Folegandros is one of the islands that should be on your list if you like good food and beautiful beaches.
This gorgeous island is currently spared from the phenomenon of over-tourism and accepts as many tourists as it can accommodate.
Another big plus that Folegandros has is that all the beaches on the island are unorganized, meaning no beach bars to charge outrageous amounts for a set of sunbeds. You take your towel and whatever else you want and enjoy your swim at any beach you want without any extra charge.
Transportation in Folegandros
Folegandros is a small island and I would say you need 3-4 days to get around it. The bus services have frequent routes from Karavostasi (port) to Chora and Ano Meria, but I would suggest renting a car to be more comfortable. Prices range from 30-60€ per day for a small car.
At the KTEL, the Karavostasis-Chora route costs 2€, Karavostasis-Ano Meria 3€ and Chora-Ano Meria 2,50€.
Accommodation in Folegandros
AGADA Folegandros
In Ano Meria you will find the AGADA Folegandros, a recently opened hotel that is without a doubt one of the nicest places I have stayed.
If you are looking for tranquility and luxury the AGADA Folegandros hotel is what you need. We stayed in the Infinity Suite and enjoyed the pool, which feels like a beach and we had amazing sea view. Best of all was the silence as you sit on your balcony and hear absolutely nothing but the birds singing, what more could you ask for on a holiday?
When the sky is clear you can see the other islands of Cyclades.
The room was spacious, with a fully equipped kitchen and super comfortable bed.
The hotel is designed with attention to the environment and special architecture, in harmony with the natural landscape around. The family that owns the hotel is wonderful. Mrs Alexandra gave us a guide to the island with useful tips on restaurants, beaches and everything we need to know about Folegandros.
Everyone made sure we had an unforgettable stay and we can only be sure that we will be back in the future.
What to see in Folegandros
Chora
I believe the Chora of Folegandros is one of the most beautiful you can explore in the Cyclades.
Everywhere you will see beautiful white well-preserved houses with coloured doors and colourful flowerbeds on the windows, colourful tavernas, wonderful smells and lights hanging from tree to tree, making the setting magical and very summery.
In Chora you will also find the Kastro (Castle), an area where the houses are built glued to each other. This is how people built them in the old days, in order to protect themselves from pirates.
Today, taking a walk there you will admire the white buildings and you might even hear a story from the local people.
Church of Panagia
If you have the courage to walk for 15-20 minutes uphill, you should visit the Church of Panagia of Folegandros, which dominates a hill above Chora.
This is the best spot on the island to enjoy the sunset and of course the panoramic view of Chora.
Ano Meria
Ano Meria is yet another village to explore. The village stretches along the road and you will find many restaurants and cafes.
The houses are spread out because it used to be a farming village and the residents used to grow whatever they needed to live in their homes.
In Ano Meria you will also find the Folklore Museum, which you can visit to learn about the history of the island, but also to see how people lived in the old days.
Agali Beach
A few minutes away from Chora, but also from Ano Meria, you will drive (or walk) at a downhill road and reach Agali beach.
Agali beach is unorganized but there are several shops for coffee and food around. It has pebbles and crystal clear waters, everything you need to enjoy your swim.
From there you can take a taxi boat to go to the beaches of Agios Nikolaos and Livadaki.
Gallifos Beach
If you don’t take the boat from Agali to Agios Nikolaos, you can cross a path and in about 350 meters you will reach Gallifos beach, a tiny beach where you won’t find any shops, so be sure to take water and snacks with you.
Ps. Of course we take our trash with us and don’t leave it there or anywhere!
Agios Nikolaos Beach
Continuing the route from Gallifos, at about 500 meters you will reach the beach of Agios Nikolaos, which of course got its name from the small church that is located there.
The beach has enough trees for you to lay your towel under their shadow and take a swim.
In case you get hungry, there are two restaurants to sit and eat while enjoying the view of the sea.
Chochlidia Beach
Chochlidia beach is located in the harbour and is ideal for families. The water is crystal clear and there are plenty of trees to sit in the shade. Outside there are pebbles, but inside there is sand to enjoy your swim.
Katergo Beach
Katergo is the most famous beach on the island. From Karavostasis you will take the boat to take you to Katergo. The turquoise waters, the pebbles and the wild beauty compose a magical landscape.
Make sure you go prepared with water and food, because there’s nothing around.
Food in Folegandros
Sinantisi
In Ano Meria you will find the restaurant “The Meeting”, a place you should definitely put on your list to eat the best rooster matsata in Folegandros. Matsata is a traditional dish (pasta) of the island and is served with different kinds of meat, but the classic recipe is with rooster.
Apart from the matsata, we tried a Greek salad with souroto. Souroto is a local cheese and they usually serve the Greek salad with this cheese instead of feta.
In addition, we also ate delicious Folegandros cheese pies with local cheese as well. At the end we were treated to a juicy orange pie. All the portions were huge, the flavors were awesome and the prices were quite good. I highly recommend it.
Pounta restaurant
The best breakfast place you’ll find in Chora is Pounta restaurant. From the outside it might not fill your eye because it looks very tiny. But you’ll go inside and walk into their back – huge – courtyard with tables and colourful chairs lying under the shade of the trees, surrounded by colourful flowers.
We had kayana, or strapatsada, served with warm bread and yoghurt with fruit and honey. Everything was delicious and the staff was polite.
Maragoudiko
In Ano Meria we visited Maragoudiko for a favorite Greek dish, the souvlaki. We had the Greek salad with soured cheese and a portion of chicken straws.
The chicken was some of the juiciest I’ve ever tasted and I was impressed by how flavorful it was.
Gelateria LO ZIO
If you want to have the best gelato in Folegandros, then without a second thought you will go to Lo zio (Uncle), which is owned by an Italian, so as you can understand you will have dreamy gelato flavours. We tried hazelnut (dream), cherry and Venetsia cream, which was reminiscent of millefeuille cream.
Zymaraki
In Chora we went to the “zymaraki”, where all the pasta is handmade. The tables at the “zυμαraki” are located on a beautiful balcony overlooking the church of Panagia.
We started with a fresh green mixed salad with cherry tomatoes, walnuts, dressing of handmade raspberry jam and roasted manouri.
We continued with awesome handmade rigatoni with chicken fillets, fresh mushrooms, porcini cream and parmesan. The portion of pasta was big and I liked that it wasn’t overcooked.
Last but not least, my favorite dish of the night, pappardelle with smoked pancetta, white truffle cream and parmesan. You could taste the truffle in every bite, but at the same time the cream was so light.
At the end, the kind waitress served us shots with limoncello and strawberry juice (for me who doesn’t drink alcohol). Don’t miss to add this gem to your list of places to visit in Folegandros.
Parasagas
On our second day in Folegandros, we went for breakfast at the cafeteria “Parasagas” in Chora and we were completely satisfied.
We tried delicious traditional cheese pie, which is made with kalasouna (local cheese) and onion. Here to tell you that the cheese is made with pure ingredients, as the animals they have are grazing freely in the mountains, so the cheese they make has no medicine in it.
I could eat this dreamy cheese pie every day. In addition we tried fluffy delicious waffles, and handmade ice cream. We got Madagascar vanilla, which was out at the time, but also chocolate sorbet.
It’s another shop I recommend with my eyes closed.
Pardalo
Although it wasn’t our first choice, after a series of events we sat down at a tavern called “The Pardalo”, with tables by the sea.
The Pardalo serves small plates (meze). So we had a dacos, zucchini with strained cheese, pork meat with a wonderful sauce and saganaki cheese.
If you want to drink your beer and eat appetizers by the water, then this is a good option for you.
If you want to see more of my trip to Folegandros, visit my Instagram profile.
