing you have to keep left and after about 15 minutes you arrive back on the bus square of Apollonía.